Radio Devon Digital Radio

[Wilf Carters Boots]

There are some really ill-informed comments on this subject just now. Buck197 says if we don't appreciate that City vs Yeovil was the stand out fixture last night then we must be somewhere in the region of our rectal areas....well I know where his head is and for his info City were away at Dagenham last night...they played Yeovil last Saturday...do keep up!
HC Green sarcastically suggests that perhaps the BBC thought anyone interested in Argyle would be at Home Park last night. Well firstly they certainly didn't think City fans would be at St. Aimless last Saturday when they covered their match countywide while Argyle were at Wimbledon and secondly as I had shelled out for the Gills and Pompey games I had to give Carlisle a miss for financial reasons and it would have been nice to listen to our commentary but I relied on the ever reliable pasoti match thread instead....oh and I have followed The Greens at Home Park regularly since Jack Chisholm was team captain (If you know who he is HC) so I don't need any lectures about turning up at the ground thanks.
As reliable as ever, LC turns up and claims that us BBC complainers are just whinging straw chewers who should be thankful we don't live in the great metropolis where if you support any team below the level of Palace, well you just don't exist as far as BBC local radio is concerned....he doesn't want to be blunt about it of course.

However, I will have my moan and it is this...and please try and take it on board even if you have your heads somewhere else.....BBC Radio Devon has DAB countywide and a countywide FM frequency. They also have 990 mtrs mw which covers Exeter, East Devon and certainly down as far as Ivybridge because we tested it last Tuesday and Saturday in the car on the way back from Argyle...We even got some reception in Milehouse Road. BBC also have 1485mtrs mw for Torbay and 880mtrs mw for North Devon. It has 95.7mtrs FM in Plymouth but no medium wave for Plymouth (although they used to years ago). Now then...when Argyle do not qualify for being BBC's 'Match of the Day' one can only get commentary for Argyle on 95.7FM in Plymouth...nowhere else radio-wise!! However, when Exeter are not the match of the day you can still get commentary on Exeter City matches on 990mtrs mw in Exeter and East Devon down as far as Ivybridge and even some signal in Milehouse Road not to mention Exeter and East Devon and Mid Devon's FM frequency and of course when they are match of the day you can also get the commentary on DAB and countywide FM for good measure....how well served those thousands upon thousands of City fans are!!!? That is my beef, people. If you are a poor, miserable and obviously just one of a few Argyle fans sprinkled around the county outside of Plymouth well tough titty according to BBC Radio Devon.

In fairness, Swim With The Tide and Katkin have made gentle nudges about the value of Argyle Player and I accept that but it is another financial consideration for the likes of me. I cannot, however, understand the thinking behind BBC Radio Devon when it comes to their football coverage when it's actions seem to suggest that Exeter City, that traditional hotbed of football support has to be catered for at all costs....especially at the expense of Argyle fans.

 

[Lundan Cabbie]

Words put in my mouth once again.

The important bit was that BBC Radio Devon have said that they can't split their county wide service anymore. That means that both FM county wide and DAB are going to be the same. Why, we don't know. Is it a cost cutting exercise? We don't know. One thing we do know is that they have made an exception in and around Plymouth. I know that's no consolation to those beyond Ivybridge but believe me, if more cost cutting is needed in future, even that could eventually be in jeopody. Sparksy once told me that the biggest budget at BBC Radio Devon is football. Maybe this is the sacrifice, cuts to the football budget which were inevitable in order to bring the likes of Simon Bates and Bill Buckley to the station.

Argyle Player is great value though. You can subscribe from as little as 75p per week and not only get Argyle commentaries but mostly all FL games as well as highlights of all FL games aas well as most cup games.

 

[GreenThing]

The important bit was that BBC Radio Devon have said that they can't split their county wide service anymore.

That's not correct.

Unfortunately changes to our frequencies over the summer have meant that we have had to make alterations to the service we provide on a Saturday afternoon as we are no longer able to split our DAB service, which just used to carry Argyle games, away from our Countywide FM programme.

DAB cannot be split from the countywide broadcast, but FM can (hence Argyle being featured on the Plymouth FM channel). There are enough FM and AM channels that Radio Devon are allocated to be able to transmit both Argyle and Exeter matches throughout most of the county.

 

[legend]

The vast majority of the costs involved would be having a commentator (Gordon Sparks) and a sidekick at the ground and the production team involved getting it onto the airwaves.

The costs involved in getting it onto different wavelengths within their organisation would be minimal, probably telling a computer programme that they want so and so to be aired on DAB, 801m and 95.7 FM and not 990m or visa versa. It wouldn't be rocket science.

There's more to this than meets the eye in my opinion, possibly a strong Excretia fan high up in the Radio Devon decision making ranks I should imagine.

 

[pilgrimmike1]

The vast majority of the costs involved would be having a commentator (Gordon Sparks) and a sidekick at the ground and the production team involved getting it onto the airwaves.

The costs involved in getting it onto different wavelengths within their organisation would be minimal, probably telling a computer programme that they want so and so to be aired on DAB, 801m and 95.7 FM and not 990m or visa versa. It wouldn't be rocket science.

There's more to this than meets the eye in my opinion, possibly a strong Excretia fan high up in the Radio Devon decision making ranks I should imagine.

Now there's some conspiracy theory. :lol: You give six toes far to much credit.

 

[Wilf Carters Boots]

The vast majority of the costs involved would be having a commentator (Gordon Sparks) and a sidekick at the ground and the production team involved getting it onto the airwaves.

The costs involved in getting it onto different wavelengths within their organisation would be minimal, probably telling a computer programme that they want so and so to be aired on DAB, 801m and 95.7 FM and not 990m or visa versa. It wouldn't be rocket science.

There's more to this than meets the eye in my opinion, possibly a strong Excretia fan high up in the Radio Devon decision making ranks I should imagine.

Thank you Legend (and Green Thing) this is exactly what I have been banging on about. There is no good reason why fans of Argyle outside of Plymouth but within Devon should be denied coverage on one of the AM or FM channels when Exeter are deemed the 'match of the day' on DAB. Conspiracy or what???

 

[katkin]

I guess some people on here always have to complain about something!!

Its usually the manager or the team but as there seems to be little point in that after last night we best find something else to complain about.

BBC Radio Devon is for the whole of Devon. Sometimes you can hear Argyle countywide, sometimes you can't. Thank god there aren't more than 3 clubs in Devon to put on the radio.

 

[edengreen]

For Gods sake ! I pay my License fee in Doncaster and I cant get any of the commentary ! Sort it Out BBC, I cannot even get it via the Internet because of the stupid decision to sell the rights to the company who produces player !!

Sort it out BBC I can listen to the Golden hour every morning but not Argyle on a saturday !! :lol:

Maybe I should just move eh !!

 

[Norbert]

What is it with the people here that think we just want to moan and have chosen BBC Radio Devon to moan about?

I am Devon born and bred and have worked far and wide so don't think I don't know about the world past the Devon Dip or Bodmin Moor.

For years Argyle fans across Devon have been able to listen to Argyle on the Radio, even before DAB digital. This is what helped build the fan base amongst people who work around agricultural communities. These people work all day and all night and therefore don't get to watch the pitiful coverage of Argyle on TV. What they did get however was live Argyle commentary on the Radio whilst ploughing fields, shearing sheep or generally shovelling stuff. I know... I did this. We were brought up associating Devon football with Argyle.

When I worked in Plymouth it was a standing joke that they could tell I was not a Plymothian because I supported Argyle!

This may seem petty to some of you but Argyle have to maintain their fan base and radio is a fantastic medium for conveying the match atmosphere. How many people here have actually sat down and listened to a football match on the radio?

Those that mock us complaining need to get their heads out of their back sides as Argyle is being alienated... Even more kids will grow up associating a Manchester or London team as being 'theirs'.

The sad thing is the BBC decision makers simply do not understand their audience. And for those argyle fans here that seriously think a featured match of Exeter or Torquay is preferable than Argyle need their heads examined.

There is no way the football supporters base in Devon warrants Exeter getting more coverage than Argyle... And I have many city supporting friends. This is not sour grapes just plain commercial sense.

The BBC are now delivering a sub standard reduced service compared to what was delivered before.

Those of you like London Cabbie simply don't understand the mindset of people like me who were brought up in the bandit country away from those big cities like Plymouth and Holsworthy.

Many rural fans in North Devon are traditionally argyle supporters, are there really many City fans outside Exeter, Tiverton or Okehampton?

This is Devon. Just because other areas don't get commentary for teams outside the premiership doesn't mean we should not either.

But the reality is that BBC Radio Devon could not give a monkey's chuff about it's listeners, run by egotistical media luvvies who think they know what people like me want to listen to. Well they are wrong.

Argyle World... 75pence a day... What an argument that is. Completely fails to address the simple fact that not everyone has internet access yet! Geography and finance makes this difficult for some. Don't believe me! Then you go and speak to people who live in communities where there is 1 bus service a week if they are lucky.

 

[Tiverton Green]

I specifically bought my DAB many years ago for the Argyle commentary. Living in Tiverton this has been invaluable to me for those games I cannot always get to. Why are the rules changing this season?

I don't want to listen to Exeter on 2 frequencies at the same time (don't want to listen to them anytime)

Bring back my Argyle!

 

[Norbert]

Emma at Radio Devon is on leave so I have been unable to express my dismay at not hearing the fantastic 4:1 win last night.

But her Boss is at work...

mark.grinnell@bbc.co.uk

Emailed him instead... You should too

 

[katkin]

Yawn

Pick something better to moan about. It'll be the next headline - fans angry radio Devon stream local matches to the local cities and have a selection of the Devon clubs on county wide.

Get real people. And if the internet hasn't reached you yet you wouldn't be able to moan on here would you

 

[Lundan Cabbie]

During the war...... Palace fans formed their own radio station with supporters volunteering to man the studio and microphones and local sponsorship providing the finance. All the club was asked to provide for was the broadcasting licence and the space for a studio within the ground. Maybe it's time for Argyle Radio to be born. Sadly at Palace, the station was disbanded by the club this summer, refusing to support it anymore. Probably because there was no money in it for them. One of the downsides of being in the Premier League I'm afraid.

 

[Norbert]

Katkin it is time you get real

You clearly have no grasp of the role that a public service broadcaster had for remote communities

A lack of Argyle commentary is a massive hole in the social fabric of many people but they live in a world that you clearly have no understanding of

I am lucky as I have internet connection but not everyone does. Just because someone posts here does not mean they have not had to travel to someone with internet connection.

When I was a lad we were considered rich as we had a telephone. There were locals who were allocated a 30 min slot in the week when it was their turn to use the village call box. In this modern age the same applies to the net!

Your sarcasm simply demonstrates your contempt for us lowly yokels! I find that embarrassing and shameful. Don't poke fun at poverty.

 

[Keepitgreen]

During the war...... Palace fans formed their own radio station with supporters volunteering to man the studio and microphones and local sponsorship providing the finance. All the club was asked to provide for was the broadcasting licence and the space for a studio within the ground. Maybe it's time for Argyle Radio to be born. Sadly at Palace, the station was disbanded by the club this summer, refusing to support it anymore. Probably because there was no money in it for them. One of the downsides of being in the Premier League I'm afraid.

Radio Argyle - sounds good.