Vent -BBC and Glastonbury!

Manxman_in_exile

Why on earth has the BBC had virtually blanket coverage of Glastonbury on three Freeview channels since about 6 o'clock!


It's Saturday and I want to watch a Scandi-noir (not Welsh or Canada-noir either) on BBC4. I'm reduced to watching Sky News (better than BBC though).


I was a punk in the late 70s and can't remember the BBC giving such coverage to that genre apart from the occasional session on OGWT once a week.


Why oh why does Glastonbury get such coverage when most of the acts are rubbish!


Is it because it's now part of the "establishment"?

Manxman_in_exile

It's now leaked onto Sky News!


They're now discussing Jeremy Corbyn's "gig" on the main stage! Aaargh! (And I quite like him, but not on Saturday night when I want to be reading subtitles!)


Early night I suppose...

pmduk

There are countless other channels to watch. It's one of the few major festivals to get much coverage - not that I watch it myself.

vikingaero

Manxman_in_exile wrote: »

Why oh why does Glastonbury get such coverage when most of the acts are rubbish!

The Beeb have to screen Glasto on multi-channels or there would never be justification for them sending 250+ reporters and crew.

Add in the left-wing bias of the Beeb and Corbynmania and the heads of programming are in orgasm heaven.

p00hsticks

Just wait until Wimbledon starts - a few hours of Glastonbury will then pale into insignificance...

p00hsticks

Manxman_in_exile wrote: »

I was a punk in the late 70s and can't remember the BBC giving such coverage to that genre apart from the occasional session on OGWT once a week.

Well, there weren't really any festivals on the scale of Glastonbury around in those days, and BBC outside broadcasting was far more primitive. Reading festival had a few punk bands at the time, but the audience was as far as I can remember only about 20,000 people (I attended it for many years from the late 70's)

I personally don't watch Glastonbury, but am aware that it sells out of 140k+ tickets within minutes even though people don't know who's playing at the point at which they buy them, and demand far outstrips supply.

I think you could therefore argue that it is probably the most significant/important modern music event that takes place in this country and therefore justfies coverage by the BBC. I'm guessing they may also make money by selling coverage abroad - I imagine that many in other countries would also find it of interest.

neilmcl

I'd rather the BBC show Glastonbury than the recent hours and hours of coverage regarding elections, brexit etc.

photome

Enjoying some of Glastonbury myself, don't get the Foo Fighters though

Nilrem

vikingaero wrote: »

The Beeb have to screen Glasto on multi-channels or there would never be justification for them sending 250+ reporters and crew.
.

Or they realise that people are interested in the music and there is a lot of different music/events going on simultaneously;) (IIRC the number of staff actually at Glastonbury at any one time is a lot less than the 250 or however many needed for full set up*).

It's probably the biggest and most iconic music festival in the UK, and one of the biggest/best known in the world, with stuff for all tastes so it gets coverage.

It also works out very cheap per hour of content given the low staffing number vs hours of content


*I think it's something like a few dozen actual staff during the broadcast stage, most of the staff sent are there for limited periods during the setup (the electricians etc).

Gers

p00hsticks wrote: »

Just wait until Wimbledon starts - a few hours of Glastonbury will then pale into insignificance...

I have no interest in tennis so the coverage is a PITA - but the broadcasting services are not only aimed at me! Same with snooker, football, rugby etc.

Snooker once 'spoilt' my convalescence from my appendectomy. Still seething about it.

Manxman_in_exile

p00hsticks wrote: »

Just wait until Wimbledon starts - a few hours of Glastonbury will then pale into insignificance...

I'm praying for wall to wall coverage of Wimbledon. I like it (even without subtitles). Apparently there are "countless other channels" if you don't like tennis.