Originally Posted by wns_195:
“Since the rights losses, Radio Leeds has broadcast reports on Leeds United's matches on 103.9 FM and online when Huddersfield Town and Bradford City were playing. Last season and this season when Bradford are away, Huddersfield Town's matches are on 92.4, 95.3 and 102.7 FM, while Bradford are on 774 AM and DAB.
Between the reports, the commentary team has discussed other matters (including matters relevant to the club) and read texts. This is easier when Leeds are away from home, as Leeds United have not allowed Radio Leeds to broadcast live from the ground except for the in-match reports. This means somebody in the studio has to talk for 45 minutes per half, only broken up by reports and any other sports-related audio he can insert into the programme. Andy Ritchie and Adam Pope are live in the Peacock pub before and after home matches, and Adam Pope has had to go there to do the half-time report.”
“Since the rights losses, Radio Leeds has broadcast reports on Leeds United's matches on 103.9 FM and online when Huddersfield Town and Bradford City were playing. Last season and this season when Bradford are away, Huddersfield Town's matches are on 92.4, 95.3 and 102.7 FM, while Bradford are on 774 AM and DAB.
Between the reports, the commentary team has discussed other matters (including matters relevant to the club) and read texts. This is easier when Leeds are away from home, as Leeds United have not allowed Radio Leeds to broadcast live from the ground except for the in-match reports. This means somebody in the studio has to talk for 45 minutes per half, only broken up by reports and any other sports-related audio he can insert into the programme. Andy Ritchie and Adam Pope are live in the Peacock pub before and after home matches, and Adam Pope has had to go there to do the half-time report.”
wns_195, many thanks for posting such detailed information about the situation in Yorkshire regarding Leeds United radio rights and the station's who have access to them. Thanks to to Ian Fergus for his post.
I was aware Yorkshire Radio had rights to Leeds United, and have done for a while, but having listened to commentary on a Play-Off game on Radio Leeds last season I had thought the BBC had managed to get non-exclusive commentary rights back. Obviously this is not the case and this is still the bane of Radio Leeds' sports coverage.
You say it is the right solution given the circumstances (and by this I'm sure you mean Radio Leeds' use of frequencies in relation to each team), however I don't think the way they cover Leeds United away games (if they always choose to broadcast in the way they did on Tuesday night) is the best solution at all.
What I heard on Tuesday night has to rank as one of the weirdest live football broadcasts I've ever heard. The commentators were clearly sitting in the new press box at the Bescot Stadium - it was pretty clear they were there, you could hear the hum of the HL Fellows Stand, the referees whistle and other crowd noises - so it was just incredibly strange that they weren't actually speaking about what was going on around. If, like me, you were listening in for the first time and didn't know what was going on it would have left you with a pretty bad impression of the station.
To be blunt I thought it was pretty awful radio. This is not at all a reflection on Adam Pope or Andy Ritchie, both of whom I rate highly from what I've heard of them when in more favourable surroundings, but what they are being asked to do I feel is to make the worst of a bad situation.
Personally, I'd prefer them to do something like what BBC Radio Wales do on their AM frequencies on a Saturday afternoon, or like what talkSPORT did on Saturday afternoons before they won Premier League commentary rights - this being having a studio based around the grounds show, dropping in on commentary from the Huddersfield Town game while crossing to reporters watching games involving Leeds United, Bradford City and any other clubs or sports teams they may cover.
This for me would be preferable to the "we're at the game, but we can't talk about it" approach they seem to be taking.
Just my twopenneth worth though, you might vehemently disagree with me.
Originally Posted by 4-4-2:
“It's doubtful I'll be able to do the talkSPORT details for today.”
“It's doubtful I'll be able to do the talkSPORT details for today.”
In which case I'll pick up the baton, and do the talkSPORT details along with BBC WM, the Orion Midland stations (BRMB, Beacon, Mercia and Gold) plus maybe one or two other stations (should I be able to tune into anything else) this afternoon.
talkSPORT's game today is Arsenal v Portsmouth in case anyone is thinking of listening.
