I’d like to tell you all a story. It’s about two blokes and a crazy plan. Two blokes who thought it’d be a great idea to put a show on telly about hockey. And the only thing that would get in their way….would be the fact that, well, they had absolutely no idea what they were doing!
But before I talk about the heady days of 2005, back where it all began, it’s my duty to make an announcement on behalf of the crew.
The show has always relied heavily on sponsorship. We are not a profit making machine, we exist only for the promotion of hockey. Finding sponsorship has never been easy, but we’ve worked hard and pulled together enough funds, year after year to bring The Hockey Show to air. But as Channel 31 are not a commercial network, we’ve had to be clever about how we build value for money for our sponsors, and how we’ve integrated their brands with our show.
Last week, ACMA (Australian Community Media Association) – the big mummy governing body of C31 and all other Community Broadcasting moved the goal posts – heavily restricting what we can offer our sponsors.
Contrary to previous years, we can barely show a company logo at the end of our show, let only incorporate sponsor logos onto in-camera wardrobe. Channel 31 is happy for us to have as many sponsors as we like, but they just can’t return them any commercial value for their investment. Sure we can promote our sponsors on our website, but our contracts and agreements have also been based on a strong level on free-to-air exposure. Our show rates extraordinarily well and it’s those viewers that are of great appeal and value to our sponsors. But it’s those viewers that ACMA has decided, our sponsors cannot connect with.
So, it’s with some level of sadness that I announce we are pulling the show from Channel 31.
Our last show on 31 will be in 2 weeks time on Wednesday 23rd July.
This isn’t the end of THS. And our website isn’t going anywhere, in fact it’s only going to get bigger. But our relationship with Channel 31 has, for the moment anyway, come to an end. We intend to continue activity here online, the exact structure of the show in coming seasons will be discussed and announced over the coming weeks.
It’s been a long journey to this point, but this is merely another episode in the life of THS. A life that began back in 2005 with two extraordinarily eager members of our hockey community, who started their very own TV show.
I’m not really sure if Hugh Jellie and Dan Miles knew the beast they had given birth to at the time, or that the show would go on to become one of the highest rating programmes on the entire Channel 31 network, but with blind faith, they persisted. Fulfilling a drastically unmet need in the hockey community – simply: a bit of bloody exposure.
Some four years down the track, as The Hockey Show enters its fourth on-air season, the combined crew has successfully put to air 70 episodes, that’s over 35 hours of hockey on free-to-air TV (probably more than the entire combined coverage of the last 6 Olympic games, as well as all those 4 sec grabs from sports tonight over the last decade).
But the road to Channel 31, and to ratings dominance wasn’t a simple process, it wasn’t a quick phone call and a handshake. Hugh and Daniel persisted for an entire year throughout 2004. The original pilot series of the show was shot in their lounge room. Two blokes, one guest and a crappy handicam sitting ontop of the telly. Every week they filmed a new episode and each time the programming staff at 31 replied “Thanks, but no thanks, we already have a dozen or so panel programmes”. “But none about hockey!” they would replied. Alas, it wasn’t until the very last episode, after months and months of trying that the boys went down to the State Hockey Centre and film some game footage, recording the commentary live through the camera. Despondently they submitted this last ditch episode. The response was resounding: “You’ve got yourself a show! ”
As it stands, the show has a very lean crew this year. The show’s brain’s trust consists of about 6 key people. Nick Ball, Hugh Jellie, Ben Ryan, Myself, Luke Kilmartin and Adam Barty. Nick Ball and Ben Ryan are the show’s producers and hosts, Nick also does the bulk of the editing and post production for the show. Hugh, Luke and Ben also do a lot of the filming and assist Nick with the editing, sound and commentary where their skill permits. While I’ve fulfilled the role of the show’s creative director, helping Nick and Ben with the overall direction of the show, including the themes and content and have been responsible for the redirection of the site you’re currently using. Adam is primarily our I.T man and assists with geek related computery stuff. So that’s the crew. Not massive, but passionate.
To create the show each week, the crew dedicate between 4 to 5 days of their week in amongst their full-time jobs starting on a Wednesday night to plan the week’s upcoming episode. Driving from Greensborough to Frankston and everywhere in between to film two games, the filming of a game typically is a 3 to 4 hour round trip after which the long editing begins on a Sunday morning at 10am and finishes the following Tuesday at 9.30pm…give or take a few hours. Then, the whole thing is packaged up, shipped to C31 on Wednesday morning to go to air that night…before the whole process starts again.
Despite the necessity for passionate volunteers, the show’s real lifeline has come in the form of sponsorship. Because of the week-to-week format of the show, it has in fact proved quite expensive to produce. It may come as surprise to some that, on average, the show costs about $4,000 per episode. None of that money goes to us, it doesn’t cover our time or petrol. It covers the production costs and broadcast fees and that’s it. $4,000 per episode. So, this year, we’d planned to put a 13 week season to air. That’s about $50k worth. So it’s easy to see, just how important our sponsors are, and just how damaging Channel 31′s policy change has been to us.
Over the years the show has been applauded, awarded and shit-canned, it’s been taken for granted, loved, hated, enjoyed and criticised. But most importantly it’s never been ignored. And that is something we’re all extremely proud of.
Whether on Channel 31, online or in some other guise, we have, and always will, keep dribblin’…
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July 11th, 2008 at 11:45 am
This is f***ed.
Thanks for the memories, you’ve made the game I love interesting and entertaining to watch over the last few years.
This has ruined my Wednesday nights. Thanks guys.
You’ve done more for the sport than anyone I can ever remember doing. Ever.
I am boycotting C31 as a result.
July 11th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
This is worse than the day Diana died… I’ll forever remember where I was the day I found out The Hockey Show was no more…
July 11th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
I tend to uninetntionally boycott ch 31 whenever the hockey show is not on
July 11th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
You have got to do a special on David Saleeba – he has done a fair bit for hockey (I will leave the rest up to you)
July 11th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
AU REVOIR!
July 11th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
this is a bloody sad day. not just for the show, but for the whole sport.
sorry to see you guys go. i know its been a thankless task, but believe me when i say the community have absolutely loved having you around.
July 11th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
looks like a hate campaign against C31 needs to be mounted!
July 11th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
Is amove to SBS a possibility or ABC?
July 11th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
Go national and approach Foxsports.
July 11th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
Considering it is the last show, you have to do something special for it. Like the old days at Holliava.
July 11th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
with digital tv coming soon each FTA channel will soon have 3 channels each and a lack of product even standard definition , you can bet that a sports channel will be high on their wish lists.
Even fox sports will look favourably at cheap product .
July 11th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
Cheap is one thing, but imagine what they could do if they had the resources and money to do it!
As it stands it appears that money is hard to come by and unless that changes it doesn’t seem like much can change.
We should all dig deep or something.
I have to say, i will deeply miss THS. I think you guys are awesome.
July 11th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
Wow, talk about outta left field.
just heart breaking news fellas, the things you’ve done for Victorian hockey is just outstanding and Ch31 are proper fucked in the head to come down like that on one of their highest rating shows.
we will truly miss you hockey show, can’t wait to see you on SBS (it worked for Salam Cafe!) in the new year.
i suggest everyone dons the black arm bands next week and we should totally have a wake… Coll-x will be there!
July 11th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
seems a stupid policy as most show such as THS would rely on sponsorship through out the show.
good job
July 11th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
I feel a petition coming on people…..where is a student council when you need one???
Oh yeah by the way
This is F**KED!!!
July 11th, 2008 at 9:00 pm
lets protest..
yes? no?
the sport needs you guys!
July 12th, 2008 at 6:06 am
I concur with all the comments. This is a real blow to the hockey community. I was quite looking forward to doing a follow up pitch report at monash, this time sans the tony greig otufit.
Bloody C31. Seriously. they must have rocks in their heads if they think community TV can work without on air sponsors. every show i have seen on C31 has relied on sponsorship from some business, even if it is just “jimbo’s paper shop” or some such nothing ness.
Thanks for the mammaries guys, and thanks for your enthusiasm. Long live thehockeyshow.org!
Perhaps an option is to have user uploadable videos ala youtube or break.com. I’m sure there is enough creativity out there in the hockey world to keep the content coming.
July 12th, 2008 at 11:01 am
it also appears that due to a lack of funds (sponsorship wise) that the guys can’t continue without running into financial strife. it strikes me that of all the shows on C31, THS is way and above the best and its weird that sponsorshpi dollars aren’t more forthcoming.
July 12th, 2008 at 11:08 am
Hockey Victoria should’ve supported you guys more.
July 12th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
this sucks!!!!!
channel 31 can eat shit
July 12th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
sooooo disapointed to hear ur finishing. the end of an era that was much loved and appreciated.
July 13th, 2008 at 11:49 pm
I am going to write into the Green guide and have a big winge. Hopefully they will publish it.
It would be great if Andy Lee could somehow put a plug in for the guys. If John Faine was around I am sure he would support somehow.
Don’t think of it as over, more of a sabbatical. Chin up, things like these happens for reasons, just can’t seem to think of one of the moment.
We will miss the show, we will just have to keep the forum alive and well.
July 14th, 2008 at 9:38 am
Im shocked .Now what are we going to show Angus and Ainsley of their Uncle Hughie on the tele?I dont need to tell you I love your work guys.
July 14th, 2008 at 4:26 pm
Can you not do the show for the website? I watch it online anyway from Perth.
July 14th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
“Can you not do the show for the website? I watch it online anyway from Perth.”
Why not at least put the old episodes online like you have started doing with this year’s content?
July 14th, 2008 at 8:25 pm
We would be happy to sponsor the Hockey Show at Essendon. We don’t need any exposure/advertising etc……for God’s sakes we have won more SL1 flags than anyone other club. HV should be ashamed for not doing somnething about this..surely the clubs could fund some of the cost.
July 14th, 2008 at 11:25 pm
looks like you’ll get another flag this year bomber ;)
July 15th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
vive le bombers! allez allez allez!
July 17th, 2008 at 11:21 am
The sponsorship constraints C-31 have placed on THS are similar to the sponsorship constraints the IOC places on Hockey at the Olympics.
While the HA and the FIH continue to blindly obey the wishes of the IOC, the THS has made a stand against what is commercial madness and that is to be applauded.
Sport has changed and if the sport’s sponsors are locked out, the sport is in essentially dead.
Marketing
July 20th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
In days where all sport requires good will, the HS boys have given so much to hockey. Exposure and marketing has become mandatory and our hockey bodies have not looked laterally to answer this challenge. Paying marketing people has not come up with a viable product that has increased hockeys profile. The HS has been the answer. SIMPLE, pay the producers of the show with money that, up till now ,has not been funnelled into creative product to increase hockeys marketing potential which has not had the same positive oucomes as the HS. Making Olympic finals ensures that money is there- surely a national response to creative marketing via the ever growing pay TV market could be an answer.
Money has always been a problem for hockey and the HS boys should be given( outside the impossibility of ever regaining lost finance) recognition from Hockey VIC, of their imaginative, brave, at times very funny, at times all over the place coverage of all levels of hockey. I hope to see Hockey Vic DO SOMETHING , about the loss of their show to Free to Air, and make sure they are part of the new Podcast era AND pay TV era that awaits us. Losing free to air is sad- I won’t really have a reason to watch Ch 31 again. That is sad too!
But the boys must be congratulated for their sheer persistence, obviously made easier by a real love of the game. Their humour made a real mark- all my boys love the show, they loved the local humour, they really liked to see people they knew- they loved commentary, what ever it was.
I have lots of episodes of the HS at home, but I would gladly buy more if that would help. If the show needs sponsors- maybe friends of the ABC idea, mighr expand to Friends of the Hockey Show.
Registration to an online podcast- Im in.
There are answers to every problem and perhaps answers – creative practical real is what Hockey needs. shame HOCKEY VIC DIDNT SEE WHAT WAS CLEARLY IN FRONT OF THEIR FACES!
July 20th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
I just wish to thank the guys for inspiring me and a few others up here in Newcastle to provide better content, news and information concerning hockey to the public up here in the Hunter area. Although we dont produce a show as we have no community chanels in this place, we do run a successful site which was inspired by you guys. So thanks for that. Your efforts are spreading the good word.
August 3rd, 2008 at 6:04 pm
Brilliant!
August 13th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
after the olympics what hockey can we watch on TV, the hockey show going has ruined my life
August 13th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
now your gone how is my dum sister supposed to get on tv
September 24th, 2008 at 7:07 am
well done, dude
September 29th, 2008 at 3:16 am
thank you, dude