bear 73 wrote:Just feel gutted for Craig Priest he must be terribly disappointed, like many on the media side their heart and soull are in the club.
Thank you mate! I thought I'd pop on and clear up the 103.2 thing (as best I can) as I'm being asked here there and everywhere.
So it's worth starting off by saying that we (103) are very disappointed in the outcome and have been trying to strike a deal for a long time, so us not doing coverage is certainly NOT for the want of trying.
Many independent commercial stations don’t bother covering their local club because it’s not practically viable, where as we had BIG plans for this season, integrating the podcast more and making 103.2 really feel like a place Stags fans could rely on – creating content that captured the emotion of following Mansfield Town FC! Something I hope we did to a degree last season when I took over in November.
To do coverage of any form, there are two huge stumbling blocks; licencing/ costs, and an agreement with the club – and at this stage, those stumbling blocks can’t be passed, the second stumbling block is now obvious IMO as the BBC (as they have done with a number of football clubs this summer) have struck a deal - I wish them, and in particular Jake, who's a top lad, well.
Anyway, I don’t know exact figures, but the licencing cost is a big chunk to swallow, you’ve also got staffing costs to add to that which over the course of a season is a lot! Anyway, to cover that you need commercial sponsors and there wasn't one to the level that we’d need to proceed - even away from sports coverage, the sales team have a tough enough job getting people given the state of the financial world at the moment!
I do know that everyone behind the scenes at 103.2 has worked tirelessly to try and sort something, but as with everything – the deal needed to benefit all parties.
On a personal level, I'm gutted and a little bit broken - I'll be back on the terraces of course, but it's going to take me a while to enjoy it again - anyone who knows me will know why commentating on Stags games meant the world to me, I'm honored to have covered the majority of last season and to finish at Wembley with two good mates alongside me is something i'll cherish forever.
As for the Podcast, well that's another story! Doing the radio stuff really helped it to grow and to be honest, without it, I don't have as much drive to carry on doing it. BUT, I know that people enjoy listening and it gives me a reason (for my own mental health) to keep going to games, so for now - it continues, especially as there's not really any other shows out there for Stags fans which is why we started it six years ago anyway!
Thanks for the lovely comments dotted around the internet, again - best wishes to Jake & the team at the BBC for the next three seasons.
