Lack of Speedway on TV

[secsy1]

 

With the current plethora of speedway being made available to the converted and present speedway fans I feel an opportunity for a wider audience is available.

Both BBC and ITV have made it clear that to delve into their vast sporting archives is presently difficult and are limited to what they have available to screen.

Over the past few Saturdays historic Rugby League, Football and various other sports have been screened at peak viewing hours.

Is it not possible for any of the present organisations screening weekly speedway matches to offer the footage to them or even Free Sports for airing?

If children can upload footage of their football skills on a Friday and have it screened on Saturdays Football Focus, surely anything to promote to a wider audience is possible.

 

Prior to the screening of Glasgow `In the Red` documentary I contacted several friends who don't follow speedway and informed them to watch it.

Being a speedway fan and advocate, I was surprised by 2 phone calls informing they switched it off within 15 minutes and why did I recommend it!

I was told it was not informative or intriguing viewing and I was told to watch

SUNDERLAND TILL I DIE SEASON 2 

Wow what an insight, yes its not SPEEDWAY but it just shows the determination to get things done and change for the better.

Maybe some Promoters/Owners need to take a leaf out of Glasgow`s forward thinking or even watch the Sunderland documentary to see and deal with reality.

 

The point being made is that preaching only to the converted does not expand or grow Speedway!!!!

[steve roberts]

ITV's "World of Sport" would have quite an extensive  archive of speedway (if it hasn't been wiped?) from the seventies (whereby Peter Collins became a household name) and early eighties as would some of ITV's regional channels (Central and Anglia for example). It would be nice to think that there would be an outlet somewhere on TV under the present circumstances...but I wouldn't hold my breath!

Edited April 13, 2020 by steve roberts

[RobMcCaffery]

3 hours ago, steve roberts said:

ITV's "World of Sport" would have quite an extensive  archive of speedway (if it hasn't been wiped?) from the seventies (whereby Peter Collins became a household name) and early eighties as would some of ITV's regional channels (Central and Anglia for example). It would be nice to think that there would be an outlet somewhere on TV under the present circumstances...but I wouldn't hold my breath!

The need to reuse very expensive video masters had eased by the 1970s so there's more chance of material surviving. Fortunately, although it doesn't show on-air, London Weekend TV still exists (probably renamed by now) so the World of Sport archive should be safe. The problems a ever are rights and persuading modern schedulers that vintage speedway is attractive programming, even in these straitened times. 

Just had a thought, it was Tony Jackson of Workington Speedway who got the rights to distribute the 1973 World Team Cup Final from Wembley. He might have some insight into the rights. 

Edited April 13, 2020 by RobMcCaffery

[cityrebel]

23 hours ago, secsy1 said:

 

With the current plethora of speedway being made available to the converted and present speedway fans I feel an opportunity for a wider audience is available.

Both BBC and ITV have made it clear that to delve into their vast sporting archives is presently difficult and are limited to what they have available to screen.

Over the past few Saturdays historic Rugby League, Football and various other sports have been screened at peak viewing hours.

Is it not possible for any of the present organisations screening weekly speedway matches to offer the footage to them or even Free Sports for airing?

If children can upload footage of their football skills on a Friday and have it screened on Saturdays Football Focus, surely anything to promote to a wider audience is possible.

 

Prior to the screening of Glasgow `In the Red` documentary I contacted several friends who don't follow speedway and informed them to watch it.

Being a speedway fan and advocate, I was surprised by 2 phone calls informing they switched it off within 15 minutes and why did I recommend it!

I was told it was not informative or intriguing viewing and I was told to watch

SUNDERLAND TILL I DIE SEASON 2 

Wow what an insight, yes its not SPEEDWAY but it just shows the determination to get things done and change for the better.

Maybe some Promoters/Owners need to take a leaf out of Glasgow`s forward thinking or even watch the Sunderland documentary to see and deal with reality.

 

The point being made is that preaching only to the converted does not expand or grow Speedway!!!!

From a long standing fan of over fifty years, i just don't think speedway makes good TV viewing. The amount of meetings i record and never watch is substantial, yet i attended 80 live meetings last season. The whole product needs a revamp, but with a worldwide recession on the horizon, this seems very unlikely.

[secsy1]

2 hours ago, cityrebel said:

From a long standing fan of over fifty years, i just don't think speedway makes good TV viewing. The amount of meetings i record and never watch is substantial, yet i attended 80 live meetings last season. The whole product needs a revamp, but with a worldwide recession on the horizon, this seems very unlikely.

It does not make good viewing as it is not presented well.

Take last nights great play off between Somerset and Scunthorpe, brilliant racing, intriguing and commentator naming wrong riders.

A fantastic set of meetings from the past. Both meetings could have had the commentary dubbed over and presented better.

Goodness knows there is time to do it and present the product to a TV company for national airing, not just to the converted.

As you mention it needs a revamp and there is plenty of time on peoples hands to look and do now.

Forget about footage in BBC or ITV archives, their is as I mentioned previously loads of existing footage from 

Tapes Up, Speedway Portal that can be forwarded to respective TV companies for airing.

No one is looking outside the box and continually blinkered going down a one way alley with negativity beyond redemption.

Lets wake the world outside Speedway to our great sport and forget about banging on to the converted.  

[Skodaman]

13 minutes ago, secsy1 said:

It does not make good viewing as it is not presented well.

Take last nights great play off between Somerset and Scunthorpe, brilliant racing, intriguing and commentator naming wrong riders.

A fantastic set of meetings from the past. Both meetings could have had the commentary dubbed over and presented better.

Goodness knows there is time to do it and present the product to a TV company for national airing, not just to the converted.

As you mention it needs a revamp and there is plenty of time on peoples hands to look and do now.

Forget about footage in BBC or ITV archives, their is as I mentioned previously loads of existing footage from 

Tapes Up, Speedway Portal that can be forwarded to respective TV companies for airing.

No one is looking outside the box and continually blinkered going down a one way alley with negativity beyond redemption.

Lets wake the world outside Speedway to our great sport and forget about banging on to the converted.  

I'm surprised that we have had none from Eurosport/Freesport who have televised Swedish matches in recent seasons.

[steve roberts]

3 hours ago, cityrebel said:

From a long standing fan of over fifty years, i just don't think speedway makes good TV viewing. The amount of meetings i record and never watch is substantial, yet i attended 80 live meetings last season. The whole product needs a revamp, but with a worldwide recession on the horizon, this seems very unlikely.

I'm generally of the same opinion. Nothing beats watching it live!

[secsy1]

On ‎4‎/‎14‎/‎2020 at 8:19 AM, cityrebel said:

From a long standing fan of over fifty years, i just don't think speedway makes good TV viewing. The amount of meetings i record and never watch is substantial, yet i attended 80 live meetings last season. The whole product needs a revamp, but with a worldwide recession on the horizon, this seems very unlikely.

 

On ‎4‎/‎14‎/‎2020 at 11:23 AM, steve roberts said:

I'm generally of the same opinion. Nothing beats watching it live!

No disrespect to either of the above posts, but its not about you enjoying it live (As we all do)

But it is at this time, airing it to a newer, wider audience and capturing their imagination as to what it would be like attending a live meeting.

This is why it does not move forward to new audiences, as long as it suits me I don't care!!!!!!!!!!

[RobMcCaffery]

On 4/14/2020 at 10:41 AM, secsy1 said:

It does not make good viewing as it is not presented well.

Forget about footage in BBC or ITV archives, their is as I mentioned previously loads of existing footage from 

Tapes Up, Speedway Portal that can be forwarded to respective TV companies for airing.

 

I'm sorry but much video output is not suitable for TV transmission by major TV stations. It might work on local TV where standards are lower. What looks okay to the non-professional would cause kittens to professionals if transmitted. It might be okay for a short clip but the following problems which do not occur in ALL production companies' work need to be cleared up before any serious TV station will consider for anything less than a short play:

One camera operation

Multi-camera operation where the cameras are not technically synchronised, causing a major change in picture quality when switching between cameras

Poor camerawork, fast panning, camera searching for the subject

Poor commentary

Not taking the job seriously - just 'a bit of fun' .

During the past few weeks, careful, searching of speedway meetings on You Tube plus the rewind project currently running and my own collection of videos has allowed me watch well over thirty meetings in the past month, with about sixty to go. 

Some production companies avoid the above points. Many are using decent graphics and multi-camera operations with good commentaries. Several are not. It's okay selling that work to fans for a few pounds but not to a wider TV market. The needs of existing fans and the wider market often differ very strongly, as with outside professionals being very keen on Pearson and Tatum's work while many in speedway take a different view. 

Now before someone sways these are the words of a  bitter ex-commentator I know the work of mine I've seen so far in 1982/3 for KM Video was way below broadcast standard, as were the technical standards and graphics, but that was at the dawn of video coverage. I'm not satisfied with my later work for Screen Sport but the station and production team were happy. Unfortunately I didn't get the chance to develop more than five years into my commentary career. I do wonder where I could have taken it but that's by the by. What I DID pick up on were the standards required by TV. No doubt many of the current firms will say that they do supply short clips to TV. Poor standards are okay for ...  short clips. 

Standards with some providers need to rise substantially before their work is suitable for network TV. 

As a tailpiece, I saw one fiasco where the cameraman decided during the female presenters into by panning down her body to focus on her legs, then show the presenter and meeting staff having a laugh during the interval over who got cakes!

You might think that's a 'good laugh'. Anyone programming a TV station wouldn't see the joke....

Speedway's been video recorded for forty years now. It grieves me to see, or more often hear what is put on the market after all this time. There is some superb work out there, but not enough. 

 

Edited April 15, 2020 by RobMcCaffery

[RobMcCaffery]

I'd better add that I am most definitely NOT looking for work. I hung up my mic 15 years ago and am happy now just to watch, and hopefully pass on a little knowledge. I still want to help the sport but the days of being able to are largely gone, on health grounds at the very least...

[foamfence]

On 4/14/2020 at 10:41 AM, secsy1 said:

It does not make good viewing as it is not presented well.

Take last nights great play off between Somerset and Scunthorpe, brilliant racing, intriguing and commentator naming wrong riders.

A fantastic set of meetings from the past. Both meetings could have had the commentary dubbed over and presented better.

Goodness knows there is time to do it and present the product to a TV company for national airing, not just to the converted.

As you mention it needs a revamp and there is plenty of time on peoples hands to look and do now.

Forget about footage in BBC or ITV archives, their is as I mentioned previously loads of existing footage from 

Tapes Up, Speedway Portal that can be forwarded to respective TV companies for airing.

No one is looking outside the box and continually blinkered going down a one way alley with negativity beyond redemption.

Lets wake the world outside Speedway to our great sport and forget about banging on to the converted.  

Personally I thought it was more mathematically interesting than particularly exciting and with so many guests and RRs it wasn't very credible. Why would TV want to show it when the crowds are so low?

[iris123]

On ‎4‎/‎13‎/‎2020 at 10:01 AM, secsy1 said:

 

 

Prior to the screening of Glasgow `In the Red` documentary I contacted several friends who don't follow speedway and informed them to watch it.

Being a speedway fan and advocate, I was surprised by 2 phone calls informing they switched it off within 15 minutes and why did I recommend it!

.

 

The point being made is that preaching only to the converted does not expand or grow Speedway!!!!

This is so true. Tried to get my son interested and he watched about 3 heats of a GP and then went and done something else

Long come round to the opinion that just because I or anyone else finds something fascinating, I shouldn't expect others to share that opinion, whether it is music or sport....

As Jim Morrison sang, people are strange......or maybe it is me

[mikebv]

Some of the 'old stuff' on YouTube wouldn't get seen in a good light by a wider non Speedway audience if shown on the mainstream channels, simply because so much of it was filmed with production qualities which were 'wedding video' standard, and many commentaries were pretty average, done by well meaning amateurs...

No fault of whoever produced them, that was just the technology of the time outside of the main TV channels..

Even the newly formed Satellite company's old work looks well dated (as done in SD), and often one camera action...

Watching the many meetings available does though show that, for me, so much of what we have today is at least as good, and often better, racing wise, than the 'old stuff', and some of the production standards are excellent..

I would suggest a decent marketing team could make something out of the raw material of the racing and would be able to make personalities out of the riders if given a chance...

Employing one of them to do a joined up national advertising campaign using the best clips from today during this 'down time', would be far better for the sport than just putting out random Speedway on TV (to a mainly non plussed audience), I would say..

Edited April 17, 2020 by mikebv

[HGould]

Need some reality I think.

Why would BBC / ITV want to or have the need to show Speedway at this time when they have tens of thousand of hours of 50 other far more popular (to mainstream TV Sports).

The 3 obvious Sports exclusive channels we could expect to see Speedway on are Sky / BT Sport / Eurosport.

As we all know though as usual fate has not landed kindly for Speedway!

Sky gave up the ghost a few years ago and is now apathetic at best.

BT Sport got the product on the cheap, very cheap, only upped the ante when they realised they could lose the product, have lost UK rights now and lose GP rights from 2021

Eurosport gained UK coverage but not yet any to show and have access to some recent Swedish / Euro Champ if they want to use it.

 

Devil and Deep Blue Sea seems to be the best description.

Sky won't be bothered, BT Sport toys out of the pram can't be bothered and Eurosport can't really help very much at this time.

Meanwhile all 3 show other forms of 2 wheel and 4 wheel motorsport highlights of the past.

No blame here just fate!

 

[topaz325]

BT showing speedway GP highlights from 2019.

[steve roberts]

41 minutes ago, HGould said:

Need some reality I think.

Why would BBC / ITV want to or have the need to show Speedway at this time when they have tens of thousand of hours of 50 other far more popular (to mainstream TV Sports).

The 3 obvious Sports exclusive channels we could expect to see Speedway on are Sky / BT Sport / Eurosport.

As we all know though as usual fate has not landed kindly for Speedway!

Sky gave up the ghost a few years ago and is now apathetic at best.

BT Sport got the product on the cheap, very cheap, only upped the ante when they realised they could lose the product, have lost UK rights now and lose GP rights from 2021

Eurosport gained UK coverage but not yet any to show and have access to some recent Swedish / Euro Champ if they want to use it.

 

Devil and Deep Blue Sea seems to be the best description.

Sky won't be bothered, BT Sport toys out of the pram can't be bothered and Eurosport can't really help very much at this time.

Meanwhile all 3 show other forms of 2 wheel and 4 wheel motorsport highlights of the past.

No blame here just fate!

 

Sadly I think that you're right.

[waytogo28]

On 4/14/2020 at 8:19 AM, cityrebel said:

From a long standing fan of over fifty years, i just don't think speedway makes good TV viewing. The amount of meetings i record and never watch is substantial, yet i attended 80 live meetings last season. The whole product needs a revamp, but with a worldwide recession on the horizon, this seems very unlikely.

UK domestic speedway ( as we know it ) IS truly a gonna ( IMHO)! Game over and it's just writhing around towards a slow agonising death. If it werea dog, we would want to rush it to a vet to be put to sleep. Pity, because it was such a good companion for many years.

[secsy1]

46 minutes ago, waytogo28 said:

UK domestic speedway ( as we know it ) IS truly a gonna ( IMHO)! Game over and it's just writhing around towards a slow agonising death. If it werea dog, we would want to rush it to a vet to be put to sleep. Pity, because it was such a good companion for many years.

This is the PROBLEM, pure negativity in every topic on THE BRITISH SPEEDWAY FORUM !!!!!!!!!

Everyone just pulls it down and slates it !!!!!!!!

WELL BELIEVE IT OR NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE BELIEVE IN IT.

My parents always told me, if you have something to say, say it, but be objective and offer a potential solution.

Until all the negativity from so called fans is eradicated, or as your post states put to sleep. How can it move forward.

 

[Skidder1]

Whilst there is no 'live' action taking place at the moment, it surely can't be outside the marketing capabilities of either the BSPL or the several video companies to put together a decent 'highlights' package of several meetings - with a decent commentary - to be available to the wider audiences - including some of the Sky and BT league coverage as they don't hold any rights now!!.

We all know that however good a particular meeting can be there will always be some duff heats, which even the most supportive afficionados wouldn't want to see again, let alone any potential newcomers. Include a few 'handbags' or controversial moments as well as some brilliant actual 'racing from the top drawer', together with a list of tracks where and when speedway can be viewed (post Covid-19 obviously), and make it available on every social media platform, forum and  You-Tube etc and to every club to use as a promo in their own locality.

[Spl77]

8 hours ago, secsy1 said:

This is the PROBLEM, pure negativity in every topic on THE BRITISH SPEEDWAY FORUM !!!!!!!!!

Everyone just pulls it down and slates it !!!!!!!!

WELL BELIEVE IT OR NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE BELIEVE IN IT.

My parents always told me, if you have something to say, say it, but be objective and offer a potential solution.

Until all the negativity from so called fans is eradicated, or as your post states put to sleep. How can it move forward.

 

I think you will find that many on here who appear negative have in the past voiced their thoughts on ways forward and things that could be changed to make the sport appear more professional and improve the product. 

Sadly most of the time we get shouted down and told all is well. 

It's not always being negative but honest about the situation the sport in the UK finds itself. 

Having watched the sport since the late 80s I was lucky in that the first few years the sport still came across as reasonably professional and the crowds at least at my local track were still pushing 4000 a week. 

Over the last 20 to 25 years the sport has been slowly run into the ground becoming evermore micky mouse. 

I'm sure that there are still a number of people who continue to support the sport enough to watch live and can live with all the things that are wrong and turn it in to a total joke.....sadly they are the few thousand and the the tens of thousands that used to live it. 

I'm ready to be slated and told I'm negative however I think it's safe to say that I'm in the majority. sad times