Ok, let's deal with these one at a time Square Eyes:
1 - Bernie Ecclestone talked openly about bringing F1 back to America for several years before it actually did so. When it was confirmed that the US GP was going back to the US, ITV should have examined the schedule then. They previewed the construction of the Indy track as early as the 1999 season preview programme in March 1999, a full 19 months or so before the event, so it wasn't like they had insufficient warning! Why couldn't they have taken the hint from their own output?
2 - Just because a two-tier viewership is a reality doesn't make it right. It is unfair, discriminatory, elitist and divisive.
3 - ITV have shown no respect to their F1 fans at all. The ridiculously late Sunday night broadcast of the race meant that a lot of people who worked and school-age children could not stay up late to see it. I followed the whole race coverage live on Radio 5 Live, but there is NO ACCEPTABLE SUBSTITUTE for live action sport, especially when you can find out the result beforehand very easily, and then when you watch it, knowing the result diminishes the enjoyment factor.
4 - ITV butchered the Indy coverage completely. We got less pre-race coverage and inadequate post-race coverage of this landmark event in Grand Prix history, the first Formula One race to be held at Indy. ITV should have pulled out all the stops for this, not pushed half of them back in.
5 - ITV may have listened to viewers, but the length of the programme still does not equal that of a European race.
6 - I have seen plenty of occasions where the post-race drivers' conference has been cut short by ITV. We do not always get the top 3 drivers' opinions. In my opinion we should. We got scarcely any post-race or qualifying coverage after this year's Brazilian Grand Prix, in fact Calendar was on air less than five minutes after the flag went down! this is patently ludicrous!
ITV promised us at least half an hour of analysis after all races. I've timed the vast majority of these using the tape counter on my video. There are admittedly a few occasions when this has been true, but the vast majority of times, we're lucky if we get fifteen minutes! Some of that post-race time is now given to pointless articles about the irrelevant side of F1, presented by Beverley Turner, which has not served to enhance the coverage in any manifestation of the word.
7 - The BBC will see what ITV has done and make it better still. As most of the football and other sports have been relinquished by the BBC, this must surely free up more time in Grandstand etc, for Formula One to return.
Might I hasten to add that it is Murray Walker alone that praises Michael Schumacher adequately, whilst other members of the ITV team are biased against him. Martin Brundle acts as a personal advisor and quasi-manager to David Coulthard, whilst Tony Jardine is an ex-McLaren employee, who remains close to Ron Dennis! I feel sorry for Murray Walker, I really do. With Murray's imminent retirement, I can only think that ITV will become even more anti-Schumacher than they are at present.
Mmm, well I don't wish to fall out with you over this one Katherine but I do think that I highlighted some gaping holes in your earlier argument. And when I have more time later tonight I will come back to you on the points above.
It is a shame that you have not acknowledged any of the improvements that ITV made to F1 coverage, who have raised the standard considerably from the days it was on at the BBC. On the BBC, Formula 1 was a minority sport, ITV have picked it up, shook it up and turned it into mainstream TV.
What a strange argument to say that the BBC would do it better now after seeing what ITV have done with the coverage, surely you should recognise these improvements and be a little more generous to ITV in your comments.
Cable has been available since the early 80s in some areas
Yes but that is rediffusion coax- totally different to the fibre-optic bradband cable we have now. The cable we have now didnt appear until the early 90s and most places in the country didnt get it till the mid-90s or even the late 90s but most cabled areas do have more cable suscibers than SKY suscribers.
SU
SpiringUnhacked
Hull has never had analogue cable, but has for 2 years now had digital cable, run by the phone company, Kingston Communications, through the phone line, without distrupting the telephone. It's called Kingston Interactive Television - or KIT for short. The logo can be seen on ITV2 ads on analogue. Is Hull the only place to have digital but not analogue cable?
IN
indigoBen
isn't hull a funny place anyway. AFAIK, Kingston Comms is the biggest phone co there am I right? Dunno why BT is not there but they are not - or something. I've always found it puzzling
I like Hull, especially as to get there, I have to travel over my favourite British landmark, the Humber Bridge. In fact, I find all suspension and cable-stayed bridges fascinating!
SU
SpiringUnhacked
indigoBen posted:
isn't hull a funny place anyway. AFAIK, Kingston Comms is the biggest phone co there am I right? Dunno why BT is not there but they are not - or something. I've always found it puzzling
Apparantly all the phone companies except Hull Corporation Telephones merged to form British Telecommunications sometime before World War II. HCT was the biggest phone company back then, hence it wasn't invoved in the merger, enforced by government. HCT changed it's name to KC in the late 1980's. KC is indeed the biggest one here, but is now expanding into BT territory. But BT will soon be allowed to operate here too.