UTV & BBC & RTE & TV3

[Maguire01]

I wouldn't compare RTE with BBC in this context.

Why? Because it doesn't suit?

[Any craic]

Ah right T, so that's why you're the most popular poster on this Board 

[T Fearon]

Any Craic doesn't "compare BBC with RTE in this case", because he believes BBC to be inherently biased against the GAA, but RTE aren't (again in his belief). I would suggest that mindset will not be altered even by reams of fact and evidence to the contrary.

[Any craic]

Ah now Tony, you just won't let it go will you? You're jumping in with yet more rash and foolish assumptions based on what you think to be the truth. Anything for a cheap shot. The irony is that your mindset is the one that clearly cannot be altered, as you have proved time and again with your pro-BBC dictats, when clearly you are in the minority here. 

[imtommygunn]

Any craic I will leave you with this...

- The BBC can be compared to RTE in "this context". The parameters of this debate are not defined by you - it is a relevant point.
- BBC NI is a regional broadcaster. That fact can not be denied.
- The one fact you missed was in fact a glaring omission of an entire schedule of radio coverage for ulster club games and national league games. Yes you missed one thing which highlights you do not know what BBC cover.

Based on the 3 things above and your refusal to acknowledge them it points to one of two things:
a) you can't debate points when people put them to you so have to allege that it's personal when you're challenged
b) you have completely lost objectivity in this debate.

I will reiterate that I think you make some valid points. They are however lost in an agenda ridden argument.

Now BBC please show more hurling!

[Any craic]

'I'm going to scweem and scweem and scweem until I get my way' - you guys are good craic, just keep repeating the same mantra over and over again, make lazy assumptions and demand that you are right - 'it is relevant', 'cannot be denied', 'you do not know what the BBC cover' - listen to yourselves! More to the point, listen to the majority on here and let them speak, instead of dominating the discussion and constantly trying to put people down with your repetitive posts. It's called fair debate. And that's not taking it personally!

[johnneycool]

I understand what you say any craic but 2 things...

- rte show league of ireland matches live and wouldn't be near a club c'ship quarter final anywhere with many having as much or more than 4k at them. ( dublin football, cork hurling, kk hurling et etc)
- what seems to get a lot of peoples goat up is the irish league coverage but at the end of the day it is the most elite level of the sport in ni and it is a popular sport.

Anyway rory is gone and jim has just killed club football in donegal -plenty else to talk about!

TG4 show live and deferred club championship games all the time and they're a subsidised state broadcaster too. IIRC I watched a Clare club senior hurling semi-final on it a few years ago.

Whilst soccer is a popular sport and Irish league is the highest level its played at in the north doesn't mean its that popular as the attendance figures to the games shows. I'd say there's more soccer supporters on boats and planes to the English and Scottish premier leagues (Div1 for Rangers fans) than there is at the entire attendance of the Irish league on a given weekend.

As for rugby, the AI league results are read out on a saturday evening and you'd get the odd highlight of a Belfast Harlequins or Ballymena game

[Nally Stand]

But the bottom line is that you will not accept that the role of a regional broadcaster is to broadcast stories of regional interest.

This "regional interest" argument is total and utter bollocks lads. In the "region" of the six counties, I think it's safe to say most people would have preferred to hear the result of the All-Ireland Final Hurling on the evening it was played, instead of f***ing Go-Karting. "Regional interest"?? ffs 

[T Fearon]

I see a prominent Tyrone MLA complaining in Irish News today about both UTV and BBC's poor/non existent coverage of the Club Championships, and is about to take the matter up formally with both broadcasters. Keep er lit!

[Feckitt]

I see a prominent Tyrone MLA complaining in Irish News today about both UTV and BBC's poor/non existent coverage of the Club Championships, and is about to take the matter up formally with both broadcasters. Keep er lit!

Good, glad to hear this.  I was the poster who first brought up the issue about the 4 in a row chasing Ulster Champions re-starting their campaign in front of over 4000 paying spectators while being ignored by our local media.
It seems to me that some of you are relishing in giving 'Any Craic' a hard time.

ps - Do any of you know if I need to get a ticket in advance for Warrenpoint Town v Ards, or can I pay at the gate.  It's a huge fixture.  Full tv and radio coverage!

[T Fearon]

Once again, like AC, you seem to suffer from the misunderstanding that the BBC should cover the fixture of any sport that attracts the largest attendance. I'd say the Linfield V Rangers friendly in the summer attracted a bigger crowd that any other soccer game here this year, but it wasn't covered. At the end of the day soccer supporters here pay the same licence fee as GAA supporters, and are entitled to coverage as well.

Club championships are well down even the GAA's pecking order (that's why they're played in the worst months of the year) and the BBC cannot cover every competition in any of the three main codes, due to airtime and budgetary constraints.

[Nally Stand]

Once again, like AC, you seem to suffer from the misunderstanding that the BBC should cover the fixture of any sport that attracts the largest attendance. I'd say the Linfield V Rangers friendly in the summer attracted a bigger crowd that any other soccer game here this year, but it wasn't covered. At the end of the day soccer supporters here pay the same licence fee as GAA supporters, and are entitled to coverage as well.

Club championships are well down even the GAA's pecking order (that's why they're played in the worst months of the year) and the BBC cannot cover every competition in any of the three main codes, due to airtime and budgetary constraints.

Again, Tony, when the BBC can't as much as tell us the score of the All-Ireland Hurling Final on the news, but can tell us about how the go-karting went, then there's simply no denying that GAA and it's supporters are not getting fair treatment.

[Feckitt]

Source - http://www.irishleaguesupporters.com/attendances.php

This is for 2013/2014

Team   Total Attendance   No. Attendances Recorded   Average Attendance
Ards                                   280                         1                                           280
Ballinamallard United   562                         1                                           562
Ballymena United           755                         1                                            755
Cliftonville                 1006                         1                                         1006
Coleraine                           778                         1                                           778
Crusaders                 1514                         2                                           757
Dungannon Swifts           246                         1                                           246
Glenavon                         2309                         2                                         1155
Glentoran                         2134                         2                                         1067
Linfield                         2837                         1                                         2837
Portadown                 1473                         1                                         1473
Warrenpoint Town               0                         0                                           N/A
Overall                       13894                       14                                           992

Now which combination of these matches do you think is of more regional interest than Mayobridge v Kilcoo or Cross v Maghery or Dromore v Errigal.

Maybe Glenavon v Cliftonville?  When I was down the pub last night, I couldn't get a word in edgeways with all the lads talking about whether Portadown or Cliftonville could break the dominance of 'The big two'(sic)

The average attendance at these games is approx 992.  However it may be slightly less than this because Warrenpoint were not included.  Where does this alleged regional interest come from?

[Any craic]

Well said Nally Stand & Feckitt but you're wasting your time with these lads. They're full of contradictions. tommygunn wants hurling but goes out of his way to back the BBC even though they completely ignored the Hurling Final. Then they tell me not to take things personally when there's clearly been a series of personal digs by brave anonymous posters, ranging from describing my posts as 'amazing rants' to vicious tirades that had to be removed. They have been making it personal because they can't seem to post without having a go at my arguments. I've tried to get it back to the wider debate but they keep going back to petty point-scoring and slamming everyone who dares challenge them. As I said before, let others speak and be reasonable.

[Feckitt]

According to wikipedia, for the IFA 2012/2013 season, the highest attendance was 5,458 Linfield 2–1 Glentoran (26 December 2012)
The Lowest attendance   39, yes 39 for Donegal Celtic 2–1 Dungannon Swifts (16 April 2013) . The Average attendance for the entire league is 823.

Now it has always been the way, that these matches get radio coverage and goals highlights etc, and fair play to them.  However what I cannot stand is other people on this board saying that these matches are of more regional interest than big GAA matches because it is not true.