Post by Teddy Bear on Jul 11, 2009 18:12:25 GMT
Despite public displeasure following the BBC sending 400 to cover Glastonbury, the BBC shows their disdain by sending 324 to cover T in the Park.
BBC in new expense scandal as it sends 324 people to cover T in the Park music festival
By Daily Mail Reporter
The BBC has sent 324 people to cover this year's T in the Park music festival, it was disclosed today.
The corporation came under fire last month after it emerged that it had sent more than 400 staff to the Glastonbury music festival.
Today the BBC confirmed 139 staff, with 158 freelance contractors, and 27 people from Radio 1, were all working at the three-day event - which is Scotland biggest music festival.
T in the Park has attracted a host of big name bands, including Blur, the Kings of Leon, and the Killers, and 85,000 music fans will be at the festival in Balado, Kinross-shire.
But Ted Brocklebank, the media spokesman for the Scottish Conservatives, said the corporation had sent an 'incredible' number of people to cover the event.
And he warned: 'I think the BBC has got to be careful, given the current economic situation, not to be seen to be throwing too many resources at one event.'
However a BBC Scotland spokeswoman said: 'T in the Park is one of Scotland's major annual public events and is our Glastonbury.
'It attracts huge crowds, is particularly popular with younger audiences and is a landmark event that Scotland is proud to own and shout about - and we reflect that in our coverage.'
She said the BBC would produce a total of 111 hours of television coverage of the festival - the same amount as it did at Glastonbury - as well as 20 hours of radio and that online covering would include 25 hours of video and 100 pages of content.
She added that the event was being covered for 10 different outlets - including BBC One Scotland, BBC Two, BBC3, Radio 1, Radio Scotland, the gaelic channel BBC Alba and online.
She went on: 'As the BBC is the official broadcast partner of T in the Park, we are responsible for all the broadcast infrastructure and transmission.
'It is a technically complex operation and requires us to record five live-performance stages across the weekend using multi-camera set-ups.'
She added: 'In addition to coverage over T in the Park weekend we also feature highlight programmes throughout the year so our output is a year-long offering that maximises what we record.'
Mr Brocklebank described the music festival - which takes place in his Mid Scotland and Fife constituency - as being the 'highlight of Scotland's pop summer'.
But he said: 'It does seem to me to be an incredible number of people working at this.
'I accept a number of programmes will come out of it, but it will be interesting to see what the audiences for them are, given a number of the people they are aimed at will actually be at the event itself.'
By Daily Mail Reporter
The BBC has sent 324 people to cover this year's T in the Park music festival, it was disclosed today.
The corporation came under fire last month after it emerged that it had sent more than 400 staff to the Glastonbury music festival.
Today the BBC confirmed 139 staff, with 158 freelance contractors, and 27 people from Radio 1, were all working at the three-day event - which is Scotland biggest music festival.
T in the Park has attracted a host of big name bands, including Blur, the Kings of Leon, and the Killers, and 85,000 music fans will be at the festival in Balado, Kinross-shire.
But Ted Brocklebank, the media spokesman for the Scottish Conservatives, said the corporation had sent an 'incredible' number of people to cover the event.
And he warned: 'I think the BBC has got to be careful, given the current economic situation, not to be seen to be throwing too many resources at one event.'
However a BBC Scotland spokeswoman said: 'T in the Park is one of Scotland's major annual public events and is our Glastonbury.
'It attracts huge crowds, is particularly popular with younger audiences and is a landmark event that Scotland is proud to own and shout about - and we reflect that in our coverage.'
She said the BBC would produce a total of 111 hours of television coverage of the festival - the same amount as it did at Glastonbury - as well as 20 hours of radio and that online covering would include 25 hours of video and 100 pages of content.
She added that the event was being covered for 10 different outlets - including BBC One Scotland, BBC Two, BBC3, Radio 1, Radio Scotland, the gaelic channel BBC Alba and online.
She went on: 'As the BBC is the official broadcast partner of T in the Park, we are responsible for all the broadcast infrastructure and transmission.
'It is a technically complex operation and requires us to record five live-performance stages across the weekend using multi-camera set-ups.'
She added: 'In addition to coverage over T in the Park weekend we also feature highlight programmes throughout the year so our output is a year-long offering that maximises what we record.'
Mr Brocklebank described the music festival - which takes place in his Mid Scotland and Fife constituency - as being the 'highlight of Scotland's pop summer'.
But he said: 'It does seem to me to be an incredible number of people working at this.
'I accept a number of programmes will come out of it, but it will be interesting to see what the audiences for them are, given a number of the people they are aimed at will actually be at the event itself.'