Does anybody know...

[New Judge]

...why the BBC, for the last week, has been devoting an inordinate amount of time in its news bulletins to the Olympics, which do not start until Thursday?

I have just watched the one o'clock "news". The first nine minutes were devoted to the Olympics, telling us nothing in particular. Ten minutes later (after interruptions for such trivial matters as final salary pension schemes in trouble, hospitals overrun by vermin and prolific burglars being jailed) it was back to Beijing. Apparently, somebody had been selected to carry the British flag on opening day.

The ten minute local news contained four minutes of Olympic drivel. Somebody from my area is apparently going to shoot clay pigeons, and two other local residents know one of the participants in the diving event.

Could it be the BBC are trying to drum up some enthusiasm among viewers for this most tedious of events because in excess of sixteen hours a day is being devoted to it in the next three weeks?

[Quinlad]

Cheer up, you grumpy sod.

Everyone's giving it loads of coverage - not just the BBC. Pretty much every newspaper is devoting huge sections to it front and back. Channel 4 news have harped on about it all day today.

It's a massive sporting event. The eyes of the world are on it. It's a fascinating cultural clash and a political hot potato. It's quite clearly big news for all sorts of reasons.

And you can spin any news item you like to make it sound trivial, as you well know.

[Gromit]

Not quite the biggest, the 2006 World Cup had 5.9billion viewers worldwide, compared to 4billion for the 2004 Olympics.

Most sporting events are sold to one broadcaster these days. The exceptions are listed events such as the Olympics and Football Word Cup. So it is only at these events that the BBC and ITV are directly competing against each other with the same product. So both broadcasters are doing their upmost to win the ratings war.

The BBC won the World Cup battle of the broadcasters.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1397491 /BBC-beats-ITV-4-1-in-ratings-contest.html

[Panic Button]

No doubt the Barrowman Broadcasting Corporation has sent half an army out there, so they have got to do something with them.

I remember when England were knocked out of the last World Cup, and one Beeb journo was asked on the radio if it was getting a bit lonely out there.

He answered 'Oh you know the BBC, never knowingly understaffed.'

[R1Geezer]

Just watch CNN judge, they spend roughtly 5 minutes a day on world news, the rest is the good old US of A

[scotgal]

Just the thought of 3 weeks of back to back Olympics fills me with absoulute APATHY!!

[BertiWooster]

I would be inclined to watch much more than I am probably going to - of the events , if I knew that the winners , for sure ( why do some , sport commentators , tend to start a sentence , when they are confirming something , with
' For sure ' ........ ) won without the assistance of illegal drugs