BBC 'Biased' Coverage

[Brett22Smith]

This one obviously fell off my radar. I think Bryant has got a good point though. It does seem that the beeb focuses more on the English matches. I knew when Inverdale referred to the first two matches as "warm-ups" it might cause a stir. If anything, the Welsh game was far more interesting than the English one, but thats another discussion.

Will this result in more focus on the other home nations though? I'm sure the biasness of BBC's rugby coverage has been brought to their attention before, and all they have done has delivered the same line "we will look into the complaints."
[/b]

I'm not sure of who it is-didn't catch the game-but there are a couple english commentators who really focus on their own team-its annoying-they do it to the point where you want to mute the commentary-Comments like "England have to do this now" and cheering when they score-its just unproffessional-they were doing it at the world cup too.

 

[paridjanian]

http://www.planetrugby.com/Story/0,18259,3...3204288,00.html

Complaints about the "English bias"
[/b]

whenever Brian Moore starts getting arsy during a Wales v England game I relax an awful lot more

 

[JovialJim]

So you are saying that because some people in Scotland would like to be independant no scots have a right to comment on how their license fee's are spent? Utter ********! we have just as much right to criticise the way the BBC present their coverage as any other region in the UK!

[/b]

I'm surprised that under the Barnett Formula the Scots have to pay a licence fee at all as I thought the English were subsidising that as well. :unsure:

 

[Prestwick]

I'm not sure of who it is-didn't catch the game-but there are a couple english commentators who really focus on their own team-its annoying-they do it to the point where you want to mute the commentary-Comments like "England have to do this now" and cheering when they score-its just unproffessional-they were doing it at the world cup too. [/b]

Please don't say it is part of a vast, evil, Anti-Scottish conspiracy. Otherwise I will be forced to kill you...slowly.

That said, I think the comentators you're thinking of are the Sky ones (Miles Harrison and Stuart Barnes) for the "England have to do this now" and the BBC's Brian Moore for the cheering/getting very angry at England. Do note that Brian Moore's sidekick is indeed Welsh (Eddie Butler). And while it is quite unprofessional and I don't condone it (bring back Bill McClaren: the most unbiased commentator ever. Period. End of discussion.) in the case of Brian Moore who has always been extremely outspoken in his views, quite what you were expecting is beyond me.

And as a side note, if you can, try and find the French coverage of the France vs New Zealand Quarter Final. There the commentators were literally screaming "OUUUUUUUIIII" for the 2nd French try and going frankly stark raving nuts. As a matter of course, if the commentators are the same nationality of the team who is playing then most likely, they will be biased towards them.

The solution? As an example, just get Irish commentators to do England vs Wales, Welsh ones to do Ireland vs Scotland and English ones to France vs Italy. Et Voila, problems of bias are solved!

 

[An Tarbh]

Bias is natural, the problem with the Uk though is you have to cater to 4 nationalities so it ****** off the other 3 whenever it is done.

Sod the English bias, I've never seen a more cringeworthy biased commentary than that of Andy Nicol in the Scotland France game, as one eyed and unprofessional as it gets, granted I didn't see Inverdale, Guscott et al making complete arses of themselves last weekend but there you go.

Back to my point though, bias is always going to happen, the French as has been pointed out are a perfect case in point, cheering the scores against the All Blacks, although I defy any commentator not to lose impartiality in those circumstances. RTÉ are certainly guilty of it at times, not as blatant as the BBC, but when Noon scored his try in the Ireland match 2 years ago, Nugent's immediate reaction, was OH NO!!! in that pipsqueakish voice of his.

I think people expect better of the BBC because they've had the likes of McLaren commentating in the past for so long but he was a class above everyone else and the BBC have don't seem to be interested in impartiality anymore which is their prerogative, they don't have the quality anymore, bar Mullins, so they dumb down their approach

 

[crispy]

Funnily enough, I don't mind Brian Moore at all. He wears his heart on his sleeve and lambasts England just as much as he cheers them on. There's nothing wrong with being biased if you admit as much.

I don't like how much the John Inverdale and co. spend focusing on England though. They seem to get a relatively large amount of airtime and that 'warm up' comment was pretty unprofessional in my view.

Eddie Butler's little movies at the beginning of each matchday are pretty annoying as well.

 

[QKXV]

Half the time I don't listen to what these halwits are saying anyway, I just watch the game, block out other disstractions.

The one commmentator that does **** me off is Will Greenwood, and his commentating during the world cup was shite - just goes to show a good player doesn't always make a good commentator.

Anyone watched the S14 match yesterday afternoon between the force and the lions? The supersport commentating was not biased, but their poor equipment is to blame as I could hear an afrikaans commmentator in the backround commmentating for what could only have been a radio station and that guy was so biased it sounded like the lions actually won the game he was watching.

 

[Prestwick]

Hey QKXV, who is the guy who commentates for South African television? Has a reeeally deep voice and could karaoke Issac Hayes in a Bokke accent if he wanted to..

 

[An Tarbh]

Half the time I don't listen to what these halwits are saying anyway, I just watch the game, block out other disstractions.

The one commmentator that does **** me off is Will Greenwood, and his commentating during the world cup was shite - just goes to show a good player doesn't always make a good commentator.
[/b]

Someone is risking the wrath of the masses at TRF!!!

 

[elgringoborracho]

And as a side note, if you can, try and find the French coverage of the France vs New Zealand Quarter Final. There the commentators were literally screaming "OUUUUUUUIIII" for the 2nd French try and going frankly stark raving nuts. As a matter of course, if the commentators are the same nationality of the team who is playing then most likely, they will be biased towards them. [/b]

Only frenchmen watch the games with the french commentators, so there would really be no point at all in making them in an unbiased way. They are always very respectful of the team facing us, sometimes speaking for hours about how BOD is a genius, Wilko is a living legend, Carter is the best player ever, Paterson is mister 100%, Hernandez is the reincarnation of Buddah and so on. But when the french score, yes, they are happy.

On a sidenote, I happened to watch a game on rté last week, and I thought the commentator was terrific. Really has a dramatic tone which is quite cool.

It's his voice on this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WptJCQV3pWs :bravo:

 

[Prestwick]

Only frenchmen watch the games with the french commentators, so there would really be no point at all in making them in an unbiased way.[/b]

Doesn't make a difference to the fact that if you have Englishmen/Scotsmen commentating on a game in which an English/Scottish team is going to take part in, you're going to get bias. Its a fact of life, its always going to happen. You could have a multi-national ombudsman board of sports television comprising of an Englishman, an Irishman, a Welshman and a Scotsman to go over Sports presentation with a fine toothcomb and you'll still get bias. Period.

In any case, shouldn't the red button and beer have solved this by now? Seriously, if you don't like what BBC Sport's commentators are saying, just press the red button and select the radio coverage instead. People of Scotland, Ulster & Wales, you guys have far better commentary on local radio via the red button on your remote! Press red, blue and select BBC Radio Scotland/Wales/Ulster!

 

[lineens weegie army]

<div class='quotemain'>
Only frenchmen watch the games with the french commentators, so there would really be no point at all in making them in an unbiased way.[/b]

Doesn't make a difference to the fact that if you have Englishmen/Scotsmen commentating on a game in which an English/Scottish team is going to take part in, you're going to get bias. Its a fact of life, its always going to happen. You could have a multi-national ombudsman board of sports television comprising of an Englishman, an Irishman, a Welshman and a Scotsman to go over Sports presentation with a fine toothcomb and you'll still get bias. Period.

In any case, shouldn't the red button and beer have solved this by now? Seriously, if you don't like what BBC Sport's commentators are saying, just press the red button and select the radio coverage instead. People of Scotland, Ulster & Wales, you guys have far better commentary on local radio via the red button on your remote! Press red, blue and select BBC Radio Scotland/Wales/Ulster! [/b][/quote]



and what about those of us yet to convert to cooncil+ ?

 

[Crackdown]

cooncil+[/b]

Convert to what? :huh:

 

[lineens weegie army]

cooncil+[/b]

Convert to what? :huh: [/b]

Council Plus = Freeview, Digital TV, whatever you want to call it.

 

[danny]

I dont really think the BBC is biased it is just acting in its best commercial interest and favouring England its biggest audience. If all was fair Wales have the best (and only chance )of the Grand Slam so they should receive preferencial coverage but it just doesnt work like that. As a rugby fan I want to watch what I consider the most important games and I think nowadays we are lucky enough to be able to do this. So I think that as long as you can actually your team live on telly life aint so bad.
As for Moore and Butler I always think surely the BBC has professionals who review the performances of their commentators. They dont.

 

[Prestwick]

cooncil+[/b]

Convert to what? :huh: [/b]

He means Freeview. I think Weegie's speech is ruined because his brain is scarred by watching Scottish Gaelic Afternoon telly.

And for those without Freeview, after 2012, you're going to have to make do with an FM Radio anyway because they're switching off the analouge signal

 

[Thingimubob]

I see what he's trying to say, but he's going over the top just a bit. But still, it is really annoying, for example, that they were talking about how England are now going to win the 6 Nations, but didn't really mention that Wales are 3 from 3. So the only way my brain could work that one out was that England will play so well against Scotland and Ireland, that either Ireland or France (maybe both) will beat Wales . Not that Wales will definitely win, but it still just gets on people's nerves.
And whoever said all of Wales's tries against Italy were 'nothing special', you sure you saw Shane's second? Or did you turn off before then?
Don't mind Brian Moore all that much, yes some of his comments are biased, but h's funny, and is a good partner to Eddie Butler. But officially the two best commentators so far are the two from the Wales - Italy game: Jonathan Davies and and Englishman who's name I can't remember.

 

[Prestwick]

Personally, I think a combo of Andy Cotter (Scotland) and Johnathan Davies (Wales) would be awesome.

Either that or pair South Africa's commentator with a deep voice with Will Greenwood.

 

[RC]

But officially the two best commentators so far are the two from the Wales - Italy game: Jonathan Davies and and Englishman who's name I can't remember.
[/b]

:huh:

Officially in your opinion, though, yeah?

Becuase Jonathan Davies' voice grinds my gears worse than if someone were to continuously drag a cheese grater across my hand whilst simulataneously pouring lemon juice into the wounds.
The guy bugs the hell out of me. Lol.

 

[Prestwick]

Becuase Jonathan Davies' voice grinds my gears worse than if someone were to continuously drag a cheese grater across my hand whilst simulataneously pouring lemon juice into the wounds.
The guy bugs the hell out of me. Lol.
[/b]

Seriously, I thought it was me making RC's teeth knash...but then I realised he was listening to Jonathan Davies...