Thanks to all of you who have already responded to our survey. It's going to really help. Since I don't have a lot of time tonight, I'm going to quickly respond to some of the more interesting issues raised by fans in their comments at the end of the survey form. I've paraphrased the comments.
Why does the time clock in the corner sometimes go up and sometimes down?
Well, what we see here in North America is taken directly from the source networks in Oz. There are three of them: Nine, Ten, and Foxtel. Each have their own way of presenting things. A good analogy would be the differences between FOX, ABC, and CBS coverage of American football.
Bring back Seven network's coverage.
Well, not much we can do about that one. We just have to wait until 2006 and see who wins the next domestic AFL TV contract in Australia.
I live in "suspended footy land" and wish your web site home page didn't tell us the results of last weeks matches. That way the programs would keep their suspense.
Well, you must be looking at another web site. I went to our home page and I'll be darned if I can see where it tells you the results of last weekends matches. We have links to those results but not the results. We are probably the only major footy web site that doesn't put up the results on our home page. If I'm wrong, someone point it out and correct me.
I've been counting this year and so far Collingwood has been shown "X" times...
Fear not, AFANA tracks the "featured clubs" in the two programs week by week and has for some years now. We do it for you. If you check my blog from several days ago, you'll know how I feel about the match selection. You can be sure we'll raise the issue with the AFL after the season is over.
We should have live video coverage over the 'net. The technology exists to limit that to outside Australia.
Unfortunately that "technology" is imperfect and can be defeated by "anonymizer" web sites and programs. Even if it was perfect, it's not likely to happen for several reasons. First is bandwidth. It would be extraordinarily bandwidth intensive and given that the AFL & Telstra can't get 24 hour delayed coverage right I won't place money on whether they could do live coverage. Another problem is that the foreign broadcasters would be very unhappy. It hurts their audience numbers. AFL Films has already indicated the current Telstra audio/video package has caused them problems with the networks outside Australia. It will happen eventually when the potential revenue exceeds the probable loss of foreign coverage.
Why can't FOX Sports World put some footy information on their web site?
Now there's a million dollar question. I have no good reason why in the six years it has been on World they haven't been able to add one iota of Aussie rules news. It reinforces the appearance of just how much they don't like the sport. I'm sure Fox Sports Australia would work with them on it. Hey, AFANA offered to work with them on it and has been ignored. Hey FSWorld management: the offer still stands.
Why isn't Foster's advertising on the programs, after all they are the named sponsor?
As I understand it... Foster's, having achieved market surpremacy among foreign brands in the US beer market, have shifted their advertising dollars and effort elsewhere this year. But you'll really have to ask them. Believe me when the replacement adverts are for "We Are Just 18" dial a porn services it makes them look bad.
Most of the fans are of Aussie background, so they probably don't agree with me.
Buzzzzzz. Nope, not any more. I believe the survey will confirm that over half of the serious audience of the programs here is now US or Canadian born. I estimate the number is probably around 70% but our survey will likely be under that due to the demographics of those who actually respond.
I wish the programs were in HDTV or widescreen. I heard they are filmed in widescreen.
The latter is correct and is why there is vertical and horizontal distortion in the programs when the go to air in the US and Canada. So far as I know they aren't in HDTV per se, but they are increasingly in high res digital. We'll get that when the majority of the networks here are that way. Give it five years.
That's all for today.
-Rob
AFANA Chairman (who is going to bed now!)
As noted at the end of the previous blog, AFANA has a survey of footy fans in the USA and Canada underway at the moment: http://www.afana.com/phpESP/public/survey.php?name=tv2003 If you haven't taken the survey yet and you live in the US or Canada at present, do it as soon as you finish reading this blog.
One of the most important goals of the survey is to find out how fans across the continent view the telecasts. The results won't be scientific but will be the first significant opinion summary we've had in a few years and will shape what AFANA has to say to the AFL after the season ends. It will also help us set our goals as an organization and tell us a bit about who the typical footy fan is these days.
I'm sure that some of my ideas about what fans want will be proven wrong. So be it. I'd rather know the reality in this case than have my personal biases vindicated. I'm also very sure that whatever the AFL and AFL Films thinks will also be proven to be off the mark in some way. That's worth the time and effort by itself. Facts are better than opinions.
Already, a day and a bit in, it's obvious that AFANA needs to explain some things about the situation that fans just may not be aware of. To that end, we will be answering some "frequently asked questions" after the season along with publishing a summary of the survey. Between now and then, we will answer any comments made in the survey to those who provide their e-mail address and I'll be answering a few things here.
One issue that comes up repeatedly is why footy is not on ESPN. There are several answers to that but lets take my time machine back to 1996 and 1997 when last they carried our sport.
In 1996, after a five month campaign by fans, footy finally got underway in early June with a month delayed Round 5. The time slots made FOX Sports World look awesome. We got only the highlights and usually at 4:00 AM EDT or so on ESPN2. They just about caught up as we neared the Grand Final. However, they declined to carry the Grand Final. Not live, not at all. So, the AFL having tried all of the other networks available at the time, turned to AFANA and the Australian American Chamber of Commerce of SoCal just 8 days prior to the Grand Final. And it was AFANA & the AACC that arranged the satellite feed and sold the telecast to every US and Canadian party and home viewer.
The following season the schedule settled down some and improved a bit to Thursday or Friday afternoons usually about 3:00 PM EDT. Highlights only again, and on ESPN2 (then in under 10% of American homes). All season, AFANA repeatedly checked with ESPN's programming dept. to verify their plans for the Grand Final. We were told, right up to three days before the GF, that it would be live on ESPN2 and not to worry. We and the AFL were deliberately mislead by their management. Less than 30 hours before the telecast we suddenly discovered via a wire service notice that it would be tape delayed 90 minutes and shortened. We (and the AFL) were stunned and furious. The next day fans all but shut down the ESPN phone and fax lines, but to no avail. (Those in the TV business still talk about that incident to this day.) The result was that the footy got underway at 1:35 AM on the east coast. Following the season, the AFL and AFANA immediately sought a new home for footy. That lead us to the new FOX Sports World network the following year.
It's easy to wax poetic about how well footy got treated in the early days of ESPN. Even ESPN talks at great length about it in their 20th Anniversary special. But the ESPN of 1980 is gone. Then ESPN was a crazy idea about a 24 hour satellite distributed sports network. Most in the TV and media business made fun of them and waited for them to fail. When your other live programming is women's field hockey, footy is a gold mine. Today they are part of a huge media conglomerate, dominate sports rights to the major American sports, and have multiple 24 hour networks.
If footy returned to ESPN today, it would likely be stuck in the same time slots as in 1997. Almost everything ESPN shows today falls into one of two categories: it's a major US sport OR they own a piece of the action. (You may not know this but ESPN owns BASS fishing and X-Games, for example.) The Grand Final wouldn't be live because they have guaranteed Major League Baseball two or more live games during the last weekend of September.
Sure, I'd like to see footy get the exposure it had during 1980-1987 on ESPN. It's why I'm a fan today. But you can't go back in time. Alas, my time machine doesn't exist.
-Rob
AFANA Chairman (who pines for the olden days...)
The schedule around AFANA headquarters this time of year is driven by the approach of finals and the need to keep to the time line for getting out our newsletters and updating the web site. Tomorrow means another TV & Media newsletter has to go out so we scramble to double check the TV schedules for any last minute changes and make sure any news items get in. Meanwhile the webmaster works on getting reports posted and Grand Final parties listed.
This works smoothly for me ... most of the time. But this week my daughter is with her mother. Friday evening, she comes to stay with Daddy for an extended visit. Dispense with all schedules next week. It is simply impossible to explain to any four year old about schedules. To her, next week might as well be two months from now and next year is oh, another 25% of her life.
None of this will come as news to anyone who has been a parent or caregiver for a young child. So next week, I will be working during all those odd times when I can get a few minutes here or there. And pray that along the way, the TV networks don't rewrite the schedule completely. Or suddenly substitute curling for footy at the last minute. Or 10 party announcements don't arrive twenty minutes before deadline.
Next week if I don't happen to post here for a few days you know where I'll be. Chasing Amanda around. And around... and ...
Arrivederci,
-Rob
AFANA Chairman, Schedule Master, and Parent
P.S. AFANA now has a survey of footy fans up on our site. We want to know what you think of the TV coverage of the AFL in the US and Canada. Just go to this link and give us your 2 cents: http://www.afana.com/phpESP/public/survey.php?name=tv2003
Tomorrow I'll have some comments on the future of US / Canada TV coverage.
Every once in a while, someone gets up the gumption to e-mail me and ask me just which AFL club I follow. As chairman of AFANA, I try very hard to be impartial when it comes to "company" business. After all, we represent fans of every footy club, cover 2 countries in detail [the web reaches the entire planet however], and have to deal with the AFL and all 16 clubs at one time or another.
For the record, I am a charter member of the West Coast Home Supporters and have followed the Weagles (as Tim Murphy refers to them) since they entered the AFL in the late 80's. Before that, I really moved between several clubs without really having a clear favorite. Although I have been to Perth and the headquarters of the Eagles and to Melbourne several times, I have never actually seen them play in person. Bad luck I guess. :-( Never at the right place at the right time. (I have seen other AFL matches including a Grand Final.)
Among AFANA's members, volunteers, and contributors we have supporters of Collingwood, Essendon, Carlton, North Melbourne, Hawthorn, and on and on. In spite of that, we all get along fairly well, I might add. What we all share is passion for a sport. For some of us, a sport we have only glimpsed on television, maybe never seen in person. Living 14 or more hours by air from it's home, you only do this if it really matters to you. That's what has made AFANA a success. And what will continue to make us a bigger success in years to come.
-Rob
AFANA Chairman and father of a 4 year old. More on that later...
Overnight AFANA received and posted the featured matches for the Round 22 telecasts. The highlights program will feature Essendon v Collingwood. There is no arguing this is a traditional rivalry or that it has major implications for the order of the clubs in the final 8. On those counts, we can't be surprised that it was chosen as the featured match. (West Coast v Fremantle will be featured in the Match of the Week.)
What is arguable is just how many times this season do fans of the other 14 clubs have to watch Collingwood and Essendon?
Thru Round 22 it will have been 12 appearances for the Woods and 11 for the Bombers between the two programs. So, you've watched at least one of them just about every week this season. And the finals are yet to come. Last season the two appeared 27 times combined including finals. Enough is enough.
AFANA has raised the issue of imbalanced coverage with the AFL and AFL Films (previously known as Vuecast) over and over again since we were first formed back in 1996. Yes, the "over-exposed" clubs have shifted a bit over time but fundamentally it is still the same problem.
AFL Films has some very good reasons why some imbalance occurs. And I don't think for one minute there is any "conspiracy" to favor some clubs over another. But as I've said elsewhere, "if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's probably a duck". In other words, bias is occurring de-facto whether or not it is intended.
When this season concludes, AFANA will again forward to the AFL and AFL Films our critique of the past season. It will again make the point that this problem has to be rectified. The question is whether it will fall on deaf ears or whether real change will take place. Time will tell.
-Rob de Santos
AFANA Chairman and Handyman
Since this is the first time out I figured to share my recent thoughts on working with the AFL and the TV Networks.
Over the past seven years I've obtained a whole new perspective on what it's like to try to work with major sporting and media organizations on a regular basis. Particularly for a small group like AFANA. Recently, two particular situations illustrated the on-going struggles we face representing footy fans.
In the first case there is a certain TV network that carries footy around these parts. We've spent an entire season begging them directly and thru the AFL for copies of their TV schedules every week -- just as we've received them every previous season and from every other network. (You'd think a TV network would WANT the audience to know when various programs are on but you'd be wrong... ). They have consistently refused to cooperate. We did manage, with some begging and groveling, to get a summary of the September schedules, in advance, from their management. The AFL has been of little help, mostly because they fear that pressuring this network would jeopardize coverage. That the AFL should be getting the schedule information themselves and be able to share it however they see fit seems to be lost on the folks at Telstra Dome.
On the other hand, AFANA has been long seeking a photographic journalist to supplement the web site with pictures and to work with our other reporters down in Australia. (Yes, we actually have officially credentialed reporters at many AFL matches now!) We found a suitable and professional photographer to do this (after much searching over the years) and despite initial reservations, the AFL Media office has worked with us and it looks like we'll have someone taking photos at the finals in Adelaide at a minimum. Big thanks to the AFL.
So you see that sometimes things work well and other times, we just get that nagging feeling we are knocking our heads against a brick wall...
More next time,
Rob
(chairman of AFANA and whatever else needs done)
Technology marches on. We are finally adding RSS feeds and blogging to the AFANA web site. This is all a preview of the major redesign of the AFANA web site we are planning in the off season. (You know... those months of the year without footy).
Back to this blog though... I'm going to use this as a way to share my thoughts about Aussie rules, life, TV coverage, the AFL, cats, etc. with all of you. It will be relaxed, not formal, and provide another way to communicate. Other AFANAns may also add blogs to our site as we go along. This will be more personal, more editorial, and less official than the messages posted elsewhere and via newsletters, etc.
Feel free to add your comments in reply. I'm looking forward to your feedback.
-Rob