The Sun has outed the BBC's travel "budget" for the London Olympics.
"The BBC is to land licence-payers with a £3 million bill to send sport staff to cover the London Olympics from Manchester – just a year after it relocates from the capital....flights, train fares, taxis and accommodation".
The reason that the BBC, based in London, is expecting to spend so much money is that (for reasons that only a "detached" and poorly managed bureaucracy such as the BBC can understand) the BBC sports department are moving out of London to Manchester one year before the Olympics.
Clearly an intelligent plan would have been to move after the Games.
The BBC then go on to dig themselves into a deeper hole by saying that, because plans are still being developed, they "can't speculate on the costs involved".
In other words, they have no budget (clearly taking their cue from the organisers of the London Olympics!)
Not very impressive is it?
Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics
Don't forget to visit www.theolympicswarehouse.com
www.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"
Showing posts with label tv. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tv. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Friday, December 19, 2008
Big TV
The Scotsman reports that there is a row going on in Edinburgh over the placing of a £500K giant TV screen, ostensibly to be used to show the 2012 Olympics.
Not surprisingly people are not that keen to have such a monstrosity erected in view of their backyards.
Aside from the obvious waste of money, the unasked/unanswered question is what will be shown on the TV once the Olympics have finished?
Aesthetically "pleasing" commercials, or government propaganda films?
Either way a giant TV screen, costing £500K, is hardly a legacy worth boasting about is it?
Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics
Don't forget to visit www.theolympicswarehouse.com
www.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"
Not surprisingly people are not that keen to have such a monstrosity erected in view of their backyards.
Aside from the obvious waste of money, the unasked/unanswered question is what will be shown on the TV once the Olympics have finished?
Aesthetically "pleasing" commercials, or government propaganda films?
Either way a giant TV screen, costing £500K, is hardly a legacy worth boasting about is it?
Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics
Don't forget to visit www.theolympicswarehouse.com
www.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Closing Ceremony
All good things come to an end, so it is with the Olympics as thoughts now turn to the closing ceremony in Beijing on 24th August.
Spanish tenor Placido Domingo will perform with Chinese soprano star Song Zuying on the last day. Following on from the fuss over certain TV "enhancements" made to the opening ceremony, it is assumed that they will both be live and not CGI animations!
The closing program will also feature elements of southwestern China's Yunnan culture, together with a kung fu display featuring 350 practitioners from a local martial arts school and 60 players of the Chinese string instrument "erhu."
There will also be an 8 minute dance show to mark the handover from Beijing to London for the 2012 games. Seemingly David Beckham will appear during this segment, atop a London bus.
The British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, will also finally turn up; unless of course he manages to find an excuse not to.
Olympic Medals Won
Don't forget to visit www.theolympicswarehouse.com
www.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"
Spanish tenor Placido Domingo will perform with Chinese soprano star Song Zuying on the last day. Following on from the fuss over certain TV "enhancements" made to the opening ceremony, it is assumed that they will both be live and not CGI animations!
The closing program will also feature elements of southwestern China's Yunnan culture, together with a kung fu display featuring 350 practitioners from a local martial arts school and 60 players of the Chinese string instrument "erhu."
There will also be an 8 minute dance show to mark the handover from Beijing to London for the 2012 games. Seemingly David Beckham will appear during this segment, atop a London bus.
The British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, will also finally turn up; unless of course he manages to find an excuse not to.
Olympic Medals Won
Don't forget to visit www.theolympicswarehouse.com
www.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Fakery Accusations
Having basked in the glow of excellent viewing figures, NBC and the Beijing Olympic Committee are now having to face accusations from some quarters over fakery wrt their broadcast of the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony.
The organisers have been accused of adding fake CGI fireworks to the opening ceremony. NBC have been accused of adding a bogus "Live" stamp to their prime time delayed feed of competition coverage this weekend, and edited the "parade of nations" segment of the opening ceremony to delay the entrance of the US Olympic Team.
Can anyone ever truly believe what they see on TV?
THR.com runs through the accusation point by point, including NBC's responses:
Accusation: Viewers were misled by the use of CGI fireworks during a sweeping helicopter shot ( video clip here) leading up to the Bird's Nest. Organizers note the fireworks were there, but the footage was created in advance due to the danger of shooting live from a nearby helicopter.
NBC Response: An NBC Sports spokesperson says U.S. viewers were informed of the manipulation. Commentators Matt Lauer and Bob Costas said the fireworks were a digital effect. From the opening ceremony transcript during the fireworks in question:
Lauer: "You're looking at a cinematic device employed by Zhang Yimou here. This is actually almost animation. A footstep a second, 29 in all, to signify the 29 Olympiads."
Costas: "We said earlier that aspects of this Opening Ceremony are almost like cinema in real time. Well this is quite literally cinematic."
Analysis: Mixing real and CGI fireworks during an Olympic event is visually misleading, though NBC did try to address the issue. The question is, during a spectacular-looking shot, do the phrases "cinematic device" and "almost animation" really convey that the image wasn't real?
It seems more to hint that something about it wasn't quite literal, while coming shy of saying - in far more clear and simple terms - "this is a digitally manufactured shot to represent what's happening right now outside the stadium."
Accusation: NBC is time stamping West Coast feeds of competition coverage with a "Live" tag even though the coverage is not live.
NBC Response: A spokesperson points out the constant "Live" tag is accompanied by twice-per-hour time stamps that inform West Coast viewers that the event was only live on the East Coast (ex. "10:05 ET").
"The audience makeup of the Olympics is very much like that of 'American Idol' and 'Dancing with the Stars' which have 'live' season finales presented in much the same way," an NBC Sports spokesperson says. "You assume there's a large amount of intelligence in the viewing audience, so when they see those twice-an-hour time stamps they'll understand what is being presented."
Analysis: If a sporting event's feed isn't live, a broadcaster should avoid using an omnipresent "live" tag. The best reason to have this tag on a West Coast feed (and to not put a clear "tape delayed" notice) is for the same reason some are incensed – it gives viewers an impression of live urgency that isn't quite there. Like with the fireworks, the original complaint is mollified by the facts, to a degree: to a casual viewer the coverage shows one thing, while to somebody paying close attention, it shows something slightly less exciting.
Accusation: NBC edited the "parade of nations" from the original order to delay the entrance of US. athletes.
NBC Response: An NBC Sports spokesman says the order was unchanged.
Analysis: Editing a sporting event like a reality show to save the most eagerly awaited moments for the conclusion would be an issue - if it were true. As it is, online reports have provided no real evidence.
The Times also reports that the "cute" girl who sang at the opening ceremony was merely lip synching, the real girl who sang was deemed to be too "ugly" for TV.
Oh dear, it really is rather silly to try to pull the wool over people's eyes like this!
Olympic Medals Won
Don't forget to visit www.theolympicswarehouse.com
www.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"
The organisers have been accused of adding fake CGI fireworks to the opening ceremony. NBC have been accused of adding a bogus "Live" stamp to their prime time delayed feed of competition coverage this weekend, and edited the "parade of nations" segment of the opening ceremony to delay the entrance of the US Olympic Team.
Can anyone ever truly believe what they see on TV?
THR.com runs through the accusation point by point, including NBC's responses:
Accusation: Viewers were misled by the use of CGI fireworks during a sweeping helicopter shot ( video clip here) leading up to the Bird's Nest. Organizers note the fireworks were there, but the footage was created in advance due to the danger of shooting live from a nearby helicopter.
NBC Response: An NBC Sports spokesperson says U.S. viewers were informed of the manipulation. Commentators Matt Lauer and Bob Costas said the fireworks were a digital effect. From the opening ceremony transcript during the fireworks in question:
Lauer: "You're looking at a cinematic device employed by Zhang Yimou here. This is actually almost animation. A footstep a second, 29 in all, to signify the 29 Olympiads."
Costas: "We said earlier that aspects of this Opening Ceremony are almost like cinema in real time. Well this is quite literally cinematic."
Analysis: Mixing real and CGI fireworks during an Olympic event is visually misleading, though NBC did try to address the issue. The question is, during a spectacular-looking shot, do the phrases "cinematic device" and "almost animation" really convey that the image wasn't real?
It seems more to hint that something about it wasn't quite literal, while coming shy of saying - in far more clear and simple terms - "this is a digitally manufactured shot to represent what's happening right now outside the stadium."
Accusation: NBC is time stamping West Coast feeds of competition coverage with a "Live" tag even though the coverage is not live.
NBC Response: A spokesperson points out the constant "Live" tag is accompanied by twice-per-hour time stamps that inform West Coast viewers that the event was only live on the East Coast (ex. "10:05 ET").
"The audience makeup of the Olympics is very much like that of 'American Idol' and 'Dancing with the Stars' which have 'live' season finales presented in much the same way," an NBC Sports spokesperson says. "You assume there's a large amount of intelligence in the viewing audience, so when they see those twice-an-hour time stamps they'll understand what is being presented."
Analysis: If a sporting event's feed isn't live, a broadcaster should avoid using an omnipresent "live" tag. The best reason to have this tag on a West Coast feed (and to not put a clear "tape delayed" notice) is for the same reason some are incensed – it gives viewers an impression of live urgency that isn't quite there. Like with the fireworks, the original complaint is mollified by the facts, to a degree: to a casual viewer the coverage shows one thing, while to somebody paying close attention, it shows something slightly less exciting.
Accusation: NBC edited the "parade of nations" from the original order to delay the entrance of US. athletes.
NBC Response: An NBC Sports spokesman says the order was unchanged.
Analysis: Editing a sporting event like a reality show to save the most eagerly awaited moments for the conclusion would be an issue - if it were true. As it is, online reports have provided no real evidence.
The Times also reports that the "cute" girl who sang at the opening ceremony was merely lip synching, the real girl who sang was deemed to be too "ugly" for TV.
Oh dear, it really is rather silly to try to pull the wool over people's eyes like this!
Olympic Medals Won
Don't forget to visit www.theolympicswarehouse.com
www.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"
Monday, August 11, 2008
Record Audience
The opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics pulled in a record number of TV viewers around the world.
NBC in the USA, despite not showing the event live and delaying it to primetime, managed to score its highest ever rating (over 34 million viewers) for a non-American hosted summer Olympics aside from the Atlanta Olympics in 1996.
In China between 63% and 68.8% of China's total audience, a record, watched the opening ceremony.
In Australia, the Seven Network said that its audience was over 3.3 million viewers. In Germany, 7.7 million watched it on ARD; in France, 4.4 million watched it on France 2 and in Italy, 5.5 million watched on RAI. The BBC had an audience of 5 million.
Don't forget to visit www.theolympicswarehouse.com
www.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"
NBC in the USA, despite not showing the event live and delaying it to primetime, managed to score its highest ever rating (over 34 million viewers) for a non-American hosted summer Olympics aside from the Atlanta Olympics in 1996.
In China between 63% and 68.8% of China's total audience, a record, watched the opening ceremony.
In Australia, the Seven Network said that its audience was over 3.3 million viewers. In Germany, 7.7 million watched it on ARD; in France, 4.4 million watched it on France 2 and in Italy, 5.5 million watched on RAI. The BBC had an audience of 5 million.
Don't forget to visit www.theolympicswarehouse.com
www.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Opening Ceremony Video Leaked
The details of the opening ceremony for the Beijing Olympics (8 August) have been kept strictly under wraps, so as not to spoil the surprise.
That at least was the plan until South Korea messed it up, and showed a 30 sneak preview on TV.
The footage was obtained by a reporter with the Seoul Broadcasting system, who walked into the National Stadium during a rehearsal on Monday.
The images are now on the net, and show floating 3D humpback whales, kung fu fighters and trapeze gymnasts.
In one segment, thousands of white cubes are moved by people to form waves suggesting the explosive growth of high-rise cities in China. A giant green and blue globe can be seen. Large whales will figure, as will dancers dressed as ancient soldiers from the Tomb of Unknown Warriors.
Not unsurprisingly, China is not best pleased with this leak. The Beijing Olympics spokesman, Sun Weide, said last night that the footage was obtained by "irregular means" and questioned the professional standards of the reporter.
The video was on YouTube until it was pulled for copyright reasons, and the fact that the Chinese are furious. However, it still can be viewed here: Huffington Post.
See it before it is pulled.
Don't forget to visit www.theolympicswarehouse.com
www.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"
That at least was the plan until South Korea messed it up, and showed a 30 sneak preview on TV.
The footage was obtained by a reporter with the Seoul Broadcasting system, who walked into the National Stadium during a rehearsal on Monday.
The images are now on the net, and show floating 3D humpback whales, kung fu fighters and trapeze gymnasts.
In one segment, thousands of white cubes are moved by people to form waves suggesting the explosive growth of high-rise cities in China. A giant green and blue globe can be seen. Large whales will figure, as will dancers dressed as ancient soldiers from the Tomb of Unknown Warriors.
Not unsurprisingly, China is not best pleased with this leak. The Beijing Olympics spokesman, Sun Weide, said last night that the footage was obtained by "irregular means" and questioned the professional standards of the reporter.
The video was on YouTube until it was pulled for copyright reasons, and the fact that the Chinese are furious. However, it still can be viewed here: Huffington Post.
See it before it is pulled.
Don't forget to visit www.theolympicswarehouse.com
www.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
The New Dagenham
Whilst those who are pushing the London 2012 Olympics as being the springboard for the regeneration of the East of London, there are others who quite rightly see the legacy of the games as offering little more for the residents of the East as Dagenham did when it was constructed in the 1930's.
Lord Mawson has warned that the multibillion investment in renewal schemes around the Newham Olympic site was in danger of being wasted.
Quote:
"The next 12 months will, for good or bad, cast the die for the next 100 years in east London.
What we see emerging . . . are two options: either we will build a new metropolitan district of London in the east, or we will end up with a giant housing estate."
Mawson notes that simply building thousands of new homes, "which will look fine for the world's TV cameras in 2012" is not enough.
Quote:
"Will today's public sector bodies leave us with another Dagenham on our doorstep for future generations? If so, a historic opportunity will have been missed, and east London will be destined to another 100 years of relative poverty and deprivation."
The "legacy" will be designed to look good on TV, and enhance the politicians' egos; it will not be designed to satisfy the needs of the people who have to live and work there.
Lord Mawson has warned that the multibillion investment in renewal schemes around the Newham Olympic site was in danger of being wasted.
Quote:
"The next 12 months will, for good or bad, cast the die for the next 100 years in east London.
What we see emerging . . . are two options: either we will build a new metropolitan district of London in the east, or we will end up with a giant housing estate."
Mawson notes that simply building thousands of new homes, "which will look fine for the world's TV cameras in 2012" is not enough.
Quote:
"Will today's public sector bodies leave us with another Dagenham on our doorstep for future generations? If so, a historic opportunity will have been missed, and east London will be destined to another 100 years of relative poverty and deprivation."
The "legacy" will be designed to look good on TV, and enhance the politicians' egos; it will not be designed to satisfy the needs of the people who have to live and work there.
Monday, May 14, 2007
The White Elephant
Adding another nail in the coffin of the London 2012 Olympics, is the Greater London Assembly. They have issued a report that notes that the 2012 Olympics will struggle to bring a boom in jobs, sport and housing.
The report also notes that the Games could result in "white elephant" venues, job losses and a "couch potato" generation hooked on television sports coverage.
The report is based on the impact of previous Olympics at Athens, Sydney, Atlanta and Barcelona. The all too clear conclusions are that venues "struggled to make their mark" in improving employment and sports participation.
The authors of the report, Prof Gavin Poynter and Dr Iain MacRury, said that Greece actually lost 70,000 jobs after the 2004 Games.
In Atlanta some neighbourhoods lost housing to the Olympics development.
The 2012 Olympics will prove to be a colossal waste of time and money.
The report also notes that the Games could result in "white elephant" venues, job losses and a "couch potato" generation hooked on television sports coverage.
The report is based on the impact of previous Olympics at Athens, Sydney, Atlanta and Barcelona. The all too clear conclusions are that venues "struggled to make their mark" in improving employment and sports participation.
The authors of the report, Prof Gavin Poynter and Dr Iain MacRury, said that Greece actually lost 70,000 jobs after the 2004 Games.
In Atlanta some neighbourhoods lost housing to the Olympics development.
The 2012 Olympics will prove to be a colossal waste of time and money.
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