Letter to RTE

[shantykelly]

Derry was the only big game. What are you talking about? With Cork, you are playing a new team, like playing Sporting Fingal a few years back. Get real will ya!

umm, technically derry are a new team as well, just like cork. no matter how much the harps fans disagree.

[L.T.F.C.]

My bad... madblaa cop on!

[De Town]

Tony O'Donohue was sitting in the crowd at our game on Saturday night. Didn't see if he was doing anything to camera before or after the game though.
Probably just there supporting the FORAS.

[madblaa]

I wasn't happy with the response because it was basically, "It's your own fault!"

[A N Mouse]

I wasn't happy with the response because it was basically, "It's your own fault!"

Now we're getting somewhere. Are you willing to admit that you should be grateful for getting any response, and shouldn't complain about niceties given the way you asked your question in the first place?

[madblaa]

No, I think I pointed out already why.

[A N Mouse]

No, I think I pointed out already why.

So to sum up.

You weren't happy so you asked a question, not expecting an answer and to all intents and purposes being quite ignorant about it.

You actually get a response. You're still not happy because you don't like the answer and the reply was polite enough for you.

You feel justified because you pay your licence fee.

Ignorance really is bliss.

[Charlie Darwin]

I wasn't happy with the response because it was basically, "It's your own fault!"
Think you're being a bit touchy. The person just pointed out that it would be a tremendous waste of resources to send their own scouts so they need to rely on amateur copy. All this in response to your snarky, patronising letter.

[blue til i die]

Think you're being a bit touchy. The person just pointed out that it would be a tremendous waste of resources to send their own scouts so they need to rely on amateur copy. All this in response to your snarky, patronising letter.

They dont need to send their own scouts out, all they need to do is pay a very small amount to a journo who is already there anyway to send in a report.

[Charlie Darwin]

Who says there was a journalist offering them paid copy to begin with? Even so, the money would be better spent on something else.

[blue til i die]

Who says there was a journalist offering them paid copy to begin with? Even so, the money would be better spent on something else.

6 or 7 journo's and reporters in the press box everyweek, plenty of people willing to send it copy if offered a few quid. Why would reporters send in their work to rte for free, all it takes in 10/15/20 euro.

[sheao]

a feature each week on MNS of a 1st division team including interviews with the players/the club/the fans and showing highlights from their game that week would be very interesting for most viewers (me anyway!) and i cant imagine would break the RTE bank. Something like they did for the Week 1 Cork-Derry game on a weekly basis would give the First a shot in the arm.
Something like the piece that they did when we were up in Derry would be great every week. MNS should seriously consider showing first division games on their show, right now the majority of clubs being shown are from the greater Dublin area which in some way could reflect a large proportion of MNS's audience.
MNS are ignoring a large LOI audience with some well supported clubs in the first division like Cork, Derry and Shelbourne and this is the main reason why they should show goals at least from 1st division games.

[mypost]

Even so, the money would be better spent on something else.

Like??

Apparantly, there was no tv game on Friday because it clashed with the Irish U-20 rugger buggers.

Sad state of affairs when junior egg-chasers get priority over senior football in this country. Not even Sky show junior rugby games.

[Bray-Z]

They should do something similar to what they did with UCD/Paul Corry tonight with a First Division club every week.

[Charlie Darwin]

6 or 7 journo's and reporters in the press box everyweek, plenty of people willing to send it copy if offered a few quid. Why would reporters send in their work to rte for free, all it takes in 10/15/20 euro.
If they're there for the local media they'd seldom be allowed sell the story to a competing news source; not within the timeframe that'd be required for a match report, anyway. RTE could buy the original article alright, but then we're back to the issue of cost. We're talking about 6-10 games a week here, and 20+ rounds of matches. - the costs may be small, but they add up over a season.


Like??

Apparantly, there was no tv game on Friday because it clashed with the Irish U-20 rugger buggers.

Sad state of affairs when junior egg-chasers get priority over senior football in this country. Not even Sky show junior rugby games.
I dunno - new coffee machine? Granted, RTE news ain't the best, but it's perfectly reasonable that they'd choose to use their limited resources to cover the sports that are of interest to the greatest number of people.

And the U-20 match on Friday was a brilliant encounter - the Irish team really have something about them. I imagine the Rovers game on Sunday probably had decent figures considering most young people are out the door by 7.45 on a Friday night.

[stann]

Who says there was a journalist offering them paid copy to begin with?

If they're there for the local media they'd seldom be allowed sell the story to a competing news source; not within the timeframe that'd be required for a match report, anyway. RTE could buy the original article alright, but then we're back to the issue of cost.

Seems to me what you're doing there is surmising. Btid, on the other hand, actually knows how it works down here.
In the press box at the RSC every matchnight there are a number of journalists who write for the local papers AND ring in updates to the likes of Aertel AND freelance for the nationals, who rarely, if ever, send their own people down.
They write and post copy within minutes of the game being over (obviously, as per RTE's response to the letter, someone was later than usual after the Derry game) to the various media outlets, and compose longer reports for the local papers later. There's no copyright on the facts of course, just on the reports, which would be substantially different in format and style.
I would be very surprised if it's any different at other provincial grounds, but I won't surmise.

[Charlie Darwin]

Well there's no copyright on the facts, but my own experience as a freelance is that if a newspaper or magazine has arranges for you to attend an event, they require some sort of exclusivity in your reporting. If the Waterford Gazette arranged a press pass for me to attend the next home match, I imagine they'd be a bit miffed if I sold the story to RTE and then got around to their story later. I am prepared to be proven wrong - I haven't worked in sport reporting so that could well be the case.

Either way, my main point was that it costs money to buy reports of First Division matches and it's not necessarily in RTE's interest to pay for those reports, especially when there appears to be amateurs willing to do it for free.

[Dodge]

Not sure thatts the case Charles. I know a couple of free lancer and they often seel same report to a few outlets. Paul Buttner, for example, could sell to RTE, IT and the Sun with only a minimum of changes

As they all have season long press passes, they wouldn't have to arrange anything ona match by match basis

[pineapple stu]

You can read some remarkably similar, uncredited, LoI match reports if you go through all the daily papers of a Saturday. I'd imagine the same author is responsible.

[OneRedArmy]

I can appreciate the general position of the stand being made, but jesus lads, pick your battles!

Arguing for more coverage of the First Division based on Friday night's match is akin to supporters of public nudity parading Mary Harney naked down O'Connell Street to support their cause.

[L.T.F.C.]

A serious bluffin' for madblaa!

[madblaa]

Nah, you've all made your points, most of them fair, a lot of them making excuses for the shabby RTE, some, pointing out the first division isn't worth a toss, my point is made, I have nothing left to say without repeating myself.