17 replies to this topic

[Hoffy]

Just picked up the local t.v. guide for the up coming week, just to find. in horror, that next Saturdays coverage of the Australian G.P. has been limited to just 2hrs between 12:30 and 2:30. I remember when they used to telecast Fridays practice, all day Saturday and all day Sunday. Its not like they are braodcasting any thing important after( well not in Adelaide where the show after is "Police acadamy, the Series"). If this is any indication of the way the telecasts are going this year, I think its about time C9 gives up the rights.

Oh, bye the way, do any of the Australian Pay TV suppliers broadcast F1?

[doohanOK]

Well Channel 9 couldn't give a flying ****.
And that's the truth.

In Melbourne it will be 12pm to 3pm.
Very pathetic.

Don't forget this is the same station that last year cut the Melbourne podium champagne spraying half way through (and didnt bother with the post match press conference) to cut to a pre-season rugby league match.

Just pathetic; Darrell Eastlake never shuts up, AJ is knowledgable, but is forced to talk a lot, it seems to make him uncomfortable.

Last year they did show Friday's highlights at 11pm, with Murray Walker, and no interruptions from Eastlake or AJ.

My guess is that Eddie McGuire might have some input into this year's race coverage, or Ken Sutcliffe, but I'd love them to leave the telecast to Murray Walker and Martin Brundle.
They are the true professionals who know the sport better and are with the "in" news better than Nine will ever be.

Nine know that people like us know how crap they treat true fans who support the sport through thick and thin. They just care about advertising and profiting from showing a high-class sport, of which they have no knowledge, no respect and no appreciation for.

regards,
doohanOK.

[gerry nassar]

In the TV guide i looked at (Sunday Herald Sun) it said that Qualifying coverage is between 12.55pm and 3pm. Thats just 5 mins before qualifying!! What a load of sh!t.

It gets worse every year. At least last year they showed highlights of Friday practice, then highlights of saturday practice before showing qualifying.

Im gonna complain again. Not that it will change anything but i gotta let some steam out. The people who control this are Wild world of Sports in Sydney. I rang them a few weeks ago. I got their number from Channel 9 in Melbourne but i dont have it with me here.

The least we can do is make a fuss about them televising the post race interviews.

[theMot]

so can someone tell me what times the coverage is on in sydney? This is just pure bullshit now. You are right, everyyear it is getting worse and worse. This year not even friday practice. WHAT A CROCK OF ****!

CHANNEL 9 WAKE UP TO YOURSELFS!!!!!!

[Ruapuna]

I would also like to know if any Pay TV suppliers in Australia broadcast F1, can anyone answer this question?

[theMot]

Optus used to but now they dont. I know of a way to get speedvision but its exspensive. What you need is one of the MASSIVE C band satellite dishs. Then you can get connected to speed vision through that. The downside is you look like a ****ing lunatic with this 5x5 metre satelite dish in your backyard. But if it means decent coverage who cares right ;)

[Hoffy]

ah, but look at the bright side, if your in Adelaide you get to see that fantastic series, 'Police Acadamy' instead of F1. I just hope its not an episode I've seen before.

Can anybody tell me what other States are showing after?

[This message has been edited by Hoffy (edited 03-06-2000).]

[Ruapuna]

What a disaster! Here in China I can see qualifying (although it is not easy), I had assumed that when I move to Australia later in the year it would be no problem! How backward!

[Steve]

When I picked up the TV guide to see how much F1 I was in for this weekend I sure as hell let a few expletives fly!

THEY MAKE ME SO MAD

Think about the coverage of our "home" GP this year and then imagine next year. In 5 years it'll be like any other race in Europe to us.
Don't let me near any programmer from channel 9, I'd regret my actions later.

[doohanOK]

Actually I was working with Channel 9 in the sports news department for two weeks in Melbourne.

Problem is, they have absolutely nothing to do with it.

regards,
doohanOK.

[Aussiemade]

I haven't yet seen a tv guide yet but I hope it isn't true. It would be completely unbelievable it they cut down coverage that much. For as long as I've been watching F1 (which is basically since 1993) they have always had the same Australian F1 coverage, ie practice on Friday nights, and almost all day coverage on the weekends. This cut in coverage is probably because the sport doesn't include a ball of some sort and the participants can count to ten without using their fingers.

[silver fan]

With regards to the coverage of the OZ G.P. by Channel 9, make the most of it, as the season goes on it will only get worse, as is usually the case. If Nine has the opportunity to delay the telecast you can bet they will.When Wimbeldon or the French Open is on, F.1. will be consigned to the back burner. The one saving grace in this otherwise ridiculous situation is the possible opportunity to watch Belgian Dominique van Roost play.

[Witt]

Hey mot, that satelite sounds awfully tempting, considering the **** we usually have to put with. How did you find out about that?

Channel 9 do not have an e-mail address, as they are too scared to accept all the complaints that would filter through. If you want to complain, you have to complain by real mail. Here's the address;

Address it to “The Executive Producer” of Wide World Of Sports.

P.O. Box 27
Willoughby NSW 2068

I always get on my high-horse about this crap and never let them know what i think. I will write this time and i hope most of you can be bothered to lift your pen and post it off as well.

Just remember, Channel Nine copped a lot of flack in the press last year over their poor coverage and have obviously not taken heed of it. My advice, if you want to complain, is to complain over and over again. Just post the same letter to them once a week until we get what we want. It worked for Tim Robbins in "The Shawshank Redemption" so who knows, it might work for us.

[theMot]

i first found out about that satellite because someone i knew had it and i used to tease them saying "what are you scared of meteorites or something" its ****en huge! i think it costs about 2000 to set up but after that it just like a normal ariel so in effect you should be able to get almost any channel in the world. You can also subscribe to speedvision this way as far as i know.

[silver fan]

Lap 25, Schumi and Hakka well clear of the rest, Schumi pulls out of Hakka's slipstream to attempt to pass him at the end of the pit straight, just as we are about to be treated to the all to rare sight of drivers fighting for position on the track... bloody Channel 9 cuts to the running of race 6 at Rosehill - it's at about this time that I hope to wake up and realise that it was just a bad dream, and not - God forbid - a premonition.

[Sash]

What times is it on on sunday? (Sydney)

[doohanOK]

Well, the reason I got my work experience with Ch 9 was because of the 7-page letter I wrote to Gary Burns, Head of Sport, at Channel 9 in Sydney (or Australian Channel 9, more or less), and they at least took note of it.

So in summing up: Write, Write, Write.
Don't write the same stuff, be constructive, and don't bag them into the ground, but write in a nice conservative way, so as to get them to think that we are yobbos, but intelligent viewers who deserve 1st class treatment instead of 5th class viewing.

The thing is that I noticed is that they do read their mail. That's for sure, they might skim bits, but they read it, I've seen the Sports journos read mail from viewers.

I think we should be open-minded when watching this sat/sun on Ch 9, and then work out what we liked and hated. It's also a good idea to compliment them, because if you constantly bag them, they lose less interest in your cause, that simple.

Anyway, the coverage on Sunday starts at 10:30am! Hopefully the Post-Race comments arent edited.

regards,
doohanOK.

[Witt]

Coverage goes til 4:30 on Sunday. That means they have allowed time for the interviews!!!

I guess they did take note form last year, as coverage only went until 4pm and we missed out on the interviews.

As long as we don't get a one-hour delayed start (or restart), we'll get the interviews for sure.