Just made the mistake of tuning into BBC Radio Berkshire....

[floyd__streete]

.....hoping for half time news from Maidenhead United's crucial game today. No chance - they are commentating on today's 'hugely important' Rugby between Northampton and London Irish. Typical BBC, pandering to their middle-class rugger-bugger audience and giving us commentary from the franchise's away fixture (insignificant for the Plastic Paddies league position as I understand) rather than concentrating on proper Berkshire sport.

[ScottishRoyal]

Actually i'd imagine more would tune in for the rugby. It is also the last weekend of the season and if Northampton lose - a side with plenty of top internationls - then they are relegated so the game does have a lot riding on it.

[Daniella]

middle-class rugger-bugger audience

[Ollie]

We have a longstanding commitment to London Irish and carry every game live in some format, be it online or on air. Not only did this game have a lot of meaning for the fate of Northampton, it was the last match two London Irish legends - Justin Bishop and Neal Hatley - will play for the club, so it carried that significance too.

As for Maidenhead, I appreciate it was an important game, and I was following it as best I could from home (they're my second team now, having spent quite a bit of time covering them this season). I try to get down to York Road when I can and a week ago, I was there when fans had the chance to put questions to boss Johnson Hippolyte. The audio of this is here. He said some pretty interesting stuff about agents being terrible even at non-league level, and about how he felt when he joined the club from Yeading (after their FA Cup run etc).

At the moment I'm trying to work out how we'll cover the play-off game at Kings Lynn on Tuesday. I doubt there'll be live commentary (believe me if we had the resources, we'd do it) but I'll get a post-match interview with Drax (Hippolyte) at the very least.

I'm back in on sports bulletins duty tomorrow morning and am hoping to have some audio and reaction from yesterday's game.

[PieEater]

We have a longstanding commitment to London Irish

Pls clarify what this commitment entails....

[Ollie]

As in, we've provided coverage for every game this season (and beforehand but as I only joined the station last summer, I'm not sure on the specifics of previous years), in the form of full commentaries and interviews throughout the week, both on air and online.

[Dirk Gently]

And at the same time Tim (nice but dim) was moonlighting with the big boys, covering Stoke v Colchester on 5Live.

[Row Z Royal]

At the moment I'm trying to work out how we'll cover the play-off game at Kings Lynn on Tuesday. I doubt there'll be live commentary (believe me if we had the resources, we'd do it) but I'll get a post-match interview with Drax (Hippolyte) at the very least.

Run a competition. The prize is being able to cover the game live for BBCRB in King's Lynn with expenses paid.

There'll be plenty of budding journalists in the area who would love to do the job and would be grateful of the opportunity.

[Ollie]

I think it'd be great to get some of the fans going to the game involved - and if you're going to the game then drop me an email and we might be able to phone you for your match report, that'd be quality.

But in terms of resources, I don't just mean finances, or reporters available. Getting live commentary on air can be very tricky from non-league grounds, especially those that are hundreds of miles outside our patch. Almost all commentaries are done using ISDN lines, which are essentially high quality phone lines. All radio stations and all football league grounds have them, so you can connect back and forth.

The problem is, hardly any non-league grounds have them, since they're fairly expensive to install and maintain. I'll check when I get into work but I think it's unlikely Kings Lynn will have one. So we'd have to find another way of doing it - and there are other ways, but they are riskier in terms of interruptions/equipment failure, and don't sound anything like as good.

It's also not just about getting people there to commentate - you need people back here to put the broadcast on air, which is where finding the people to do the job does become tricky, because those people need to have the required technical skills.

[Row Z Royal]

I think it'd be great to get some of the fans going to the game involved - and if you're going to the game then drop me an email and we might be able to phone you for your match report, that'd be quality.

But in terms of resources, I don't just mean finances, or reporters available. Getting live commentary on air can be very tricky from non-league grounds, especially those that are hundreds of miles outside our patch. Almost all commentaries are done using ISDN lines, which are essentially high quality phone lines. All radio stations and all football league grounds have them, so you can connect back and forth.

The problem is, hardly any non-league grounds have them, since they're fairly expensive to install and maintain. I'll check when I get into work but I think it's unlikely Kings Lynn will have one. So we'd have to find another way of doing it - and there are other ways, but they are riskier in terms of interruptions/equipment failure, and don't sound anything like as good.

It's also not just about getting people there to commentate - you need people back here to put the broadcast on air, which is where finding the people to do the job does become tricky, because those people need to have the required technical skills.

Given that it's unlikely that a non-league game will get full live coverage on BBCRB, the option of a mobile phone with a fan has got to be a good one. Regular calls in the build up, throughout the game and some psot match stuff that can be recorded and passed on later are not bank-breaking. As for the technology, it'll be like fielding a phone-in.

Chuck in a BBCRB fleece for the lucky fan and Robert's your sister's brother.

[Ollie]

Agreed to an extent, but our weekday evening programmes cover several counties and are music programming, not sport. It's a bit like breaking into Radio 2's evening shows with some Arsenal fans on the phone - it'd sound a bit weird.

That said I do agree the game needs a good mention on Tuesday and needs us to be following it. So leave it with me, I'm working on it .

[Warfield Royal]

Almost all commentaries are done using ISDN lines...

Hi Ollie, I heard that BT are withdrawing the ISDN service which is a bit of a worry for all you broadcasters

[Ollie]

Hi Warfield Royal - afraid I don't know anything about that so I can't really comment on it.

Edit: After a quick bit of searching, found this from Computer Weekly:

"BT is to dump consumer ISDN services later this year, as users increasingly connect over DSL broadband.

"BT doesn’t plan to axe ISDN for businesses, but if it did, broadcasters would see their radio interviewers have to contend with other internet traffic, meaning delayed and jittery conversations."

Which is true but as the article says, I think business use is safe for the time being. The BBC News article on it here, which you've probably already read, has some good quotes from more technically competent people than I as far as possible replacements are concerned.

[Row Z Royal]

Hi Warfield Royal - afraid I don't know anything about that so I can't really comment on it.

Ta da

[Ollie]

Cheers Row Z, just found it - see above edit.

[Row Z Royal]

Cheers Row Z, just found it - see above edit.

In that case, dodd you I must.

[Ollie]

Very lame dodd. My bit has it in context with another link, a quote and my (fairly concise admittedly) thoughts on the matter. You just wrote "ta da". Cheat.

[Row Z Royal]

Very lame dodd. My bit has it in context with another link, a quote and my (fairly concise admittedly) thoughts on the matter. You just wrote "ta da". Cheat.

Another time-saving tip from McDonalds.

[Warfield Royal]

Very lame dodd. My bit has it in context with another link, a quote and my (fairly concise admittedly) thoughts on the matter. You just wrote "ta da". Cheat.

I accept Ollie's post as it was so much more informed.

I still think the writing is on the wall for ISDN and the ubiquitous alternatives may be cheaper but are they as reliable...

[Ollie]

Right then. Early indications are that Kings Lynn does have an ISDN line, and our good colleagues at BBC Radio Norfolk are planning full commentary.

Now usually football commentaries don't appear when you try to listen online (rights and all that), but I can't see why that would apply to a Southern Premier play-off, so all being well I reckon the very worst we'll do is live commentary from BBC Norfolk on the web. I'll be speaking to our boys there to double check.