Post by Teddy Bear on Jun 30, 2005 18:58:20 GMT
Even German TV provides more coverage of Trafalgar than the BBC
[ftp]http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/06/30/ntraf30.xml[/ftp]
[ftp]http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/06/30/ntraf30.xml[/ftp]
By Thomas Harding, Defence Correspondent[/blockquote]
(Filed: 30/06/2005)
Criticism of the BBC's coverage of the Trafalgar celebrations intensified yesterday after it emerged that German television planned to screen a documentary on the celebrations which will be longer in length than one made by the corporation.
Scores of irritated viewers complained after the BBC chose to restrict its Trafalgar broadcasts on terrestrial channels to just a 30-minute live programme before Wimbledon coverage took precedence.
More than 300,000 visitors descended on Portsmouth and Southsea to watch one of the most memorable Royal Navy events in decades.
But those who chose to remain at home who did not have satellite or cable television could watch the £12 million event only in snippets during news programmes.
Following viewer complaints the BBC said yesterday that it was now rescheduling its programming to fit in a special Trafalgar documentary on Sunday morning.
However, while regions in the south of England will see a 30-minute documentary tonight, the German station ARD will show its viewers a 45-minute programme on Tuesday's events.
A BBC spokesman said that it had consulted with the Navy over the past two years and "they have known how we were going to conduct the coverage".
She added: "After discussions with the Navy it was decided because of the pace of the event, its flexibility and size it would not really work on television and it would be quite difficult to suspend the schedule."
But she did admit that the corporation, which has 170 BBC staff in Portsmouth, "perhaps did underestimate the popularity of the event".
The Trafalgar celebrations were shown live and recorded by stations from Japan, France, South Korea, China and Latvia, with almost 1,000 journalists in the area.
The BBC also failed to give live coverage to yesterday's drumhead service attended by 6,000 Royal Navy veterans and hosted by Brian Hanrahan and Kate Adie.
As hundreds of visitors were stuck in traffic gridlock that lasted until dawn yesterday, many of the 112 warships that participated in the international fleet review weighed anchor.
Ships from Japan, South Korea and the United States will sail home while others will continue with joint exercises with the Navy.
The Navy said it was delighted with the smooth running of the events.