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How many posters on here are aware of how it came about that the BBC showed coverage of the last one off world championship final?  It might come as a surprise. Sorry if some of you are not too interested 

Edited by macinter
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1 hour ago, macinter said:

How many posters on here are aware of how it came about that the BBC showed coverage of the last one off world championship final?  It might come as a surprise. Sorry if some of you are not too interested 

I don't know why, and, I would be interested to know?

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They also showed both the 1988 & 1989 Finals and I always felt it odd that they dipped in and out broadcasting the sport. Perhaps the lose of "World of Sport" created a window of opportunity?

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On ‎6‎/‎29‎/‎2019 at 6:50 AM, steve roberts said:

They also showed both the 1988 & 1989 Finals and I always felt it odd that they dipped in and out broadcasting the sport. Perhaps the lose of "World of Sport" created a window of opportunity?

If it was the BBC it would have been Grandstand. World of Sport was ITV but I bet we cannot go back & find it in the depths of the archives!

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55 minutes ago, IronScorpion said:

If it was the BBC it would have been Grandstand. World of Sport was ITV but I bet we cannot go back & find it in the depths of the archives!

I recall that the 1975 British Final was shown on Sportsnight on BBC1.

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Highlights of The 1989 World Final from Munich were shown on TV , (on BBC 1 I think ) the next again Saturday ,I can remember watching them 

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57 minutes ago, DSC67 said:

Highlights of The 1989 World Final from Munich were shown on TV , (on BBC 1 I think ) the next again Saturday ,I can remember watching them 

Yes I have a DVD covering the event.

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Was the period of no Speedway on the TV and the pig-headiness of some of the promotors during that period the cause of today's problems?  Not only during this time did Speedway fall from the public's conscience but now when you go to many meetings and look around it is now a largely elderly audience who most probably remember the halcyon days of the sport. Sadly lacking are the age group between 25-35 year olds who would have been the age most affected by Speedways lack of coverage both on TV and mainstream media press (pre-internet).  Sadly though and perhaps more of the problem it is that age group who are now have offspring of the age that Speedway so desperately needs to attract.

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22 minutes ago, Midland Red said:

Crowds were better when it wasn't on tv as you had to attend in order to spectate the sport

Tv and OOFC have killed UK speedway- with a little help from Poland!

You don't believe that Mr single decker bus.

We're close to resolving the local attendance problem by offering a discount. The greater exposure TV offers has to be to our advantage.

But hey ho, let's run off into a dark corner and compliment each other?

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I was in conversation only yesterday with an acquaintance who for many years was a member at Edgbaston and followed Warwickshire CCC home and away, particularly for the limited overs and T20 games

When I asked if he still attended, he remarked that he didn't any longer, he was able to get his cricket fix on tv, he didn't have the hassle of an hour's drive each way for home games, or of sitting around for long periods because of no play due to rain or bad light - and of course the tv coverage showed multi replays, close ups, interviews etc which improved the enjoyment of matches

So his money for membership, ticket, catering, etc for him and his wife was saved and put towards the cost of Sky / BT 

This all sounds so similar to those ex-speedway followers who now have a vast fix of the sport from their armchair instead of the terraces and stands, but it seems even worse in "our" sport as the product shown, particularly from the UK league matches, and quite often the Swedish league too, is of a quality in terms of the racing, the trackside facilities and the progress of meetings as to be very unlikely to attract new followers to attend and pay their entrance monies

A small reduction in admission charges on a televised race night will not be a cure - doing away with live league matches, and perhaps replacing the air time with a weekly highlights package from around the country, properly promoted and marketed, might help, as might racing on the nights on which clubs really want to operate, and in one bigger league (although that's a different argument documented throughout the BSF)

 

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On ‎6‎/‎29‎/‎2019 at 6:50 AM, steve roberts said:

They also showed both the 1988 & 1989 Finals and I always felt it odd that they dipped in and out broadcasting the sport. Perhaps the lose of "World of Sport" created a window of opportunity?

They showed 1983 too (as did ITV). I remember it being very "bitty", showing it in 3 or 4 separate sections throughout the afternoon.

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2 hours ago, Midland Red said:

I was in conversation only yesterday with an acquaintance who for many years was a member at Edgbaston and followed Warwickshire CCC home and away, particularly for the limited overs and T20 games

When I asked if he still attended, he remarked that he didn't any longer, he was able to get his cricket fix on tv, he didn't have the hassle of an hour's drive each way for home games, or of sitting around for long periods because of no play due to rain or bad light - and of course the tv coverage showed multi replays, close ups, interviews etc which improved the enjoyment of matches

So his money for membership, ticket, catering, etc for him and his wife was saved and put towards the cost of Sky / BT

This all sounds so similar to those ex-speedway followers who now have a vast fix of the sport from their armchair instead of the terraces and stands, but it seems even worse in "our" sport as the product shown, particularly from the UK league matches, and quite often the Swedish league too, is of a quality in terms of the racing, the trackside facilities and the progress of meetings as to be very unlikely to attract new followers to attend and pay their entrance monies

A small reduction in admission charges on a televised race night will not be a cure - doing away with live league matches, and perhaps replacing the air time with a weekly highlights package from around the country, properly promoted and marketed, might help, as might racing on the nights on which clubs really want to operate, and in one bigger league (although that's a different argument documented throughout the BSF)

 

A friend of mine was one of those although only living within a mile of Cowley Stadium.

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18 hours ago, DSC67 said:

Highlights of The 1989 World Final from Munich were shown on TV , (on BBC 1 I think ) the next again Saturday ,I can remember watching them 

That can't have taken very long as I don't recall there being any.

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