ABC Radio will be unable to provide full Olympic coverage across its national network for the first time after failing to agree to a deal on Sydney broadcast rights with commercial broadcaster 2GB. While 702 ABC Sydney listeners will receive Olympic updates, they will be denied full coverage, prompting an angry reaction yesterday from ABC Radio Sport editor Peter Longman.
“We were extremely disappointed that despite our efforts to secure access to full Games commentary for 702 ABC Sydney audiences, we were unsuccessful,” Longman said. “This breaks the hitherto long-held record of broadcasting commentary from every Olympics in the modern era to the whole country.”
The ABC and Macquarie Radio - owner of the city’s top-rating AM station 2GB - yesterday finalised a deal for the broadcast of the Games, which will restrict ABC Radio’s official coverage to its stations outside Sydney. Macquarie, which paid an estimated $800,000 to the Seven Network for the radio rights for the 2004 and 2008 Olympics, secured 2GB as the main voice of the Games in Sydney.
The Sydney blackout will create programming complications for ABC Radio, as it will affect coverage on Radio National and Triple J. “Knocking out a metropolitan market such as Sydney from our national network represents major technical and scheduling challenges,” Mr Longman said.
Mr Longman said the ABC had offered “what we thought was a fair price” to Macquarie Radio for full national public radio coverage. “But they have made a commercial decision and want exclusive coverage in the Sydney region.” He said the full Olympic coverage will be available on 59 metropolitan and regional stations of ABC local radio.
(Source: The Australian/R Netherlands Media Network Weblog)
“We were extremely disappointed that despite our efforts to secure access to full Games commentary for 702 ABC Sydney audiences, we were unsuccessful,” Longman said. “This breaks the hitherto long-held record of broadcasting commentary from every Olympics in the modern era to the whole country.”
The ABC and Macquarie Radio - owner of the city’s top-rating AM station 2GB - yesterday finalised a deal for the broadcast of the Games, which will restrict ABC Radio’s official coverage to its stations outside Sydney. Macquarie, which paid an estimated $800,000 to the Seven Network for the radio rights for the 2004 and 2008 Olympics, secured 2GB as the main voice of the Games in Sydney.
The Sydney blackout will create programming complications for ABC Radio, as it will affect coverage on Radio National and Triple J. “Knocking out a metropolitan market such as Sydney from our national network represents major technical and scheduling challenges,” Mr Longman said.
Mr Longman said the ABC had offered “what we thought was a fair price” to Macquarie Radio for full national public radio coverage. “But they have made a commercial decision and want exclusive coverage in the Sydney region.” He said the full Olympic coverage will be available on 59 metropolitan and regional stations of ABC local radio.
(Source: The Australian/R Netherlands Media Network Weblog)