Letter to RTE

**SkStu** · 22/03/2010, 1:55 PM

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.

**atfconline** · 22/03/2010, 2:04 PM

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.

**stann** · 22/03/2010, 3:25 PM

Originally Posted by harps1954

I'm not one of those who is calling for RTE to show wall-to-wall coverage of the First Division, or indeed looking for goals from every First Division games every week. However, I do think there is room in their MNS programme to show the goals (would take less than 60 seconds) from the top First Division game every week. Remember, the season before last, RTE were able to fit 6 Premier Division games into their programme each week as the Premier had a 12 team league.

Aertel or the RTE website don't do previews of the First Division games at all, despite First Division clubs sending out team news / quotes from managers / etc. on a weekly basis. RTE don't even mention that First Division games are taking place on the sports news segiments on a Friday/Saturday. Last Saturday night on RTE 9.00 TV news, they gave a latest score from the Sligo/Galway game, but didn't even mention that Athlone were playing Cork. On the 8.00pm/9.00pm/10.00pm sports news on 2fm on a Friday night, they just give updates from the Premier Division - they don't even mention that there are First Division games taking place. Same happens all day on a Friday when they mention games taking place in the League - the League to them is the Premier, the First doesn't exist. Yet, results from all four Divisions of the GAA National Football and National Hurling Leagues are covered on RTE News on TV and Radio. Are you telling me that there is more people really interested that Leitrim beat London in a Division Four match in Carrick-on-Shannon than there is in how Waterford did against Derry in the Airtricity First Division?

Specially good point on the bit in bold harps1954, but all of the above is spot on, irrefutable, and most of it utterly indefensible IMO. This bit:

Originally Posted by harps1954

It's not just RTE to be fair. Read some of the national newspapers at the weekend, and not only will you not get a First Division match preview / match report, you won't even get a mention that there is such a thing as the First Division. Yet, the FAI will insist that all clubs MUST submit team news to all national media the day before a game, yet very, very few of them even use it. The Irish Mirror is one exception.

I can also vouch directly for.
One more annoyance down here, as we're ranting, is that the local radio station's news headlines package (which seems as if put together by a national news bureau along the lines of INN), that's broadcast at 10pm on a Friday night just after our home games have finished, have, for the last two of those home games at least, carried no mention at all of that match, only premier results. That's seriously, shamefully poor.

**galwayjames** · 22/03/2010, 3:35 PM

i'm sick of reading all this first division fans rubbish, if you want to be on MNS get promoted.

**pineapple stu** · 22/03/2010, 3:39 PM

Go back and read the thread against, gj. It's not about being on MNS.

**harps1954** · 22/03/2010, 3:53 PM

Originally Posted by galwayjames

i'm sick of reading all this first division fans rubbish, if you want to be on MNS get promoted.

What a stupid post. You worry about staying in the Premier. Sure, if you don't, you can always bang a DVD off to the FAI.

**seand60** · 22/03/2010, 4:11 PM

Yes I think RTE and/or Aertel stopped paying people to send in updates and reports so especially in the First Division all you will see is what a club itself sends in if anything at all.

**L.T.F.C.** · 22/03/2010, 4:38 PM

Originally Posted by madblaa

Really? Find it hard to believe that neither Cork or Derry didn't bother sending anything in. As I said, this league is between Us, Derry, Shels and possibly Cork, our 2 games, as well as Derry vs. Cork were the biggest, no mention!

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!

**OneForTheFuture** · 22/03/2010, 4:58 PM

Originally Posted by galwayjames

i'm sick of reading all this first division fans rubbish, if you want to be on MNS get promoted.

If you don't want to be sick.....Don't read!

Since we're going all "well it really is that simple".........

But well done. Good point, well made

**Spudulika** · 22/03/2010, 5:12 PM

Maybe someone else noticed this on Morning Ireland, the first sports news, just before 8am, they went through the EPL, rugby, GAA through 5-6 other stories before the very last mention was Shamrock Rovers lost 2-0 to Dundalk. Quite depressing listening as I had expected, since it was a live game on RTE, that it would be further up the pecking order. Only in Ireland is the domestic league given short shrift like this (in my experience). That the first Division is relatively ignored I'm not surprised, but something like skstu mentioned, a piece on a club of the week (for ALL LOI clubs) would be excellent for both viewers and fans.

**shantykelly** · 22/03/2010, 5:19 PM

Originally Posted by L.T.F.C.

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.** · 22/03/2010, 5:25 PM

My bad... madblaa cop on!

**De Town** · 22/03/2010, 5:58 PM

Originally Posted by atfconline

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** · 22/03/2010, 6:14 PM

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

**A N Mouse** · 22/03/2010, 6:22 PM

Originally Posted by madblaa

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** · 22/03/2010, 6:36 PM

No, I think I pointed out already why.

**A N Mouse** · 22/03/2010, 6:55 PM

Originally Posted by madblaa

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** · 22/03/2010, 6:58 PM

Originally Posted by madblaa

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** · 22/03/2010, 7:35 PM

Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin

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.