Sunday, June 26, 2011

Overdoing outings...


Glastonbury Fayre - 1971 *
"The National Audit Office says the BBC spends more per hour covering Glastonbury than it did on the Beijing Olympics."
David Stephenson in today's Express (sorry Paul) tells us that there are 144 hours of coverage in 83 programmes (remember it's essentially a long-weekend festival!), 263 staff ("the presenters alone cost £90,000 a day"). Can anyone come up with any decent excuse that justifies this? This year U2 finally showed up (third time lucky?) but the 'Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts' is a far cry from the 'hippie' fair in 1971 where David Bowie headlined and entry was free; the greatest irony is that it began because the organisers thought all other festivals at the time were over commercialised...* Photo credit: Geoffrey Bowler at Glastonbury Fayre, summer solstice 1971.

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7 comments:

Paul said...

I've posted on this again today after some further observations last night.

btw - why (sorry Paul)?

Span Ows said...

Blimey, you posted while I was putting up another post. I'll pop over and read your thoughts.

The sorry was for the link to the Express ;-)

The Great Gildersleeve said...

Its probably just me but I watch or listen to very little of Glastonbury. In fact I haven't followed any of it this year. And most of the time I am willing to try just about anything.

I know that hasn't anything to do with how much the BBC is spending in covering the event or how much time has been given over to it.

I wonder if the BBC ever makes any of the costs back if other broadcasters take their coverage.

Span Ows said...

Gildy, I have no doubt a lot of coverage is sold abroad but I also have no doubt that they are going overboard with it: almost like they're going OTT in an effort to hide lack of time/info/coverage elsewhere but that's just my perception.

The Great Gildersleeve said...

I think I'd have to agree that there is overkill on this one...

bonnie said...

Watched a bit of it from the comfort of my sofa.... but no desire to recreate my hippy youth as a middle aged hippy.
Been there in the 70’s on Arran at Whiting Bay ...camping, washing my long hair in a freezing stream ..listening to bands in the local hall/ bars then back at the tent with the BF on guitar strumming Black Magic Woman.
Carefree days.

Span Ows said...

Bonnie, great anecdote, thanks! Does sound like fun

:-)