Fairfax astounded at last moment decision
With just hours to go till kick off in the NRL season, The League has let 4BC and the Fairfax Radio Network know that it’s offer to broadcast NRL matches on its 4BC station has been rejected.
4BC made it clear to the NRL, that although it had taken a feed of the 2GB call in the past, it was not prepared to do so in the future preferring to do its own call. See our earlier in-depth article (subscribers only) on NRL broadcast rights
At the top of his Drive show Gary Hardgrave told his 4BC listeners that their desire for a Queensland focused call of teams representing their state had been quashed after long, hard negotiations.
He said, “The Sydney based NRL has decided that we don’t know better. We here in Brisbane don’t deserve to determine our own destiny, they should determine it for us.”
Bringing in an extremely disappointed Sports Director, Peter Psaltis, (left) he and Hardgrave explained that they had made very big plans for their listeners and were ready to broadcast the Broncos vs Sea Eagles match tomorrow night from Suncorp Stadium but that Psaltis would now get the night off.
Later, 4BC issued a statement…
4BC DRIVE IGNITES OUTRAGE OVER NRL DECISION
For the first time in many decades, in 2013 News Talk 4BC will not be broadcasting Rugby League games into the Brisbane market.
4BC General Manager David McDonald says, “This announcement is a major blow to 4BC listeners.”
After many months of negotiations with the NRL, 4BC’s commitment to providing extensive local rugby league coverage to Brisbane listeners had been well advanced, with preparations to call tomorrow night’s Broncos match from Suncorp Stadium already in place.
“This year we committed extra resources to build a dedicated local broadcast team led by some of Queensland’s biggest names in the sport”, Mr McDonald said. “This is what our listeners wanted.
“Every year we receive numerous requests from fans to mount our own call, using local sporting identities to give it a Queensland flavour”, he said.
On the day of the season opening, 4BC is disappointed that the fans of NRL in Brisbane are missing out on the game coverage they could have had. It is a remarkable decision by the NRL.
4BC remains committed to delivering comprehensive sports coverage for Brisbane listeners seven days a week, and remains open to negotiations with the NRL. We love the game and we want our listeners to have a Brisbane call emanating from 4BC.