Few of us could think of a better occupation than being paid to watch football. What could be easier than sitting at the end of a microphone and occasionally providing the listening public with a brief overview of the game? I thought the same until BBC WM bravely sent me to cover the Blues towards the dramatic end of last season.
I had received training with the BBC WM reporters and been educated in the rights and wrongs of broadcasting match reports. The playback and feedback on my early attempts were quite frightening. An example was the 4-2 away defeat to
First stop around
At St Andrews BBC WM have their own seat and telephone point. The next seat along is reserved for the BBC reporter from the opposition and there is the ritual exchange of information. The distribution of the team sheets creates frantic activity as the formations are worked out and the news broadcast to the listeners. BBC WM are only entitled to broadcast four times per half including goal updates and a half time and full time report. This can be restrictive, as the studio producer has to be careful to judge requests for reports. A flurry of goals can cause problems. The worst problem for a fledgling reporter is the late goal that leads to a desperate rewrite of the half-time/ full time report. A last minute strike can totally change the dreary 0-0 unsatisfactory draw into a fantastic, wonderful victory. The difficult thing is also to try and remain impartial. The studio producer was unimpressed when I started screaming ‘goal’ down the microphone and my rendition of ‘Keep Right On’ was karaoke hell.
At the post match press conference the victorious manager is smiling, upbeat and happy whereas the beaten boss is sullen, scowling and reluctant to be pressed by inquisitive journalists. Steve Bruce is always refreshingly honest and prepared to wait and answer all the questions fired at him.
Then it’s time to pack up all the equipment, gather the crumpled bits of paper and head back to the studio. The digital tape with the interviews is downloaded for use in news bulletins and finally it’s time to head home.
I would love to be reporting on today’s match but, probably quite rightly, I will be on the Tilton in Row 36 screaming and shouting for the Blues with words not fit for broadcasting before the watershed. Apologies now to everyone sitting around me!
Article reproduced with kind permission of the BCFC official matchday programme.