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fitzmurrin

Listed below are comments made by fitzmurrin between Thursday, 30th October 2008 and Thursday, 30th April 2009.

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Why SPOTY is moving to Sheffield 08:22am on 30 Apr 2009 Can't wait for this years event. With Ireland winning the Grand Slam and United about to win the CL and Premiership!!!! and Munster the Heineken Cup!!!! Team of the year will be an interesting one. Great to see sheffield Get the event. I was in Birmingham in 2007 and it was fantastic. Can I please put in my reservation for tickets this year. Should be a great show. Thanks BBC for brining it around the country
Boat Race returning to the BBC 12:51pm on 19 Mar 2009 Great the Boat Race back on the BBC (Only because ITV did not want it) But still good to see. I just hope production values are as good. Perhaps Steve Rider should come back
The biggest events, for the largest number of people 12:47pm on 19 Mar 2009 The BBC will never go back to the days when it covered 79 days racing or it seems it is not interested in Rugby Union Highlights from the Premiership.

On racing the facts are the people behind the BBC racing coverage are concerned about the BBC cutbacks sunset+Vine chairman Jeff Foulser on the BBC racing cull. He said: "The BBC seems to be making a decision about racing. We just have to go along with it, but it is clearly disappointing. As for delivering the Grand National, any production is better when people are working on the sport regularly. The last thing you want to have to do is rehearse live."

And he is not the only well respected figure to be concerend about the BBC and it attitude Jonathon Martin, who served as BBC head of sport for 17 years through the 1980s and 1990s has described the intended cuts as "astonishing", "indefensible" and "nothing short of a disgrace". He also had this to say about how the lack of coverage could affect the quality of coverage. (talking specifically about the lack of jump racing that will feature on the BBC). "The Grand National is a difficult event to cover therefore, it is astonishing that in future the cameramen and production team will be asked to come out of a garage cold, with only Thursday's and Friday's Aintree racing as preparation for what has been one of the great days of BBC television for nearly 50 years. It would be a miracle if the production team achieve the standards that the BBC has set."
I do accept that Racing has shot it self in the foot by asking one broadcaster to pay for racing and effectivley pays another broadcaster to cover the sport.
As for Rugby the BBC coverage of the Six Nations is good, but has been very pro english. In Jim Niely they have a great commentator who could have been used by the BBC on some of Irelands games. I know his commentary was on the Red Button ( ALTHOUGH NOT ALWAYS AS THE BBC HAD THE WRONG FEED OR CUT OFF TO A MUSIC SHOW) But as far as highlights go to the Premiership they are not interested, and told after the last effort. In recent years, not only was it shunted around the schedules. The format wasted the talents of John Inverdale and Brian Moore. It was far removed from its glory days, it did not tell the story of the season because it started when the season was half way through. I would love to see you do this with match of the day. And there was so little rugby in the show you may well have called “John and Brian enjoy a pint special” it was rubbish. That is why people do not watch. I could have done better with a camcorder. It should have been more like the Super League show.
The biggest events, for the largest number of people 09:01am on 18 Mar 2009 Hi Roger

You do have some big events and have done very well to keep some of the events that you have.

Just a couple of quick quetsions though

1) Is there any truth in the reports that Sky are to target the Welsh Autumn Internationals. It was reported over the weekend.

2) Plus on my favourite subject Horse Racing. The racing post among other are reporting that the deal has been done that will see only 14 days racing on the BBC. But that things are still in the balance, as negotiations are still in the balance with C4. The reason that the a couple of Newmarkets meetings and according to some reports that I read recently Doncasters Leger may be still offered to the BBC in addition to the 14 paid for days covered by the contract. And that is a term that has not been included before in any reports 14 paid for days of racing.
Brothers in arms 10:47pm on 07 Feb 2009 Excellent coverage as usual. Although just a few points

1} Why when it is Ireland against say France or Italy can we not have an all Irish commentary team. The excellent Jim Nielly and Phil Mathews would have been perfect for todays opener. Don't get me wrong I have nothing against Eddie Butler but Jim Nielly and Phil Mathews would have been perfect for todays match. The same goes for when Ireland, England, Scotland or Wales play each other. Can't we have on BBC Ireland an all Irish commentary team and say an all English commentary team for England etc etc.

2} I was watching on BBC 1 today and listening on BBC Ulster and RTE. But why oh why did Radio Ulster switch away from the rugby on Sky and Freesat very very very anoying

3} Also the Red Button option at the top of the screen said choose audio except that was not an option, something which I really missed.

Still great coverage
MotoGP 2009 on the BBC 11:18pm on 01 Feb 2009 Well done BBC for taking MotoGp seriously. I for one don't think there is anything wrong with Charlie Cox or Steve Parrish.
Your choice has never been so difficult 6:16pm on 17 Nov 2008 This may be off subject. But as there is no blog just about racing or BBC cverage of rights here you go. If reports in the Racing Post are true. Then BBC sport is in terminal decline. When a sport has a season you either cover that season or you don't. The BBC treated Prmiership Rugby Union with utter disrespect. You highlights programme last year was a shambles. And did not cover the whole season and was never on at a consistent time. Now with Racing according to reports the BBC is to cut back its racing output to just 12 days. This shows a total disregard for viewers and the sport. How can you claim to tell the story of the whole season by showing just 12 days. Would you do this with football and the Premiership and show MOTD for just 12 weeks or 12 episodes NO. Because you cover the whole season as should be the norm when a sport has a season and concludes when someone or a team win title of champion/s that season.
I have always been a fan off BBC sport. I have always watched the FA cup on the BBC rather than ITV, the world cup final on the BBC rather than ITV.
I only hope that racing says to the BBC if you want the Grand National and Royal Ascot then you must cover at least 70 days racing on tv be granted these rights because that is what I would do, otherwise I would make sure the BBC got no rights, if you were going to treat the sport I represented with such distain.
Four quarters, two channels 3:17pm on 06 Nov 2008 Thank-you Roger a very informative reply. And whilst I accept that club rugby does pull in less viewers than international rugby. I personally believe that focusing on just one off major events like the world cup aqnd olympics and national landmark events like the six nations is a short sighted way of looking at sports rights.
ITV did when they scrapped world of sports. But they seem to have realised that was a mistake. Now the ITV/ITV4 schedules are full of sport. Both ITV and Channel four with horse racing tell the whole story through the year. Not just concentrate on the odd few events.
The BBC when they put there heart and sole into sports coverage is the best.
I just hope we will see a return to some sort of club rugby maybe with the competition that is Rugbys answer to the Champions League and the Heiniken Cup and horse reacing as the BBC is there to serve the viewers and not just concentrate on ratings as it would seem you are doing with your satement above "The Six Nations gets massively bigger audiences than any club rugby, which is why we've prioritised that and secured the rights up to and including 2013" Whilst I accept that ratings may prove to the BBC is doing its job. We are always told that the BBC is not there to chase ratings.
I believe that I have have some interesting ideas and would love to discuss some of my ideas with you and various sporting bodies. I would love to meet you and discuss my ideas with you and say the racing or rugby authorities.
Four quarters, two channels 6:30pm on 05 Nov 2008 This may not be the blog for this. But as these blogs seem to have dried up here we go. The BBC now seem to have lost the rights to the Anglo welsh cup. After sky annouced a new 5 year deal with the RFU.
More sport lost by the BBC. Soon it will not be worth while the BBC having sports multi screen. (Because according to rumours the BBC will drop even more racing to bring us formula one) Maybe you will drop Rugby in favour of American football. The BBC did not even bid for the rights to the UEFA Cup. It is a disgrace that our national broadcaster does not show any regular live top class football. The money the BBC found for Formula one, could have been put toward the FA Cup and England Internationals. So the BBC will have no club rugby left to show once skys contract come into force.
What are the plans for BBC sport. The BBC used to show top class sports and a variety of sports week in week out. Now we have less and less sports. If the BBC is including best tries highlights and looped repeats of inside sport in the amount of hours of sport it shows, then that is plying the figures. I have always defended the BBC, always believed that it is the best broadcaster of sport in the world. But it seems that as of late it continually shoots itself in the foot. The loss of anymore rights no matter what sport will be devistating for BBC sport whether it be racing or rugby.
So what are we to have on satudays from now on Murder she wrote and Diagnosis Murder.
Open and shut case? 10:44am on 30 Oct 2008 I like Ross, don't think Brand has any talent. But at least hes has gone, Ross should do the same thing and quit.
The BBC hang on to these stars at inflated rates of pay but let sports rights go and cancel TOTP Christmas special. The BBC needs to get its priorites in order.
Brand and Ross should not be allowed to broadcast on the BBC or any other station ever again. I never heard the broadcast, but reading the transcript of the show, it went beyond what is acceptable, from any point of view.

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