Today's edition of the Sunday Sun contains an article stating that Real Radio will no longer provide live footie commentaries of NUFC's & SAFC's matches in the 2011/12 season, which will mean that Radio Newcastle will have a monopoly. When does Radio Newcastle's broadcasting contracts with these clubs expire, because it would provide an ideal opportunity for Messrs Ashley & Quinn to hike up the cost of broadcasting rights for the matches.

Whilst it won't affect me a great deal because I tend to listen to Radio Newcastle, it will cause problems when I am in the southern part of the region, such as Harrogate, York and on the northern outskirts of Leeds where you can pick up Real from the Bilsdale transmitter, but cannot pick up Radio Newcastle.

How will it affect other footie fans?

So, does this mean Real will just play music when football is being played? And does this mean there will still be the need for The Legends Football phone in? Which must cost them a bomb!?

It will probably be similar to Real Radio Wales where they still have a Saturday sports show but just do updates.

Real Wales still have a sports phone-in every weeknight. They dropped weekly commentary on Cardiff City when the club tried to increase the price for the live commentary rights, so it was the same as the situation in the North East.

No other commercial station in Cardiff picked up the rights so it will be interesting to see if Metro/Magic are prepared to pay the increased price.

The revenue for commercial radio has fallen in real terms (by 1%) over the past year so there is no justification for doubling the price of the rights. Hopefully Real will explain to their listeners why they won't be doing commentary next season. If they give in to Mike Ashley's demands this time where does it end?

As a matter of interest how did Real NE manage to do commentaries on NUFC & SAFC when they were both playing on Saturday afternoon? Did they split the FM & DAB service?

They say on the website they split FM, doesn't say anything about what went out on DAB when there was a split:

If both teams are playing at the same time...
Newcastle United will feature on 101.8fm and Sunderland will feature on 100.7fm and 101.2fm.

If only one team is playing or the kick off times don't clash... that team will feature on all fm frequencies and DAB

http://www.realradionortheast.co.uk/...land/fq1gytby/

If both teams were playing simultaneously, DAB would broadcast Sunderland matches, along with 100.7 FM, and the new 101.2 FM transmitter.

Real Radio added the 101.2 transmitter so they could broadcast Sunderland matches on FM in Sunderland when Newcastle United were playing. If they're not broadcasting Sunderland matches any more, I wonder if they'll keep that transmitter as it is no longer needed?

Where will Chris Cooper go now?

According to the Sunday Sun the Legends Programme will continue, but they won't do live commentaries. I get the impression that Ashley's request for more money for live NUFC commentaries actually put pay to the commentaries of SAFC's matches! Real wanted to avoid the situation where it broadcast SAFCs matches, but not NUFCs and was open to accusations of being Sunderland biased, so they pulled the plug on both!

The 101.2 transmitter is located at Newton on the north side of the Tyne Valley about 3 miles away from Hexham and would be of no benefit to listeners in Sunderland. I would imagine that this transmitter would continue to operate as it serves an area between Prudhoe and Hexham where reception from the Burnhope 101.8 transmitter is poor.

There is an additional 101.2 FM transmitter for the Sunderland area, which was turned on during last season. If the station wanted to avoid being accused of bias, it could limit its Sunderland commentaries to that transmitter and DAB. It could have considered broadcasting Middlesbrough matches.

Do you know where the 101.2 transmitter serving Sunderland is located, because generally Real Radio reception in Sunderland is already pretty good, without 101.2? The Real Radio DAB Transmitters for the North East are:

* Shilbottle serving the Alnwick/Alnmouth area,
* Burnhope serving central and south Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, Central and North Durham,
* Haining serving Sunderland and Seaham,
* Fenham serving Newcastle/Gateshead and part of the Tyne Valley;
* Bilsdale serving Teesside & North Yorkshire,

All these broadcast on the same channel 12C so it would not be possible to split programmes.

I don't know if Metro/Magic would take football again, as they would lose their chart show on a Saturday afternoon with Brian Moore- which i think is pre-recorded?? And Magic would lose 70's Magic and 80's magic- unless they re-jigged their schedules to accomodate football matches? As I recall I'm sure Metro took Sunderland matches, and Magic 1152 Newcastle ones.

i never listen to reals coverage of us, i dont like it i mean yeh i do go home/away but at home games i listen to nicks build up on bbc newcastle cause he is a much nicer fellow. i cant stand chris and find his attertude disgraceful.

It would be great if Sun FM could step in and get it, as for Metro well they have been here before remember.

i agree with sun fm but dont think it will happen.

I wonder if Justin Lockwood (who does the Real commentary for Newcastle) will continue being Newcastle's 'match-day announcer' after this?

Figures were apparantly £30,000 a year but Newcastle wanted £60,000

Still....at least Radio Newcastle (or North East to be more apt) stays in the game

they do a much better job in my oppinion a much better job.

Hope SUN FM is considering getting Sunderland's commentary, I would love to see it happen. Come on SUN FM

Somehow I don't think it would happen, it just isn't a big enough station I don't think to take Sunderland matches.

it will just be bbc newcastle, thats it they will provide the commentary for safctv and nufctv not going to miss coops but will miss speaking to garry on the phone in after the matches home/away.

come on sun fm!

Well I couldn't help but have a bit of giggle, quite frankly!

Sunderland and NUFC were supposed to be their golden prize. They'd of gotting them both earlier if it wasn't for the Metro deal. The only reason why they had Middlesbrough was purely as a guinea pig to see whether football commentaries would pass on their station. They then offer the most insulting bid to retain the commentary rights in 2007, promise they won't be able to broadcast every Boro game because of their Sunderland and NUFC and then piss and moan when they lose out to BBC Tees.

Despite Boro commentary, with the award winning partnership of Bernie Slaven and Ali Brownlee (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-ogj...eature=related), they were nothing more then a guinea pig for the station. In the long term, they always saw having Sunderland and NUFC as what they were aiming for.

When they did lose the rights to BBC Tees, they've been on an obvious campaign ever since to slaughter the club on its broadcasts week after week year upon year. The odious "adminstration" rumours relating to Boro began and promoted on that station.

They got their cake and eat it and now they've got nothing.

Give me BBC Tees Sport at 6pm anyday of the week.

A station the size of Sun FM simply doesn't have the budget to bid for Premier League commentary rights, more's the pity!

I'd be interested to know the answer to this as well, if anyone knows....

All that demonstrates is that the BBC has been inflating market prices for radio football rights for many years.

With the change in culture at the BBC over sports rights the likes of Middlesborough, Newcastle & Sunderland may have to accept the bids from commercial stations in future, and Mike Ashley won't be able to double the price of the rights at the drop of a hat because the BBC is willing to pay whatever figure he decides to come up with on the back of a cigarette packet.

The bubble has burst and there will be a shock for football clubs when TV and radio rights come up for grabs in the next few years.

Any developments on the commentary rights

It's in the Hendon area.

Well the 101.2 transmitter was a waste of time wasn't it now they not gonna broadcast Sunderland games. COME ON SUN FM