I am over channel 7

[hnpcc]

Gold medal men's basketball match between the US and Spain. The US have not even come close to being troubled by anyone during this competition. Spain is, however, 8 points behind them, and is starting to put the pressure on.

The fourth quarter (or whatever it's called) starts.

And two minutes into it Seven crosses to "news".

I say "news" because it went something like this:

1. "The Olympics finish tonight! And we're screening it! And then all the Australians are coming home on a plane!" This isn't news, it's cross-promotion. And seriously, I think we guessed about the plane. I don't think even the marathon swimmers would make it back from China if they had to swim.

2. Diving gold medal. Most notable for them showing his partner as well, and the grandstand snog. (Brother-in-law: Isn't that illegal in China?)

3."'If there were a gold medal for partying, the Australians would be contenders'". Seriously. This is not even good gossip, the footage looked like a group of drunk hens/bucks nights. This was the third "news" item.

4. Some kids found several thousand dollars in a tin and handed it in. Shouldn't this be the final, kitten-up-a-tree story?

5. Dead bloke found at Dandenong TAFE. Paramedics remembered him from early, mostly because he was wearing shorts.

6. Obama. Did something. Was ranting and had stopped listening. May have been VP selection, may have been plans to recruit David Palmer, may have announced an invasion of Canada. No idea.

7. Sport. As in, football.

8. Weather.

Then we crossed back to the Olympics, where the game was now over.

"Welcome back to our Victorian viewers, who left us to go to the "news" - as promised, here is a highlights of the game."

Ah, no. There was no promised highlights before you crossed. There may have been a quickly cobbled together package after your phone lines melted, but it certainly wasn't mentioned earlier.

So we got the highlights of the final quarter, which basically was the goals (excepting set shots). Thanks a fuckload Seven. You could have cut out 10 minutes of the "news" with no problems whatsoever and just shown us the fucking game live. What an absolute crock of shit performance.

And don't get me started on the ad for "Border Security" - dog whistle television anyone?

Comments

in total agreement.....

[teknohippi.livejournal.com]

Channel 7 coverage - WORST EVER
Each Olympics I know it will be bad but hell this year just takes the cake. Stupid talking heads behind the desk who have no idea on sport other then "hey that person looks hot."

SBS were pretty wonderful what with Craig Foster, Mike Tomalaris (sp) and of course Les Murray all of who had interesting and insightful things to say about every competitor and sport

Re: in total agreement.....

[hnpcc]

SBS rocked. For starters, they stuck with whatever they were showing until it was finished, even if they were running overtime with a penalty shootout or whatever.

Secondly, they didn't care whether it had Australians in it or not, they wanted to see the game.

And thirdly, the somewhat emotional final words was one of the best descriptions of what I think should be the Olympic spirit that I've heard. Short version: "For 16 days it hasn't mattered what your religion is, where you come from or what your skin colour is. What has mattered is the sport, and the attempt to achieve as highly as possible. And we applaud you."

Compared to the arrogant jingoistic bullshit 7 was showing... well, as one guy from work said, it's different audiences. But it didn't have to be.

Re: in total agreement.....

[shnetti.livejournal.com]

Those "final words" from SBS...I cried.

[tra4ce.livejournal.com]

I applaud your courage. I gave up trying to watch the Olympics on telly years ago. I find my sanity and blood pressure both improved by the change.

[hnpcc]

SBS rocked, especially compared to 7. This year's was probably their worst coverage ever - I think it's a lesson to the IOC not to award any contracts for the following games until after the previous ones have finished.

Worst coverage ever

[shnetti.livejournal.com]

The three main reasons Seven's coverage was so bad:

1) Changes in their broadcast facility setup means that they had fewer people on the ground in Beijing and very little control at the source, meaning they were almost as clueless as their audience about what was actually coming out of the Games and available to broadcast. Coupled with their general incompetence in the studio, this scared them shitless so they played it safe and held back everything they (un)reasonably thought they could in order to package/sanitise it for primetime presentation. (This and #3 are why the Beijing broadcast was worse than Sydney, even though #2 held true for Sydney as well.)

2) The Games were also held in our timezone, which meant that live action was happening in primetime, which is way more attractive to sponsors/advertisers than European or American based Games where high profile things such as swimming and athletics finals happen in the middle of the Aussie night. When Games are held in the opposite timezone, the broadcasting Aussie channel has a powerful incentive to show live sport (even with the associated non-control risks) because that's the only thing an audience is there for at that time (no one's going to get up at 3.00 am to see a highlights package). When the timezone matches as it did this time around, Seven knows its audience is going to be there regardless, and it can afford to do as it damn well pleases, knowing its audience (all the types between the dedicated live-sport-wanters-hoping-in-vain and the mum-and-dad-watching-because-it's-handy) doesn't have any other option (not for high profile sports, anyway). And of course, when you essentially guarantee your sponsors/advertisers a broad-spectrum, captive audience, your first priority is to those sponsors/advertisers.

3) Seven doesn't have future Olympics broadcast rights at this time. They don't need to entice an Olympics-loving audience back (but they do need to make sure they stay onside with their AFL audience). They're relying on short audience memories and broadcast monopoly if they ever get future Games broadcast rights back (and they will sadly largely be correct). And the advertisers will always come running for Olympics regardless of how they're broadcast and by whom.

SBS -- they did indeed rock. If not for them and the internet...

[jamaisneutral.livejournal.com]

I heard the only openly gay male athlete at the Olympics won gold. In diving :-) wahey! Go Australia!!
(Apparently there were 13 out lesbian/bi athletes, practically all in handball, soccer and softball. But we don't adhere to stereotypes :-)

(Still, can you imagine being a gay guy and doing a slightly more macho sport than diving? I think they're all stuck in the closet with superglue)

[ang-grrr.livejournal.com]

That was great when he won. I saw that, but then we had coverage from the BBC which was brilliant. I imagine they'll find some way to mess it up before 2012.

[essjayeff.livejournal.com]

SBS were truly wonderful - for the things I could be bothered watching like the Road Cycling. Hand ball .. nergh... Women's beach volleyball? NEver again if I could have my way.

ABC Radio was fantastic with the exception of the bloody AFL. Why on earth is a game between two crap teams more important than The Olympic Rowing finals? Hell - put hte AFL on the internet if their fans are so demanding.

Urgh! Truly - the coverage just spoils it for me. But Go Matthew Mitchem and your big, "I don't give a stuff" smooch! And your Mum, who refused to answer some American gits questions about if she was "proud of her son anyway"

[valamelmeo.livejournal.com]

Obama VP is Joe Biden, in case you care. Was announced on Saturday.

[hnpcc]

*grin* I've caught up since then. And yes, that was what the item was.

Actually, we got off into a tangent of "doesn't Biden look like Alan Dale?" which then went into wondering if Obama's wife is in fact Cherie. Heh.