steve roberts

There has always been an element of "dumb downed" TV especially when more channels appeared on the scene but we are subjected to far more trite presented by wannabe "celebs" with very little to offer. I recall that the New Theatre in Oxford used to book in soap "stars" to appear in pantomine and they bombed as the public grew tired of their inability to rouse any atmosphere on stage without having any "live" training hence why the Theatre turned to big West End Shows to present during the Xmas and New Year period with recognised stars who understood what live theatre was all about. Top of my head I recall Saturday Evenings on BBC One being something like this: Final Score followed by the News then... Tom & Jerry (before the PC Brigade shoved their oar in!), Doctor Who, The Generation Game, Duchess of Duke Street and/or The Two Ronnies, Match of the Day, Michael Parkinson (when there were "stars" worth interviewing and had something to say) and then a late film (horror more often than not) Not a listing that was everyone's cup of tea but something for everyone.

Personally I think it odd that cash/card appears not to be acceptable on the gate? Booking for an attraction online became the norm during COVID but surely things should be getting back to some sort of normality? It's only recently that an arboretum near where I live has again accepted cash/card payments at the door which was madness in that they continued with the policy of booking online for so long...an arboretum for goodness sake!

When I repeatedly questioned "live" domestic transmissions and who the target audience was I was told having it on TV (albeit SKY and not on a terrestrial channel) it would attract major sponsors? Well it's become abundantly obvious that didn't transpire for whatever reason.

Personally I feel that when the old British League Division Two/New National/National League broke away the conveyor belt started to dry up. Remember the early/middle seventies when British talent was at its premium and we at Oxford/White City drew riders from the lower league due to our promotional tie up with Eastbourne & Peterborough and we weren't the only club who benefitted with having interests in both leagues...years later Mervyn Stewkesbury appeared on the scene with his own agenda which in my opinion proved detrimental to domestic speedway in this country.

Absolutely...having endured tennis and now golf on the beeb speedway beats them hands down if only the promoters would get their collective act together!

Remember reading Johnnie Hoskins' fascinating book "Speedway Walkabout" where he was in the compsny of a clairvoyant who was in contact with someone to do with motor cycles and her description matched that of Ken. Ken's messaage from the other side to Johnnie was "Tell Joan she is still mine".

Averages have been included in Alan's publication...I fully recommend obtaining a copy!

Until speedway adopts a policy of having an independant body governing the sport it will only get worse and I don't go along with the often quoted argument that any one promoter will not accept someone independantly running "their" business because other sports cope admirally with such a policy.

Money and gullibility I dare say! Problem is that the BBC in particular stick to the "Old Boys" network of sports and it's very difficult for minority sports to break into that mindsight. Speedway during its last "Golden Era" still didn't register with the Management structure at the beeb leaving it to the sadly missed "World of Sport" to pick up the mantel. Even the Mirror Group who backed the sport back then their coverage was rather hit and miss giving way to the "established" sports and although they gave the likes of Peter Collins good publicity their editorials were generally disappointing especially at domestic level.

....without the glut of "celebrity" culture programmes and reality rubbish we now have to endure however!

Alan Robertson also published a document...very well researched I have to say!

I actually bought them some years ago after making a comment on the forum. I have a feeling that "Moxey" is the author and I bought direct from him?

A bit different I think...Formula One is a world wide phenomena and was/is largely based on TV transmission (in whatever format) which obviously attracts the mass media (which I include all aspects of social media outlets) as do other "favourite" sports that are forever pushed forward for mass consumption despite their often mediocre offerings. I gave up years ago watching BBC's "Sports Personality of the Year" as it concentrated on sports that were obviously part of their own agenda and choosing....even when speedway was big news it never got a fair analysis as it didn't fit within the beeb's remit. I would be interested in knowing the demographics of the more "popular" sports and whether they justify blanket coverage and who sets the agenda? Interesting that you mention that few under the age of 50 watch mainstream TV which, if true, beggars belief in that the rest of us have to endure banal TV programmes obviously aimed at those same people and many produced, presumeably, by people having recently graduated from University with a degree in nothing of any great importance!

Personally I think also that speedway not featuring in London is a factor as not having a track operating in the capitol doesn't catch the attention of the mass media.

I recall bwitcher (what ever happened to him?) once taking issue with someone who had stated that speedway was often guilty of changing rules after the commencement of the season and suggesting that it wasn't the case asking for examples to back the claim?

I had to off-load them due to re-location. I sold them to Robert Peasley who ran the souvenir shop at Cowley Stadium who I knew/know as I wrote some articles for his magazine "The Cheetahs Chronicle".

...there were a whole lot of Hull and Halifax programmes selling for a quid each.

...and I used to play snooker there. Remember Nigel De'Ath and Per Sorensen playing a game on the next table to me!

I had the entire Oxford set from 1972 to 2003...alas no longer!

I have a couple winging their way to me from meetings my two brothers attended!

Gave the collection to someone called Martin who I lost touch with when I re-located.

Just been reading up on the history of Ashfield Giants and how it's been suggested that the very sad death of Star Rider Ken Le Breton brought forward the ultimate closure of Saracen Park due to falling attendances (very healthy compared to today it has to be said). Ken with his distinctive white leathers was labelled "The White Ghost" and was dedicated to his speedway and his wife Joan. It has been suggetsed that the untimely death of Tommy Jansson had a similar effect on Wimbledon and that it was never the same again although Plough Lane did continue to run speedway for many years after Tommy died.

Personally I think that the Sunday People expose was blown out of all proportion...anybody with any knowledge of speedway knew that deals were made and other sports have been equally guilty over the years and some more recently. Remember reading "Cloughie's Book" that players during the sixties were found guilty of throwing matches but football survived. The only thing that Simmo and Wiggy were guilty of was was being naive and talking to strangers about deals that had taken place. Martin Rogers in answer to my question regarding the expose wrote a very interesting reply in an edition of "Backtrack" a few years back which proved enlightening.

Like the good old days! Many happy memories spent at Cowley .

I would have thought that any track getting 1,000 plus nowadays is regarded as "allright". Just needs the sport to cut its cloth accordingly starting with standardising bikes...fat chance of that I know!