91Èȱ¬

Sorry abit ignorant regarding the location of different 91Èȱ¬ outlets, how close are 5live and 91Èȱ¬ Sport working together into the build up to the Olympics, are they based in the same building? I know parts of 5live are going to Manchester, with a few already there, but i wonder if certain 91Èȱ¬ Staff are going to appear on both outlets,or is the competiton so fierce both will strive to get the better guests/commentators etc.

Is there alot of rivlary when both are covering a major sporting event?

Look forward to hearing more as the build up continues. Keep up the good work Roger.

All the build up stuff sounds great and it sounds as if the Olympic theme will be creeping in everywhere but what are the 91Èȱ¬ doing about coverage of the so-called 'legacy' sports that are developing in the build up to this home Olympics to try to help raise their public profile?
I've seen a couple of reports on handball, one being on Blue Peter quite a while ago and was quite a good advert for the development work going on in London but the other one was recently on the One Show but as the reporter was visiting the womens team, they suggested that only women played the sport and made absolutly no reference to the mens game, not a good advert for young guys interested in trying a new sport.
I know that coverage time is limited but there has been very little mention, if any, of the successes (or otherwise) of the national teams in general Olympic sports development and preparation coverage or in sport sections on the news. Even worse, on the very limited handball section on the web-site, there is absolutly no reference to the domestic game both in England and Scotland.
How are these 'legacy' sports meant to develop and gain public exposure if the media, especially the supposedly 'Olympic Broadcaster' doesn't give them adaquate support?

You may have guessed that handball is my sport, having played it in GB and in other European countries, but other smaller but developing sports are facing the same problem.

Take Water Polo for example, I have seen absolutly no coverage at all for this great sport.
Even in Basketball which although it has had relatively more coverage, it has mostly focussed on one star player, Luol Deng, and has had next to no coverage of the domestic game which we need to focus on if we are to attract new people to the sport in this country or encourage kids to play the game not just while at school but into adulthood in community teams.

I firmly believe that while London will gain some great sports facilities and have a great party next year, the real measure of the legacy of these games will be in increasing the numbers of people actively involved in sports through all age ranges and that if these legacy sports are developed poperly, multi-sports clubs, which are common accross Europe, could eventualy play a huge part in providing a positive focus for young people accross the country and help rebuilding a sense of community that seems to be lacking in modern British life.

I am not saying that minority sports will solve all the problems of society but there is a huge amount of potential, however smaller sports in particular will have great difficulty in developing and providing this sort of legacy if there is a serious lack of support in the mainstream media and being the 'Olympic Broadcaster', the 91Èȱ¬ has it's part to play and from what I have seen so far there is much room for improvement.

Is it possible that the Olympic History series will be released on DVD?

Intresting piece in the Guardian by 91Èȱ¬ sport director Barbara Slater

Critics have seen the transfer of sports staff shortly before the Olympics as one of the most dubious aspects of the controversial project.

However, Slater told journalists at the MediaCity today: "We are better equipped to cover the games with 91Èȱ¬ Sport located here."

"The back engine, the fact this is HD, the fact this is tapeless absolutely are essential elements of the coverage of 2012," she said. "And without the ability to have an HD base, a tapeless base with the connectivity that will operate across this site, that would absolutely have been a handicap to the ambition we currently have for 2012."

Nonetheless, a small planning team will be retained in London until the Olympics are over. "Those that are absolutely working 100% on the planning and preparation for the games are having a slightly later relocation. They will come after 2012."

So far, more than 1,000 staff have started working at 91Èȱ¬ North, and broadcasting of output of operations like Radio 5 Live is being transferred in stages.

The 91Èȱ¬ North director, Peter Salmon, poured scorn on recent suggestions in the press that the prospect of staff transfer is prompting a spate of divorces.

"I've got no experience of it at all," he said. "I know quite a few relationships that have started to blossom."



Naturally Roger and Barbara are singing from the same hym sheet, however Roger could you give any specfic figures regarding "a small planning team will be retained in London until the Olympics are over" is this from all 91Èȱ¬ outlets?

".........to bring live coverage of the Torch's journey round the UK as it connects a multitude of communities to the UK's Olympic story"

Given the savage cuts now being implemented in broad 91Èȱ¬ sports coverage the amount of money being spent on the Olympics by the 91Èȱ¬ is truly appalling. Yes cover the Olympics but the sight of 91Èȱ¬ Olympic staff wallowing in orgiastic delights at the level of coverage of costly and non-mainstream Olympics news and happenings is not pretty; even more so when what they are doing must share responsibility for swingeing reductions in ongoing mainstream sports coverage that can only reduce access for millions of viewers who look to the 91Èȱ¬ for continuing quality coverage of all types.

One day soon Barbara Slater and her ilk will be remembered not for any successes in one off coverage but for destroying 91Èȱ¬ Sport's reputation for public service broadcasting. Nothing to be proud of there Roger and it is a sadness to see you at the heart of such destruction.

@Roger: Thanks for your reply. I hadn't seen the blog you linked to but I've had a look at it now and there certainly is a lot happening which is good but it doesn't address the point I made about the lack of coverage of sports such as Water Polo or Handball and there are other Olympic Sports that don't appear in the planned coverage list in that post, Badminton and Wrestling being two others that are conspicuous by their absence!

My point is that ALL Olympic Sports should get some mainstream coverage and more so with the developing 'legacy' sports. By that I don't mean a 5 minit slot on a magazine show like The One Show, but real coverage of major events, the Handball test event you are going to should be a great opportunity for the 91Èȱ¬ to show off this sport being played at a high level in the UK. Maybe some sort of highlights package like Match of the Day could be organised?

I know that I might sound a bit like a broken record here but I'd like to ask again about improving coverage of the domestic game in the legacy sports and what are the 91Èȱ¬ going to do to improve this?
For Handball, I do know that there is a regular e-mail news release sent out connected to a news blog - - which includes reports, scores and tables from national league games in Scotland and England, how difficult would it be for the 91Èȱ¬ Sport website to add this information into the Handball section?

Finally, I'm sure that you will love the test event coming up. The Brittish ladies team have been getting some impressive results recently and should be competative at this level, it's just a pity we won't be seeing any of it on the 91Èȱ¬!!!

P.S. Why not bring back Grandstand on a Saturday, it would be an improvement on what's been on today!!!!

I agree Qaaqaaq80 - I really thought London 2012 would see not just the 91Èȱ¬ but other broadcasters take an interest in Olympic sports outside of the games themselves, and while to be fair the 91Èȱ¬ has significantly improved coverage in some areas (noticeably swimming, rowing and to an extent track cycling) overall it doesn't feel like we're getting much more coverage on TV of the key Olympic sports than we've had in the past.

I don't really think the Olympic Dreams strand or features on Breakfast and the 91Èȱ¬ News Channel are any substitute for actual coverage of events in the various sports. I want to be able to emerse myself in coverage, not catch a few minutes on the news while I'm having my breakfast.

I've spoke before about 91Èȱ¬ News being too involved in the Olympic coverage and the simple truth is as a sports fan I would happily sit through a 91Èȱ¬ Sport production tracking the key parts of the Olympic Torch relay - but if key moments end up as a 91Èȱ¬ News Special or squeezed into The One Show you'll be neglecting the viewers who want to watch such moments in favour of the viewers who don't particularly care what they're watching.

Roger,

Many thanks for replying. I didn't expect you to agree at all ;)

You are unsurprisingly comfortable with your own definition of public service broadcasting, which regrettably reflects the 91Èȱ¬'s institutionalised attitude to its customers i.e the 91Èȱ¬ will always decide for itself what public service broadcasting means, and if the needs and wants of those who pay for the 91Èȱ¬ are different then what the 91Èȱ¬ believes to be true will always triumph.

With this attitude so prevalent the 91Èȱ¬ surely won't be too surprised when support for current 91Èȱ¬ funding via no choice taxation dwindles to the point where a Govt. feels able to scrap it? That I fear will be the 91Èȱ¬'s real 2012 legacy.

I do however wish your team best of luck with all the Olympic work.