The Abc Decision On Repeats For Vfl, Sanfl, Etc...

[borgsta2006]

Replay of Australian Rules, Rugby League and Rugby Union matches on ABC2. (From ABC Website)


Wednesday 02, April 2008

Issue: The ABC has received complaints about the decision to discontinue repeat broadcasts of state and territory level Australian Rules, Rugby League and Rugby Union matches on ABC2.

ABC Response: In February, ABC TV was relaunched for 2008. This relaunch positioned ABC TV as Australia’s leading multi-platform broadcaster, featuring two distinctive television channels – ABC1 and ABC2.

The new ABC2 schedule aims to cater to wider national audiences. This means that ABC2 now has less scope to include repeat broadcasts of regional-based programming, such as the regional sporting codes referred to above.

These matches will still be broadcast on ABC1 within the state or territory in which each particular competition is played. This will continue to enable the main respective audiences to view and follow the competitions.

The ABC remains committed to providing coverage of Australian sports. In addition to the broadcast of these matches on ABC1, ABC Local Radio covers a wide range of sports on the Grandstand program. This coverage will soon be enhanced by a reinvigorated ABC Sport website, which is currently taking shape.

 

[dylan101]

That's bullshit

 

[TuskenRaider]

Absolute frogshit.

With the extra channel you would think they would have plenty of room for the WAFL & SANFL to be repeated in Vic. It was great to be able to watch the WAFL match of the round on a Monday night but now they just have some crap band playing late at night or the like.

To say they "remain committed to Australian sport" is a joke.

Makes me wild.

 

[PHX]

I call bullshit and I'm straight back at 'em::::
http://www.abc.net.au/contact/complain.htm


How can you justify "The new ABC2 schedule aims to cater to wider national audiences" as an excuse when the time that ABC2 now closes is the time that the replays would be on!

Its not getting in the way of anything in your "new scope" by having a new show in place of it, there isn't one.

You're simply preventing people being able to see other state leagues on what is "our national broadcaster" isn't it?

What program do you think would be preferred, close or late night state game replays?

 

[ben.carbonaro]

That's bullshit

I agree.

 

[Mentallo]

I am glad someone started a thread about this.
I like most footy fans enjoyed watching the SANFL & WAFL replays on a Monday and Tuesday night and was wondering what had happened to them this year.
I call bullshit as well, the station (ABC2) "closes" each night at about 1130pm, so its not like they are showing anything at those old replay times anyway.
I want my 8 cents a day back (or whatever it is) ABC you lefty a...holes!

 

[Adrian Shelton]

I do still wonder, has someone from the AFL had a word in their ear? They dont seem to like state leauge footy being too 'popular'

 

[tandino]

It might be worth shooting off an email to Media Watch.

You never know.

 

[home at dawn]

I want my 8 cents a day back (or whatever it is) ABC you lefty a...holes!

Probably worth responding to the ABC on their level. Highlight all the lefty values of state football. If you need help with this, I guess you could ask Phil Cleary for a few pointers.

Hopefully this gets sorted out. I've lived in all three states, and I have a strong interest in all three leagues. I love the traditions in each state, that is their great strength. National-schmational. How many truely national items of interest are there in Australia?

 

[carntheroos4eva]

Stupid idea to stop the replays.

 

[ben.carbonaro]

It might be worth shooting off an email to Media Watch.

You never know.

Yep.

Any takers?

 

[PHX]

> Thank you for your email regarding the ABC2 football coverage, which has
> been forwarded to me for response.
>
> I'm sorry to hear you are unhappy that ABC2 will not screen the 2008
> state- and territory-based football competitions, and are additionally
> dissatisfied with the ABC website's recent response on the topic. You
> are correct in observing that currently ABC2 closes most nights at
> around the time that the football replays were broadcast. I appreciate
> that this must add to your frustration. The closing time and the
> decision to terminate the football replays are actually two unrelated
> issues. At the present time the ABC's broadcast division does not have
> the resources to manage two 24hr (or near 24hr) channels. ABC2 does
> intend to extend its broadcast hours over the course of the year. With
> regards to the state- and territory-based football competitions, ABC2
> has advised that even if resources were available to broadcast for
> longer hours, this material would not be shown. This is based on the
> decision, as stated in the recent response, to only broadcast material
> that has a nationwide audience.
>
> I can empathise with the disappointment that you and others are feeling,
> and I appreciate that you may remain unsatisfied with this response.
> However that is the decision that has been made by ABC2. Please be
> assured that your comments have been brought to the attention of the
> relevant ABC staff.
>
>
> Yours sincerely
>
> Dave Graves
> ABC Audience and Consumer Affairs

 

[Subprime]

> Thank you for your email regarding the ABC2 football coverage, which has
> been forwarded to me for response.
>
> I'm sorry to hear you are unhappy that ABC2 will not screen the 2008
> state- and territory-based football competitions, and are additionally
> dissatisfied with the ABC website's recent response on the topic. You
> are correct in observing that currently ABC2 closes most nights at
> around the time that the football replays were broadcast. I appreciate
> that this must add to your frustration. The closing time and the
> decision to terminate the football replays are actually two unrelated
> issues. At the present time the ABC's broadcast division does not have
> the resources to manage two 24hr (or near 24hr) channels. ABC2 does
> intend to extend its broadcast hours over the course of the year. With
> regards to the state- and territory-based football competitions, ABC2
> has advised that even if resources were available to broadcast for
> longer hours, this material would not be shown. This is based on the
> decision, as stated in the recent response, to only broadcast material
> that has a nationwide audience.
>
> I can empathise with the disappointment that you and others are feeling,
> and I appreciate that you may remain unsatisfied with this response.
> However that is the decision that has been made by ABC2. Please be
> assured that your comments have been brought to the attention of the
> relevant ABC staff.
>
>
> Yours sincerely
>
> Dave Graves
> ABC Audience and Consumer Affairs

I'm convinced the ABC is run by Vogons. I recieved similar responses when I complained about the discontinuation of the NTFL coverage last summer.

Its simply a cop-out to say these replays don't have a nationwide audience. The players of most interest to viewers are those on the verge of AFL selection and its unreasonable to argue that the AFL doesn't have nationwide interest.

 

[LLF]

This is the reply I got
--------

Dear LLF

Thank you for your email of 20 March regarding the ABC2 coverage of
state-based football codes, which has been forwarded to me for response.


I'm sorry to hear that you are unhappy with the ABC2 decision to no
longer broadcast SANFL games, and are additionally dissatisfied with the
ABC's response to your original email. To address your initial point
below, "regional" was purely used as a descriptive term to differentiate
between football competitions that are state- or territory-based and
those that are national.

You also point out that many of your original answers were not addressed
in the ABC's response. You had asked, for example, whether it was
misleading advertising for the ABC to have promoted the ABC2 football
replays. I understand that this promotion was for last year's and the
previous year's football season, not 2008. So I would not agree that it
was misleading advertising. The ABC is not offering refunds to people
who bought set-top boxes under the expectation that the state-based
football would be broadcast on ABC2 in 2008. You also suggest that there
must be time during the week to broadcast these games. In response to
this ABC2 has advised that it is not purely time restrictions that have
led to the termination of the state football code broadcasts. For a
start, our broadcast division does not currently have the resources to
handle two 24hr (or near 24hr) television stations. It is expected that
ultimately ABC2 will lengthen its broadcast hours. Secondly, it is the
decision of ABC2 to focus on material that is considered to be of
nationwide interest, and the state-based football codes have been deemed
not to fit into this category.

I can empathise with the disappointment that you and others are feeling,
and I appreciate that you may remain unsatisfied with this response.
However that is the decision that has been made by ABC2. Please be
assured that your comments have been brought to the attention of the
relevant ABC staff.


Yours sincerely

Dave Graves
ABC Audience and Consumer Affairs

-----Original Message-----


Dear Anna

Thank you for your reply.

It requires some follow up response.

1) To label the SANFL as "regional sport" for mine is rather demeaning
The SANFL is the longest running football league in Australia
commencing in 1877.
For over 130 years it has produced some of South Australia's
greatest sporting stars and finest sporting moments.
In terms of publicity, attendances and media coverage it is not only
the best football competition outside of the AFL it is also clearly the
best state sporting competition. That's ANY SPORT in ANY STATE.

You terminology suggests it some some social parkland style
competition. The SANFL if far from that as the ground and TV audiences
attest to.


2) My e-mail asked some specific questions. Many of them were not
answered in your reply.

I appreciate that you are probably being bombarded with many complaints
on this and thus have developed a standard reply on the general subject.
However given I have been specific in my questions I would appreciate
some specific answers.

In particular I and I am sure many others want to know how we are able
to watch state league football in the states we do not live in. This
was a service many people appreciated and as you are probably finding
out not happy about it being taken away from us, especially after two
years of regular advertising.

If you are not in a position to answer the specific issues raised please
pass onto someone who can.


Kind Regards
LLF

 

[tandino]

Yep.

Any takers?

Someone with a better grasp of the English language than myself would be ideal.

For what it's worth, I recieved the same generic response that many of you have. I can't understand how much more resources it would require to broadcast a replay of a broadcast that has already been produced, and aired, in it's home state, especially when you consider that the ABC does not have any state-specific ads to cut out.

 

[Cookie]

I too got a response from the ABC. They pointed me to a link which attempted to justify their decision.

I responded with the following:

Thanks for the reply

I've looked at the link and I have extracted the following:

The repeat broadcast of these matches has concluded in keeping with the new ABC2 schedule, which aims to cater to wider national audiences. These matches will still be broadcast on ABC1 within the state or territory in which each particular competition is played. This will continue to enable the main respective audiences to view and follow the competitions.

Oh, silly me. Here I am thinking that the ABC is a national broadcaster. I'll just have to fly to Victoria to watch a VFL game.

Thanks again.

 

[Mitchell Madness]

when Digital Tv was first introduced, the ABC broadcast SA, WA, QLD, NSW and Tas ABC into vic, meaning, we got all the local comp coverage, however, they abolished that too, meaning that you can nolonger see other state leagues.

very disappointing ABC.