BBC Coverage

[William of Walworth]

The coverage is bad, I think we can all agree.

But do we think its better than nothing at all - how suitable is a massive sprawling epic events like Glasto for mass broadcasting anyway? It'll always be a bit poo, because, unlike us, the viewers at home are unable to dive into the Croissant Neuf at a moment's notice.

[Lazlo Steel]

Just a thought here.

Maybe the BBC are catering to a different audience than the actual festival goers?

Let's be honest, a large majority of the people who want to know about the Glastonbury spirit and experience will already be going. And I think it would be near-impossible to convey these things on television anyway.

This leaves the people at home who for one reason or another aren't going to Glastonbury. Maybe they have chosen to go to Reading or V this year because they aren't really that bothered about the 'festival' side of things and are just into the music? Isn't the BBC just giving these people what they want?

I personally hate a lot of the BBC's coverage of the festival. I can't stand a lot of the presenters, and I get really infuriated by seeing the same performers (and sometimes the same song) countless times over the weekend. That said, I think it is a very difficult event to try and cover and showing performances from the main stages is probably their safest bet.

BBC4 is really good for performances from the Jazz stage though!

[Wooderson]

Just a thought here.

Maybe the BBC are catering to a different audience than the actual festival goers?

Let's be honest, a large majority of the people who want to know about the Glastonbury spirit and experience will already be going. And I think it would be near-impossible to convey these things on television anyway.

This leaves the people at home who for one reason or another aren't going to Glastonbury. Maybe they have chosen to go to Reading or V this year because they aren't really that bothered about the 'festival' side of things and are just into the music? Isn't the BBC just giving these people what they want?

I personally hate a lot of the BBC's coverage of the festival. I can't stand a lot of the presenters, and I get really infuriated by seeing the same performers (and sometimes the same song) countless times over the weekend. That said, I think it is a very difficult event to try and cover and showing performances from the main stages is probably their safest bet.

BBC4 is really good for performances from the Jazz stage though!

[William of Walworth]

Just a thought here.

Maybe the BBC are catering to a different audience than the actual festival goers?

Let's be honest, a large majority of the people who want to know about the Glastonbury spirit and experience will already be going. And I think it would be near-impossible to convey these things on television anyway.

This leaves the people at home who for one reason or another aren't going to Glastonbury. Maybe they have chosen to go to Reading or V this year because they aren't really that bothered about the 'festival' side of things and are just into the music? Isn't the BBC just giving these people what they want?

I personally hate a lot of the BBC's coverage of the festival. I can't stand a lot of the presenters, and I get really infuriated by seeing the same performers (and sometimes the same song) countless times over the weekend. That said, I think it is a very difficult event to try and cover and showing performances from the main stages is probably their safest bet.

BBC4 is really good for performances from the Jazz stage though!

[beergut100]

I have an almost irrational hatred of Lauren Laverne. Once someone points out how f**king irritating the woman is, it's hard not to develop this same loathing!

She remarked several times how wonderful Amy Winehouse's "performance" was last year for f**k's sake!

But, despite the fact that she clearly knows nowt, she thinks she is an authority on music. She even used to try and lord it over John Peel with her "knowledge" of music (which is based on what she perceives as cool that week!)

And I'm a Northener, but I hate her affected ee-by-gum accent. And she was in the terrible band Kenickie.

[Felna]

At least it isn't as bad as ITVs coverage of the IW Festival last year!

[Chazeboy]

but channel 4's coverage then and now would be wildly different, Channel 4 would be exactly the same as BBC coverage, maybe even worse, with ting tings etc...

very much doubt you get any jazz world, unless it was AMY

[Pinhead]

Yeah, they should get Mark back doing it, 1995's coverage on C4 was what got me into Glasto in the first place, and was awesome. They were off over the greenfields the whole time, even the tracking shots during bands were from there, the co-presenter (forget her name) was clearly stoned a fair bit, and the whole thing captured the real festival. Remember seeing the Rinky Dink getting a good 5 minutes of interview in a serious yet jovial way at one point.

The BBC coverage though seems to be designed to make out that glastonbury is just another festival where you go to see big name bands. I do wonder if it in part is responsible for the change in the people going there nowadays, and their focus on who's playing rather than on the parts of the festival that make it different from all the others.

Zane Low is unspeakably, insufferably bad. Bring back the Jools Holland backstage performance area!

[Chazeboy]

Could not agree more. Have some of the CH4 1994 coverage and all the 1995 and although arguably a bit amateurish looking by todays standards, was far less pretentious and visibly motivated some underlying predetermined PR framework. Far more time spent outside - well, they didn't even have a compound as such in those days, let alone a huge domineering glass lookout tower at the side of the Pyramid to watch over all us proles.

And yes, Lowe is a total tool.

Good point about the audience the coverage is intended for, though they must realise those going to the festival will want to watch it upon their return as well.

" . . . the BBC now buy the equipment and resources back for all "their" events with the addition of a an "encouragement" from the government to "reduce BBC costs".

Yep, up to their old con tricks again!

At the end of the day, the BBC have their Corporate PR rulebook to follow making it safer to wheel out Willey every year with the same old tired and smug anecdotes, and her unwavering attention for the latest 'it' band. After all, heaven knows what would happen if something 'unpredictable and controversial' was to happen whilst outside the backstage compound filming some other part of the festival. Perhaps it is time to give CH4 a share of the license fee . . .

Edited May 14, 2009 by Chazeboy

[Pinhead]

Heh, yeah - or maybe yet another pre-prepared piss-taking montage of greenfield clips introduced as the Glastonbury 'hippy mayhem and weirdness'. <facepalm>

[Storm_NL]

Well at least one of those three acts will be on tv. I won't be surprised if all three.

[pedmills]

The Ting Tings would be the obvious choice.

I can hardly see them bothering with the Queen's Head on the Thursday though.

[5co77ie]

dont you think it would be miquita oliver and steve jones going..."heres the ting tings" and "ok heres a piece from a far flung stage, the jazz world stage"

edit

not saying this is there opinion, but majority of coverage would go out on T4 and possibly E4 late at night, but they couldnt risk alienating there core audience So they would be having exactly the same bands that the bbc play

[LusciousLucy]

Glasto 94...wasnt allowed to go...blame the mother ...watched every single second of it on tv tho (and then again and again until I lost the 6 videos about 8 years ago ) and although obviously I wasnt there, the coverage was so good it felt as if you could have been there cos the coverage was so across the board you got a feel for so much of it...even Macca's daughter Stella and friend being featured as the Glasto virgins was cool. It was so raw and engrossing...Keith Allen on his food mission is particularly funny! It's party HIS fault silly festival hats got so big I reckon!

But these days, the coverage is so main stagecentric, so pompous and self centred with barely any features on the rest of the fest...dont waste your time watching the footage cos you wont get a feel for the fest at all...just make sure you get a ticket in future and experience it all for yourself.

Didnt go in 05 and actually watched it on tv...but had the luxury of having 2 tvs in front of me so I had BBC 1+2 on one tv and BBC3 on the 2nd! The comfort of playing god over whether I wanted to watch Coldplay or Razorlight...both in the warmth and dryness of my own living room (whilst receiving whingy cold and miserable texts from chums on sight was a sneaky pleasure)...well the warmth was...having either of those bands as the only choice on telly wasnt much of a reward!

Edited May 14, 2009 by LusciousLucy

[G1T]

Glad people agree, thought i might have been flamed by people who like Zane Lowe. Statistically speaking there must be some.

I lost my Glasto '95 videos about 10 years ago, and have been hunting for some ever since, if anyone's up for burning them onto DVD or the like, well, get in touch!

There's bits on Youtube though, Page and Plant doing 'In the evening' is the one that sticks in my mind as some really well done filming on C4's part, but that doesn't seem to be on there anymore. This one from the same set isn't too bad though.

[Brock Landers]

Why do people think Ch4 would be any better?. 1995 was 14 years ago. Ch4 have changed beyond recognition in their reporting of music since then.

[Storm_NL]

Why do people think Ch4 would be any better?. 1995 was 14 years ago. Ch4 have changed beyond recognition in their reporting of music since then.

[Kowalski]

and they will only show what is on at pyramid and other stage

[Kowalski]

I can't believe folk want Channel 4. Their coverage of Rockness last year was absolutely abysmal.

[Kyelo]

I can't believe folk want Channel 4. Their coverage of Rockness last year was absolutely abysmal.

[Storm_NL]

I think the coverage is excellent, showing a wide range of artists.

[dj267]

While obviously this as much a hypothetical disscussion as anything else, Eavis has spoke quite fondly of the BBC in recent months, so I wouldn;t go hoping for any of these changes anytime soon.

I think the BBC have the structure in place for absolutely banging coverage; the way that the viewer at home can zoom in and out of various different sets, and keep an eye on different stages at once. The problem being, as many have already said, that these excellent facilitites are not put to the best use. Fine, I understand that the Pyramid and the Other are the two big stages, and need to be covered, but why then add the John Peel to that as their major area, when its so similar to what the Other plays? How difficult can it actually be to get a couple of DIY makeshift cameras into the Park, or the Jazzworld?

As far as covering the aspects of the festival that aren't music goers, I think they pretty much have the right idea, which is to leave it the F**k alone. How can they ever convey that enjoyably? Stick to the music, and within that category be as diverse as possible.

[Storm_NL]

As far as covering the aspects of the festival that aren't music goers, I think they pretty much have the right idea, which is to leave it the F**k alone. How can they ever convey that enjoyably? Stick to the music, and within that category be as diverse as possible.

[Kyelo]

It's like trying to describe Glastonbury to somebody who hasn't been. It just doesn't work, it is just another festival to them.

Whether BBC/C4 could/would try to convey what is special about Glastonbury is very unlikely, it is only the people who have been to Glastonbury who would want to see that. The average Joe wants to see the acts and mainly the bigger ones at that, just like the other big festivals.

[Lazlo Steel]

Channel 4's coverage of V Festival last year was just as bad, if not worse, than the BBC's coverage of Glastonbury.

I would have no confidence in them discovering the magic touch that made their early to mid-nineties coverage so enjoyable.

Channel 4 is now just another commercial station chasing viewers. Gone are the days when irt was a genuinely forward-thinking station.

Plus they cancelled The White Room (the older, cooler brother of Later...), and I will hold that against them forever.