Radio Sport Plenary Meeting

EBU Radio Sports experts have met to debate the big challenges of covering sports on the radio, in a year that has been uncommonly rich in top-tier competitions. The annual EBU Radio Sports Plenary Meeting is where the whole EBU Radio Sports community can compare notes and share solutions to issues faced throughout the year.

This year’s agenda was shaped by a summer of must-have events, including the UEFA EURO 2012™ and the London 2012 Olympic Games. And it looked ahead to Brazil, which will host the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2013, the FIFA 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games, in Rio de Janeiro.

Vice-Chair of the EBU Radio Sports Group, Joanne Watson (BBC) and engineer Iain Hunter described the stunning facilities set up by BBC Radio for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

And Radio France journalist Laëtitia Bernard, a visually impaired equestrian champion, shared her experiences of covering the Paralympic Games for radio.

Coming up

Winter 2012 is shaping up to be a busy season, with radio colleagues from Austria, Italy and the Czech Republic presenting their plans for various skiing and biathlon championships. They will be onsite to meet the needs of EBU Members, especially in terms of production services.

Quality of content and reporting remain key, but it has become essential to maintain strong, constructive relationships with the major players in the world of sport, such as federations, associations and experts.

Contributions from Martin Roos, an agent for the International Handball Federation (IHF), Jean-Paul Savart, a member of various sports journalists’ associations, and EBU legal experts prompted lively exchanges over the course of three sessions.

Football still champion

Another three sessions were devoted to football, which is unrivalled in its global popularity.

UEFA Head of TV Production Bernard Ross reviewed the outstanding coverage of UEFA EURO 2012™, presenting a specially built commentary tool called LiveX Radio.
Then Daniel Wlochovski from Host Broadcasting Services (HBS) presented the coming FIFA tournaments in Brazil, the 2013 Confederations Cup and 2014 World Cup.

Ilana Rehavia, a journalist at leading Brazilian sports radio Rede Itatiaia, and Claudio Emanuel Carneiro, Vice-President travelled especially from Belo Horizonte, in south-east Brazil, to share their knowledge of the next World Cup venue, which could hold some surprises.

EBU Radio Sport social hub

The two days of discussions, in Geneva on 25-26 October, reaffirmed the importance of solidarity and collaboration among radio broadcasters. This is why participants were keen to launch a group called “EBU Radio Sport” on the EBU Community platform.

The initiative, supported by the Chairman of the EBU Radio Sports Group, Marcus Tepper, envisages the EBU Community as the social network for voicing all professional comments and questions about sport on the radio.

To join, please go to: http://collab.go-eurovision.com/groups/ebu-radio-sport