From: blip@tartarus.uwa.edu.au (Bryan Lip)
Newsgroups: aus.sport
Subject: Re: Where did all the Basketball fans go ?
Date: 7 Oct 1992 02:26:04 GMT
Organization: The University of Westrn Australia
NNTP-Posting-Host: tartarus.uwa.edu.au

s9100786@sg02.csd (Matthew Jackson) writes:

>I recall complaints a few months ago that this group had too many posts
>on basketball. Where has everyone gone now the playoffs are here ?

beats me!



>I have not been very impressed with Channel 10 since they dropped the live
>coverage because it makes it very hard to catch the away games.


>Anyway, what I would like to hear is anyone's opinions of Channel 10's
>coverage or lack thereof of the playoffs. In Sydney, they showed 
>highlights of the Magic vs the Cannons (game 2) on Sunday afternoon which
>I doubt was of much interest to Sydney viewers and the Kings vs the Bullets
>at 11pm. What made it worse was that I usually don't want to know the result
>before I watch the game and they gave the result on the news update directly
>before the game was shown. Fortunately, I already knew the result this time
>otherwise I would be even more annoyed.

channel 10's coverage hasn't be all that great this year. i still prefer
channel 7 however, channel ten in perth has put in a mighty effort. at
least now we get more basketball on tv. before in perth, in 1991,
channel seven here had the weekly perth game, a game of the week on
about 11:45pm on sunday nights and a program called cat's corner which
went for half an hour where channel seven did something like basketball
extra but totally perth oriented.

you must credit channel 10 for creating basketball extra, tho' its a bit
of a pro-sydney king program. i still wonder why they base the show in
sydney where there ratings are 2, where as in perth they are 9 for poor
games and up to 24 for great games. at least ten will get the ratings
with a perth program. anyway, you must understand ten's position. i feel
sorry for everybody in the eastern states now not having a live coverage
and its a pity for the nbl. but commercial television is a business and
when you are not making profits or getting ratings the show goes, its as
simple as that. but i still think channel ten you stick by its informal
agreement to cover live games for the rest of this year.

in perth we have had live coverages since 1987 or 1988 i think, the
success of a team is very important. there is lots of hype in perth with
the wildcats, in 1987 we got to the grand final, 1988 semis, 1989, semis
and 1990,1991 champions, probably why the ratings are so high with a
successful team. channel 10 has marketed the game very well, it just
seems that people just don't watch basketball or something. i just can't
think why the ratings would be so low. maybe a more slick presentation
would be good. i know melbourne has probably the best commentators, with
stephen quartermain (hosted rebound 1991), bill palmer (gen. manag),
dean templeton (ex-coach, player in nbl) and they know what they are
talking about. perth has got to have the worst commentating and
presenters in australia. i have written to ten in perth twice, and they
have kindly replied my letter, usually 2 weeks later, they say thank you
for your comments, the appropriate people have been advised of your
opinions and we thank you for having opinions from our viewing audience.

but still!, argh, in perth we have peter ensel (argh!) the worst
commentator in the world, ensell is so poor its ridiculous, he doesnt
understand the game at all.

such as

*ricky grace makes a pass to crawford, and shoots but misses, ensell
says ' and what a great assist by grace ' but crawford missed, is that
an assist?

*torrance gets a swisher straight in the net, but ensell calls it a bank
shot!

*its the first time i heard the wais breakers winning the WANBL whatever
that is!, maybe its the wnbl!

*and loads more

its ridiculous, but john gardiner makes up, at least he corrects
ensell,...sometimes, gardiner is an ex dual olympic basketballer for
australia, has coach the wildcats before and is a state league coach
now, so at least he knows what he is talking about. but i can tell you
the side-line commentator in perth is really bad, he likes the
one-liners, and people laugh at him, not with him. he is so tall its
ridiculous, but still doesn't know a thing about basketball, at least
the brisbane at perth game, we had brett ceccins, who is an ex-wildcat
player on the side-lines. 

i can tell you this, when ricky grace had a leg injury during this
season, we played a charity match with the sydney kings in perth (92-93
loss by perth), i can tell you when ricky grace retires, he should
become a commentator or basketball host, when he commentated for that
gaame, he talked the socks off ensell, i don't think ensell even got a
word in except 'hello and welcome' and 'goodbye, don't forget basketball
extra on saturday arvo , bye!' 




>How to other people feel ? Anybody else have any opinions ? I am considering
>writing to them with my thoughts and other opinions (with your permission) 
>would be helpful.

good idea. see above.


>Thanks

>--
>Matthew Jackson                       | Computing Officer
>M.Jackson@unsw.edu.au                 | School of Banking and Finance
>61-2-697-3553                         | University of New South Wales
>                                      | Sydney, Australia
no probs

bryan

blip@tartarus.uwa.edu.au
Newsgroups: aus.sport