Abc Fights 2gb To Keep Hold Of An Olympic Tradition

The Age

Friday June 13, 2008

Dan Silkstone

ABC Radio does not have a broadcast deal in place to cover the Beijing Olympics, just weeks away from the opening ceremony, raising the prospect that a tradition of public broadcasting from the Games could be broken.

The public broadcaster, which has covered every Olympic Games since World War II, is locked in dispute with Sydney radio station 2GB, which owns the rights to the Games and wishes to on-sell them.

Macquarie Radio - which owns 2GB - is obliged to sell rights to a second carrier, capable of broadcasting the Games across regional Australia. Only the ABC fits that description.

But negotiations have stalled and it is possible that the Games will not be covered on the national carrier. ABC management refused to discuss the issues stalling negotiations last night.

Dispute has previously surrounded broadcasting of the Games into Sydney and Melbourne. Melbourne rights have been sold by Macquarie to radio station SEN and 2GB maintains the rights to broadcast into Sydney. The rights holder did not wish to dilute the value of its exclusive coverage into the two biggest cities by allowing the ABC to broadcast into them.

The ABC has in turn been reluctant to bear the costs of sending a broadcast team to Beijing for coverage that did not involve major cities. But ABC editor of radio sport Peter Longman said yesterday that the long-running issue had been addressed and was not the remaining sticking point.

"It's been a long process," Longman said yesterday. "Nothing has been signed as yet but we are hopeful of getting a deal done some time in the next few days. Until we sign the document we can't do much."

The August 8 opening ceremony is just 56 days away.

The difficulties have created uncertainty for ABC staff who are scheduled to be part of the broadcast team at the Games.

Commentators and support staff have been inoculated, had travel and accommodation booked and paid for and are expecting to attend the festival of sport. If the impasse is resolved, the ABC will send its smallest ever team to an Olympics. Previously around 25 staff have travelled to the Games; budgetary pressure will limit this year's team to 18.

"As far as I know we are going and we all hope this will be resolved," one staff member said last night.

But ABC sources confirmed the struggle to sign a rights agreement, that has been taking place for much of the year, is still not resolved. Some joked that negotiations to cover the 2012 London Olympics - under way - had been progressing faster than the talks for Beijing.

Commentators including Glenn Mitchell, Gerard Whately and Drew Morphett are part of the team hoping and expecting to broadcast from Beijing.

Longman would not say what the sticking points were. But said they related to technical details of the proposed contract and not the amount of money required by 2GB. "It's been much more complicated than previous Games," he said.

SEN presenter Mark Doran said Melbourne listeners did not need an ABC broadcast of the Games.

"SEN is fully committed and ready to broadcast," he said. "We are Melbourne's official Olympic station so people won't miss out on anything."

© 2008 The Age

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