Brunel FM

[Bushey Boy]

I might move to Swindon.

Fuck sake, how much will it cost to change the boards mind?

[Panda Paws]

so basically if you live in Chippenham you dont stand a chance??

Great!!  :evil:

Well I doubt they'll be allowed to expand on FM - but that's just my view.

If they want a power boost it'll be down to the Ofcom frequency planners to decide who are, obviously, more expert than I am!

[Ralphy]

I might move to Swindon.

Fuck sake, how much will it cost to change the boards mind?

Ha ha, i won't be renting either so you can fuck off  

[mattboyslim]

Sure, it has repercussions in this instance but in the grand scheme of the things they have done (read:fucked up) in the last 5 years this is pretty far down the list in my view.

I think that whilst in finance terms and the future of the club it's small fry, but in terms of affecting the fan on the street (who lives just outside Swindon) it's a major change in their matchday experience - especially midweek away gaems etc.  and that is the reason people are raging over it - a lot of fans just wanna watch and/or listen to games not worry about off field stuff and things like this affect their ability to do this.

[Power to people]

[/quote]

Point taken, its hardly solid practise to not put something like this out to tender, although I'd be shocked if BBC Swindon could have stumpted up any real cash for the rights and wouldnt have thought GWR would fancy it tbh. [/quote]

I think the point is STFC do not know how much BBC RS would have been able to come up with -  if someone else was interested -to keep the rights to commentaries etc as they was never given an opportunity to put in a bid...after 18 years service this is an extremely poor way to be treated.

[Piemonte]

I'm not really bothered how the BBC was treated to be honest, its in the clubs interest to maximise revenues from its media rights not act like some 70's trade union and keep doing the same thing "because thats the ways its been done for 18 years"

All things being equal if giving the rights to Brunel means an extra player or a increased wage budget for Sturrock then I'm all for it.

Sadly, all things arnt equal in this case becasue A. the board went about selling the rights in a typically cack handed manner - who knows if someone else would have paid more?  and B. Brunel wont reach as many people.

[red macca]

I'm not really bothered how the BBC was treated to be honest, its in the clubs interest to maximise revenues from its media rights not act like some 70's trade union and keep doing the same thing "because thats the ways its been done for 18 years"

All things being equal if giving the rights to Brunel means an extra player or a increased wage budget for Sturrock then I'm all for it.

Sadly, all things arnt equal in this case becasue A. the board went about selling the rights in a typically cack handed manner - who knows if someone else would have paid more?  and B. Brunel wont reach as many people.

The problem is piemont we dont know how much the bbc would of paid

[Piemonte]

Fair point.  We can only guess that a commercial station that is part of a large group can afford more than a BBC local radio station with a fairly small catchment area compared to some of the others.

I love supporting STFC.  :-))(

[RobertT]

Piemonte, short term cash is exactly what must have been the driver of this deal, as well as the idea of being able to have a modicrum of control over the output.

I'd question it making financial sense though, based on the available listeners Brunel FM has (only 150k) compared to either the BBC station or other commercial ventures such as GWR (prob between 500k and 1m if you merge a few of their frequencies they cover).  Ultimately we get short term cash but risk marginlising the club gradually over the years until we become exclusively Swindon supported.  You have to add in the shit coverage we get on TV as well, being slap bang on the corner of all 3 local ITV areas.

I'd wager, real money, that it will cause long term finances to actually be worse off, not to mention to impact on reputation - again.

The only winner here will be anyone financially supporting the next year for the club and Brunel FM who will see a rise in advertising revenues on a day notoriously hard to sell on radio.

[red macca]

Fair point.  We can only guess that a commercial station that is part of a large group can afford more than a BBC local radio station with a fairly small catchment area compared to some of the others.

I love supporting STFC.  :-))(

I hope your right mate i really do.You would not put it past the board though to have done this to have a dig at bbc wilts and stop asking questions.The bbc have been threatened with lawyers before by the club and it would not suprise me if the club just thought fuck the lot of them tbh.

[Phil_S]

Sure, it has repercussions in this instance but in the grand scheme of the things they have done (read:fucked up) in the last 5 years this is pretty far down the list in my view.

I think that whilst in finance terms and the future of the club it's small fry, but in terms of affecting the fan on the street (who lives just outside Swindon) it's a major change in their matchday experience - especially midweek away gaems etc.  and that is the reason people are raging over it - a lot of fans just wanna watch and/or listen to games not worry about off field stuff and things like this affect their ability to do this.

That's just the thing tho'. The machinations in the board room DO eventually affect us fans.

[Piemonte]

All fair points Rob, but the team doing well would overide any of them in terms of generating both local media and individual interest.  STFC dosnt disappear off the face of the earth because a part timer in Melksham for example cant hear a full commentary any more.  If STFC are doing well the interest will still be there

[genf_stfc]

of course, this also all depends on if the board actually have 'done a good deal' - I don't suppose we know who paid who what amount, and probably never will

[Ralphy]

All fair points Rob, but the team doing well would overide any of them in terms of generating both local media and individual interest.  STFC dosnt disappear off the face of the earth because a part timer in Melksham for example cant hear a full commentary any more. If STFC are doing well the interest will still be there

No they won't but loyal fans like me in Oxfordshire would like to hear it.

I subscribe to STFC World which in my opinion is absolute dog shite. Sometimes the commentary fades out.

The club use STFC World has another way of making money off the fans.

I guess i'll have to sit in the car park after the match for half hour to listen to the post match analysis. Thats if you can pick up Brunel at the County Ground?? Is it in the broadcast area ??

[genf_stfc]

All fair points Rob, but the team doing well would overide any of them in terms of generating both local media and individual interest.  STFC dosnt disappear off the face of the earth because a part timer in Melksham for example cant hear a full commentary any more. If STFC are doing well the interest will still be there

No they won't but loyal fans like me in Oxfordshire would like to hear it.

I subscribe to STFC World which in my opinion is absolute dog shite. Sometimes the commentary fades out.

The club use STFC World has another way of making money off the fans.

I guess i'll have to sit in the car park after the match for half hour to listen to the post match analysis. Thats if you can pick up Brunel at the County Ground?? Is it in the broadcast area ??

.. to agree with the above, if you do happen to live somewhere out in the wilderness, like Bassett, and you don't fancy the trip up to Carlisle next season you now have two choices: shelling out to listen to the commentary punctuated by gaps every 5 seconds on STFC world; getting in the car and driving around the magic roundabout with the radio on for 90 minutes.

now i live miles away anyway so STFC world is my only option - but I can understand why others who would consider themselves in the STFC catchment area (i.e. Wiltshire at least) to be a bit miffed when in the past they could just switch the radio on.