Slieve Gullion,
I could write a book on this, but the bottom line is I think the current media coverage of GAA is generally very good, and some providers actually excel at the service (Irish News is a prime example).
Some people aren't happy and always want more, but the same people wouldn't be happy even if there was free-to-air, wall-to-wall coverage of all things GAA. They would then find an angle to complain about overkill, or complain about the nature of the coverage.
People demand improved coverage, and use Sky TV as the examplar. Personally I'd love to see if Sky TV would devote the same amount of time and technology if their product wasn't being exported for a handsome profit to 200 countries around the world.
One recurring thing for me is that the GAA generally lacks personalities. It's almost impossible for hacks to write about the life and times of GAA county players because either:
a) the players won't talk.
b) the players that do talk are either so guarded or so unintelligible that a story isn't forthcoming.
c) the players are too young to have done anything interesting with their lives.
d) the players don't actually have a life. All they do is train in their closed circle, 7 nights a week.
e) if something interesting actually does come up, a hack that publishes it will never be spoken to again.
Don't get me wrong, the vast majority are nice fellas. Good lads to know. But so driven, so intense, so focused are they on GAA, that nothing else matters. And that doesn't make for a good story. Beyond that, it doesn't develop the social skills required to enter any sort of media sphere after their playing days are over. It's not RTE's fault that despite interviewing just about every star GAA performer over the past 50 years, the best personality that has shown up is Anthony Tohill. And I'm not disrespecting Anthony, he comes across as a decent sort, but I'd rather listen to the lads in the pub talk football. You might get an opinion or an insight that way.
I could write a book on this, but the bottom line is I think the current media coverage of GAA is generally very good, and some providers actually excel at the service (Irish News is a prime example).
Some people aren't happy and always want more, but the same people wouldn't be happy even if there was free-to-air, wall-to-wall coverage of all things GAA. They would then find an angle to complain about overkill, or complain about the nature of the coverage.
People demand improved coverage, and use Sky TV as the examplar. Personally I'd love to see if Sky TV would devote the same amount of time and technology if their product wasn't being exported for a handsome profit to 200 countries around the world.
One recurring thing for me is that the GAA generally lacks personalities. It's almost impossible for hacks to write about the life and times of GAA county players because either:
a) the players won't talk.
b) the players that do talk are either so guarded or so unintelligible that a story isn't forthcoming.
c) the players are too young to have done anything interesting with their lives.
d) the players don't actually have a life. All they do is train in their closed circle, 7 nights a week.
e) if something interesting actually does come up, a hack that publishes it will never be spoken to again.
Don't get me wrong, the vast majority are nice fellas. Good lads to know. But so driven, so intense, so focused are they on GAA, that nothing else matters. And that doesn't make for a good story. Beyond that, it doesn't develop the social skills required to enter any sort of media sphere after their playing days are over. It's not RTE's fault that despite interviewing just about every star GAA performer over the past 50 years, the best personality that has shown up is Anthony Tohill. And I'm not disrespecting Anthony, he comes across as a decent sort, but I'd rather listen to the lads in the pub talk football. You might get an opinion or an insight that way.