Good article from the Irish News - makes some interesting points
Clearly not radio GAA GAA
Against The Breeze
by Paddy Heaney
King david: Northern Irelands David Healy has been unstoppable for Lawrie Sanchezs men in their Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, scoring hat-tricks against Spain and Liechtenstein and hitting crucial goals against England and, most recently, Sweden. There was shock, anger, bewilderment and revulsion on The Stephen Nolan Radio Show last Thursday and that was just the people who make the programme.
Having watched David (okay, one more time) HEEEEEEAAAAALLLLLY beat Sweden the previous night, Nolan and his team must have went to bed dreaming of the next days headlines. It was going to be a day of wall-to-wall Norn Iron coverage. Bliss.
And, by and large, it was. Most of the newspapers went large on the Windsor Park victory. In contrast, The Irish News didnt reflect the giddy joy of its rival titles.
A front page blurb soberly informed readers that there was a Double success for Irish sides.
The main story was devoted to the bidding war for a house in north Belfast.
The back page provided reaction to the Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland games, leading with the latter, and there was
further coverage of both matches on the inside pages. In other words, an entire back page of soccer from a paper whose readers are far more interested in the GAA.
By and large, the paper provided a balanced package of the events in Dublin and Belfast. The sports desk certainly didnt receive any complaints.
However, while The Irish News readership may have been satisfied with our coverage, the good folk at The Stephen Nolan Show didnt share your contentment.
Miffed at the papers failure to clear the decks and worship King David and Lord Lawrie, they hauled editor Noel Doran onto the show and asked him to defend the papers scandalous coverage.
Mr Doran (as we call him) duly obliged. But the BBC still werent happy. Later that day, Newsline sent a television crew to Donegall Street to question the editor on the same topic.
The disbelief in the BBC at this newspapers treatment of the Northern Ireland game says more about the prevailing attitudes in Ormeau Avenue than it does about The Irish News.
While quick to cast judgment on this papers coverage of Northern Ireland, the BBC seems to have no problem with the News Letters
policy of providing no coverage of Gaelic Games whatsoever.
As a point of information to Stevie Nolan and his team, Gaelic football is the most popular spectator sport in the north by a country mile.
Of course, you wouldnt detect this by reading The Belfast Telegraph, which normally keeps Gaelic Games confined to the inside pages.
The powers-that-be at the Telegraph have decided their market audience want to read about the Irish League (with many games struggling to attract 300 spectators) and therefore local soccer tends to take pride of place on the back page.
At this juncture, it should be stressed that the News Letter and Belfast Telegraph are entitled to
dictate their editorial content as they see fit. Both newspapers have an audience and its their prerogative to provide the coverage they feel meets their demands.
The point being made is that by questioning the Irish Newss coverage of the Northern Ireland game, The Stephen Nolan Show revealed a disparity of judgement.
The message they sent out was that while The Irish News has a duty to report and celebrate the exploits of the Northern Ireland soccer team, there is no equivalent onus on rival newspapers to cover Gaelic Games, despite its massive popularity.
Heres one small example which reveals the depth of interest in Gaelic Games. While approximately 13,000 fans attended last years cup final between Linfield and Glentoran, almost double that figure were in Croke Park for the LADIES All-Ireland football final and this was considered a poor turn-out.
Over the years, when The Irish News marketing department has conducted readership surveys, the response has varied very little. With regard to sport, our readers want Gaelic football, Gaelic football and more Gaelic football. A few of them also like hurling, while Premiership soccer, Celtic, and boxing are also high on the list. Irish League soccer and the exploits of the Northern Ireland team barely register on the scale.
And yet, The Irish News continues to make a concerted effort to provide a comprehensive and broad-based coverage of all local sports. A reporter is sent to every meaningful Northern Ireland game and there are previews, reports and round-ups of the Irish League.
The money and column inches devoted to local soccer probably surpasses our readers interest in it, but there is a belief that the paper has a wider responsibility, and part of this remit means all sports should be represented.
Again, it must be stressed there is no obligation on any newspaper to provide cross-community sports coverage. If the News Letter wants to ignore Gaelic Games fair enough. And if the Belfast Telegraph want to keep the GAA largely confined to the inside pages so be it.
However, the BBC has a responsibility to provide balanced sports coverage which reflects the public interest and this is a further reason why Noel Dorans appearance on The Stephen Nolan Show was so questionable.
Lets not forget. The Irish News had a reporter in Liechtenstein and carried reaction and reports from Windsor Park. But turn on your television and try and find the league tables for the National Football and Hurling Leagues on Ceefax. Youll find tables for the Irish League soccer and rugbys All-Ireland League, even soccers Setanta Cup group tables but none for the competition which attracts much bigger crowds than either of the aforementioned competitions.
BBC teletext also provides rapid score updates from ALL Irish League soccer games but could not provide the same service for the Sigerson Cup final, which was held in Belfast and attracted an attendance of several thousand.
The Stephen Nolan Show might also consider comparing the radio and television coverage given by the BBC to Irish League soccer and that which it affords GAA matches at club, college and county level.
And maybe if Stephen (a man who knows how to attract an audience) brings the subject of Gaelic Games onto his radio show, the volume of callers might make him understand where The Irish News is coming from.