I have no idea who Johanna Griggs is but she is all class unlike the person who wrote the #FakeNews click bait story from the abcCommonwealth Games: Channel Seven was briefed on closing ceremony schedule
By Tracey Holmes
Posted 1 hour ago, updated31 minutes ago
IMAGEAthletes from Australia enter the stadium before the start of the closing ceremony.(AAP: Darren England)
Channel Seven was aware athletes would be largely snubbed from the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony despite claiming to have been as shocked by the decision as the millions who watched it, it has emerged.
The network stoked anger among viewers with an attack on the Games organising committee and host broadcaster after a torrent of Twitter abuse throughout last night's event.
The athletes entered Carrara Stadium before the television broadcast and were rarely shown to TV audiences as they stood in darkness on the fringe of the stage.
IMAGEThe near-empty athlete's section of the stadium.(AAP: Darren England)
There were reports many began leaving the venue less than an hour into the event, which also featured long, rambling speeches from politicians and dignitaries.
After unhappy viewers expressed their disgust on social media, Channel Seven presenters Johanna Griggs and Basil Zempilas gave an impassioned defence of the network, saying it was not responsible for not broadcasting footage of the athletes.
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VIDEOClosing Ceremony commentators 'furious' over disappointing performance
Griggs said: "People are thinking that Channel Seven has chosen not to show pictures of athletes or not to show the athletes flag bearer Kurt Fearnley and other flag bearers from other nations coming in.
"We are the Australian rights holder so we can only show the pictures that are provided by the actual host broadcasters — they made the decision not to have the athletes enter the stadium, they made the decision not to show the flagbearers and I'm furious."
That led sentiment to swing back in favour of Channel Seven who reportedly paid $40 million to be the Games' television rights holder and the channel continued to push this line on its morning shows today.
However, it is standard practice for a minute-by-minute rundown to be made available to those who will be covering the ceremonies — sometimes 48 hours in advance — and this practice was followed by Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation (GOLDOC).
Prior to the Gold Coast closing ceremony all rights holders, including Channel Seven, were given a minute-by-minute briefing on Saturday morning detailing how the closing ceremony would unfold — complete with a 34-page media guide.
The guide makes no mention of athletes marching in as part of the ceremony. Organisers confirmed Channel Seven had a number of representatives at that briefing.
IMAGETV viewers didn't get to see flagbearer entering the ceremony.(AAP: Dan Peled)
Chairman of the organising committee, Peter Beattie, this morning admitted it was a mistake on the part of GOLDOC not to include the athletes as part of the ceremony.
But a former Olympic and Commonwealth Games ceremony organiser suggested Channel Seven, an experienced major-event rights holder, could have influenced the plan for the ceremony or broadcast the athletes entering the stadium.
Ric Birch, who was head of ceremonies for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and the 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games, said: "I'm certainly surprised that Seven did not raise the issue of the athletes' entrance prior to the closing ceremony.
"Back in the day of Sydney 2000, Dick Ebersol of the NBC network was able to overturn the host city agreement and the IOC Charter by insisting that the athletes not be permitted to be in the stadium watching the ceremony prior to the Parade of Athletes.
"If NBC could change the IOC's policies, I'm sure that Seven could have prevailed upon the GC2018 Organising Committee and the host broadcaster."
As a rights holder is entitled to do, Channel Seven had a camera in-field to film the arrival of the Australian team and flagbearer Kurt Fearnley.
It was also free to start its coverage earlier than the ceremony's designated start time and play its own exclusive footage of the team arriving to the cheer of the crowd but aired an episode of MKR (My Kitchen Rules) instead.
It also chose not to mention any of this detail before the ceremony began or at any time during it but only after the official coverage had ended and Twitter had gone into a #ClosingCeremony meltdown.
Channel 7 has declined to comment.
Looks like Her credibility has taking a huge hit judging by the feedback online
Ah myabe they caught them. Didnt hear the start of the story.
No worries Bods. I'm back and can see they still need to move a bit of crap from around the place.
Im in thevalley too!
I don’t complain about anything except bad umpiring...
