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BBC Commentary

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brandon

Striker
(of Durham games by Marty)

Is to be scrapped for next season. Budget cuts to blame mainly, I'm going to put a complaint in to the BBC and would urge others to. It's a great service IMO and great to keep track on the games I can't get too. Plus the banter is always good, I find myself laughing out loud at work to some of the things that are talked about - very much like with TMS.

I'm sure Marty may tell us further details later but after a brief twitter conversation earlier it seems we'll have no more Durham commentary. Plus a lot of other counties may lose their commentary or have it cut.

I wonder how many listeners they get and/or how many listeners they'd need to get to justify covering the games - because it seems BBC Newcastle aren't very keen to do so - a lot of counties though have ALL CC games (not just home ones like us) and also a lot of them even cover ALL cricket (Pro40, T20, etc), furthermore some counties tend to have two blokes on at once more often than not so clearly have more money dedicated to it - what with all the logistics to cover (hotel stays, equipment, etc)

In my opinion I don't see why they can't put it on proper radio and not just online - I'm sure they'd get more listeners that way too as some of the time if I can't get a signal on my phone I'm knackered. I know that BBC Newc has an AM frequency so why not do it like TMS do and have the commentary on there whilst the FM station has the normal schedule........

Anyway, he tweeted an
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where comments can be made re: the coverage so I've done it and hopefully a few more will do also. Might not change owt but it didn't take long and hopefully we may get the chance to save the commentary!

I've also put a complaint in to the Beeb about the cutting of coverage. Just thought the more people I get onto the better the chance of having any success!
 
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It's great that the sentiment is there Brandon but county cricket is a long way down on the priorities of the people who make these decisions.
 
I am another one who loves the commentary (and that includes what they do with the Heed matches as well), but I suspect county cricket gets an extremely small audience on line (probably the same for the heed games) and therefore will not be seen as value for money. Its a real shame as its fringe things like this that make the BEEB great. If its watered down too far, they just become another Sky.

Not really sure its worth registering a complaint about it mind as it seems the decision has already been made.

The logical thing to do, would be to have one person doing each counties home games, that way its one wage per area and all games get covered with minimal travel expenses and no hotel bills. But that seems too simple for an organisation like the BEEB to sort out.
 
tynevalleyblackcat said:
I am another one who loves the commentary (and that includes what they do with the Heed matches as well), but I suspect county cricket gets an extremely small audience on line (probably the same for the heed games) and therefore will not be seen as value for money. Its a real shame as its fringe things like this that make the BEEB great. If its watered down too far, they just become another Sky.

Not really sure its worth registering a complaint about it mind as it seems the decision has already been made.

The logical thing to do, would be to have one person doing each counties home games, that way its one wage per area and all games get covered with minimal travel expenses and no hotel bills. But that seems too simple for an organisation like the BEEB to sort out.
Click to expand...

Registering a complaint takes a minute of someone's time.
 
brandon said:
(of Durham games by Marty)

Is to be scrapped for next season. Budget cuts to blame mainly, I'm going to put a complaint in to the BBC and would urge others to. It's a great service IMO and great to keep track on the games I can't get too. Plus the banter is always good, I find myself laughing out loud at work to some of the things that are talked about - very much like with TMS.

I'm sure Marty may tell us further details later but after a brief twitter conversation earlier it seems we'll have no more Durham commentary. Plus a lot of other counties may lose their commentary or have it cut.

I wonder how many listeners they get and/or how many listeners they'd need to get to justify covering the games - because it seems BBC Newcastle aren't very keen to do so - a lot of counties though have ALL CC games (not just home ones like us) and also a lot of them even cover ALL cricket (Pro40, T20, etc), furthermore some counties tend to have two blokes on at once more often than not so clearly have more money dedicated to it - what with all the logistics to cover (hotel stays, equipment, etc)

In my opinion I don't see why they can't put it on proper radio and not just online - I'm sure they'd get more listeners that way too as some of the time if I can't get a signal on my phone I'm knackered. I know that BBC Newc has an AM frequency so why not do it like TMS do and have the commentary on there whilst the FM station has the normal schedule........

Anyway, he tweeted an
You must be logged on to see external links
where comments can be made re: the coverage so I've done it and hopefully a few more will do also. Might not change owt but it didn't take long and hopefully we may get the chance to save the commentary!

I've also put a complaint in to the Beeb about the cutting of coverage. Just thought the more people I get onto the better the chance of having any success!
Click to expand...

I must admit that I have only listeened to Marty once and that was last year when Durham played in Dubai or wherever. If it was available on FM/AM I could liste to it in the car I as i do with TMS, but the fact its on internet or digital is a major problem to me.
What do you think the actual audience numbers are
 
hutch said:
I must admit that I have only listeened to Marty once and that was last year when Durham played in Dubai or wherever. If it was available on FM/AM I could liste to it in the car I as i do with TMS, but the fact its on internet or digital is a major problem to me.
What do you think the actual audience numbers are
Click to expand...

i hope i never find out as i think it would break my heart.

im sure i emailed the bbc when marty first mentioned finishing up last year but i will do so again.

i was going to post a similar thread today tbh so well done brandy
 
Spoke to Marty last night about it and he genuinely seemed gutted about it, all seems up in the air at the moment.
 
The online thing is a shitter - if I'm on a site with poor signal at work then I can't listen. I'm sure the listening figures are poor but I'd hope the powers that be would consider how many people they lose due to them not having access to that medium. Let's face it, not everyone has a job where they can listen to the cricket and seeing how the majority of games tend to span the working week then it's a great way for folk who can't get time off, to listen and keep up with the match.

With regards to the AM/FM situation, I wish they'd done it at some point. BBC Newcastle has an AM frequency as it is and they had a few T20 games on it a year or two ago - why they didn't just use that again for the CC games is something I'm sure I'll never know. Furthermore, I know some counties do broadcast on Analog stations - Middlesex/Surrey do and I think Worcester do too.

Anyway, as mentioned it only takes a few minutes to type up a little complaint which may save the commentary. It may not, however I know I've tried. Nobody is forcing anyone to do so, it's up to the individual. Atleast by doing so, I should get some form of a reply from the BBC which may atleast explain a few things.
 
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That link posted by Brandon took me to the main National BBC menu, clicking on the drop down boxes didnt bring anything up. or is it just me???
 
That was the link Marty put on Twitter but if you want to put a complaint in go to the complaints bit on the main Beeb site. You can actually select BBC Newcastle on the drop down menus.
 
Had a reply today lads......

Dear Mr Brandon

Thanks for contacting us regarding our cricket coverage on BBC Radio Newcastle.

Firstly I’d like to apologise for the delay in our reply. We appreciate that our correspondents expect a quick response and we’re sorry that you‘ve had to wait on this occasion.

I understand you were unhappy with our coverage as you believe the Durham commentary is to be cut at the end of the season.

We raised your concerns with the relevant editorial staff at Radio Newcastle. They acknowledge your comments regarding Martin Emmerson’s commentary. Radio Newcastle advised that no decision has yet been made concerning coverage of Durham County Cricket, however some level of service is likely to remain. That said, we can’t comment any further until a final decision is reached.

We do recognise your concerns and as such I’d also like to assure you I've registered your complaint on our audience log. This is an internal report of audience feedback which we compile daily and is available for viewing by all our staff. This includes all programme makers and commissioning executives, along with our senior management. It ensures that your points, along with all other comments we receive, are considered across the BBC.

Thanks again for taking the time to contact us.

Kind Regards

Philip Boyce

BBC Complaints

You must be logged on to see external links
Click to expand...

Must firstly say kudos to the Beeb for the reply - even if it did take over a month for them to reply. Also pretty happy that they've clearly read my email and have contacted the relevant people.

They say BBC Newcastle hasn't yet made any decision, however I think we can take heart that they reckon some service will remain..... We'll see.

Hopefully my words will convince them it is a service worth keeping. Be a real shame if we have no Marty to listen to next season.
 
brandon said:
Had a reply today lads......

Must firstly say kudos to the Beeb for the reply - even if it did take over a month for them to reply. Also pretty happy that they've clearly read my email and have contacted the relevant people.

They say BBC Newcastle hasn't yet made any decision, however I think we can take heart that they reckon some service will remain..... We'll see.

Hopefully my words will convince them it is a service worth keeping. Be a real shame if we have no Marty to listen to next season.
Click to expand...

Good work there mate
 
brandon said:
Had a reply today lads......



Must firstly say kudos to the Beeb for the reply - even if it did take over a month for them to reply. Also pretty happy that they've clearly read my email and have contacted the relevant people.

They say BBC Newcastle hasn't yet made any decision, however I think we can take heart that they reckon some service will remain..... We'll see.

Hopefully my words will convince them it is a service worth keeping. Be a real shame if we have no Marty to listen to next season.
Click to expand...

funnily enough that's what they sent me. exactly. i'm just glad they got my name right and didn't start it 'Dear Mr Brandon'
 
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