BBC considering not renewing their F1 contract
BBC considering not renewing their F1 contract
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RedLCRB0b

Original Poster:

2,223 posts

266 months

Saturday 12th March 2011
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This was mentioned on R4 this morning, the BBC are looking at ways to save money following the licence fee freeze. Apparently as F1 isn't considered appropriate peak time viewing they are thinking of not renewing the contract. I don't know how long the current contract runs for, but it will be a shame to lose this as I think their coverage is very good.

JonnyFive

29,897 posts

218 months

Saturday 12th March 2011
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This would be terrible.

BBC provide the best coverage, (probably) of the whole world.

Rouleur

7,415 posts

218 months

Saturday 12th March 2011
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That would be a huge shame, no other channel could match the BBC's resources or professionalism. Maybe it will end up on Dave frown

Arnold The Bat

2,440 posts

230 months

Saturday 12th March 2011
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/mar/11/wimble...

The contract is until 2014 so should be ok for the moment but it's certainly a worry.

Derek Smith

49,689 posts

277 months

Saturday 12th March 2011
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It might be a way of putting pressure on the government not to attack the BBC any more than they already have. There is little doubt that some of the reasoning behind the considerable cuts and putting a hatchet man in charge is pressure from Mudoch who sees the BBC as the only real obstacle to total domination of the airwaves.

Eric Mc

125,606 posts

294 months

Saturday 12th March 2011
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I have to say that the current coverage is excellent BUT they could trim it back a vbit and still present a quality package.

Super Slo Mo

5,374 posts

227 months

Saturday 12th March 2011
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Trouble is, the Beeb are their own worst enemy. Compared to any other broadcaster, they throw at least twice as many resources at a job, with the obvious huge implications in cost terms. Unfortunately, they seem stuck in the public funded past, which doesn't really hack it in today's world, not when they're trying to compete against leaner commercial operations.

The cost cutting exercise would be easy, they have so many hangers-on, assistants for this and that, and general nobodies that seem to turn up, that significant costs could be removed without noticeable change to the service.


Mojocvh

16,837 posts

291 months

Saturday 12th March 2011
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Just more Liebour believers determination to paint the current administration in the worse possible colours.

Ben3883

1,975 posts

195 months

Saturday 12th March 2011
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Great. It's the only goddamned thing I'm happy for my licence fee to support as well.



Oh well at least we'll still have EastEnders and world class news reporting.

davepoth

29,395 posts

228 months

Saturday 12th March 2011
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Super Slo Mo said:
Trouble is, the Beeb are their own worst enemy. Compared to any other broadcaster, they throw at least twice as many resources at a job, with the obvious huge implications in cost terms. Unfortunately, they seem stuck in the public funded past, which doesn't really hack it in today's world, not when they're trying to compete against leaner commercial operations.

The cost cutting exercise would be easy, they have so many hangers-on, assistants for this and that, and general nobodies that seem to turn up, that significant costs could be removed without noticeable change to the service.
This is true. The Radio, Online and TV people all have their own pitlane reporters for example. I know they're doing a good job, but I think they're all a bit underutilised and could be cut back a little.

markcoznottz

7,155 posts

253 months

Saturday 12th March 2011
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Super Slo Mo said:
Trouble is, the Beeb are their own worst enemy. Compared to any other broadcaster, they throw at least twice as many resources at a job, with the obvious huge implications in cost terms. Unfortunately, they seem stuck in the public funded past, which doesn't really hack it in today's world, not when they're trying to compete against leaner commercial operations.

The cost cutting exercise would be easy, they have so many hangers-on, assistants for this and that, and general nobodies that seem to turn up, that significant costs could be removed without noticeable change to the service.
Careful mate you are close to speaking in a rational reasonable manner there. ITVs coverage of f1 was BETTER than the BBCs, despite the ads it was tighter and much sharper. And to be fair, James Allen was well informed despite his haters.

davepoth

29,395 posts

228 months

Saturday 12th March 2011
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Just not having ads in it makes the coverage eleventy billion times better. No matter how good the commentary, coming back after 3 minutes of commerical messages to find out, for example, that Schumacher had just used Coulthard for a ramp, was extremely annoying.

Crafty_

14,075 posts

229 months

Saturday 12th March 2011
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markcoznottz said:
Careful mate you are close to speaking in a rational reasonable manner there. ITVs coverage of f1 was BETTER than the BBCs, despite the ads it was tighter and much sharper. And to be fair, James Allen was well informed despite his haters.
I don't agree with that, I think the beeb are doing a far better job this time around. Granted they had got lazy in the 90s prior to ITV taking it over.

davepoth

29,395 posts

228 months

Saturday 12th March 2011
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Crafty_ said:
I don't agree with that, I think the beeb are doing a far better job this time around. Granted they had got lazy in the 90s prior to ITV taking it over.
It was much cheaper back then though. Probably less than half a dozen people out to the track, Walker and Hunt commentating down a phone. Or in cheaper cases actually sat watching the feed in London.

Riley15/6

105 posts

219 months

Saturday 12th March 2011
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When is the contract with Bernie due to be renegotiated?

Stu R

21,636 posts

244 months

Saturday 12th March 2011
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Posturing. That's all this is.

The beeb are very good at it, and know when to rattle their sabers. Expect more of it after the Olympics IMO smile

DWP

1,232 posts

244 months

Saturday 12th March 2011
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Stu R said:
Posturing. That's all this is.

The beeb are very good at it, and know when to rattle their sabers. Expect more of it after the Olympics IMO smile
I wish it were posturing. The lunatics have taken over the asylum. Whilst the BBC pays it’s Director General over £800,000 a year and this man believes it’s a good idea to spend billions moving BBC Sport to Manchester, something has to give. What is giving is programme content. The true insanity is the belief by senior BBC management that money should be spent moving production departments around the country, for the sake of some bizarre attempt at social engineering. Does anyone believe that this, or for that matter any, government would give a fig about sabre rattling from the BBC. Not least because the only television company they have any interest in, is one controlled by a friend, Murdoch.

This will be the last Olympics on the BBC. Not least as the IOC are altering the manner in which bids are received from potential rights holding broadcasters. Up until now the BBC has been part of the collective bargaining by the EBU, Eurovision as it’s known. In the future the IOC wants to do deals country by country, one broadcaster at a time. The BBC will not have anywhere near the will, or money, to take part in those dealings

FourWheelDrift

92,244 posts

313 months

Saturday 12th March 2011
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Mojocvh said:
Just more Liebour believers determination to paint the current administration in the worse possible colours.
Talking about canceling quality when they should be cutting back on their expenses, taxi bills, wine bills, trips abroad on research purposes and paying staff stupidly huge amounts of money for relocation incentives to move from London to Salford.

Just the same scorched earth policy of lies that their councils are using - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/8365463/D...

davepoth

29,395 posts

228 months

Saturday 12th March 2011
quotequote all
FourWheelDrift said:
Talking about canceling quality when they should be cutting back on their expenses, taxi bills, wine bills, trips abroad on research purposes and paying staff stupidly huge amounts of money for relocation incentives to move from London to Salford.

Just the same scorched earth policy of lies that their councils are using - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/8365463/D...
Patten's going to kick up some st in there when he starts.

Jimski

275 posts

196 months

Saturday 12th March 2011
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they should drop the funding on crap like the one show