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Video Didn’t Kill The Radio Star

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It is wonderful to be able to watch my favourite football club via ifollow. I have been a subscriber since its inception and it means I do not miss a game home or away!

Living here in the Netherlands it has become a vital tool when I can’t get to the games. I get to some matches but nowhere near enough. I am, therefore, very disappointed to discover that the home commentator is no longer Brenner Woolley! BBC Radio Suffolk have a fantastic radio presentation with Graeme Mac in the studio and Brenner and Mick (Mills) at Portman Road, and it baffles me as to why they would want to change such a winning formula. Quite frankly, I cannot imagine anything surpassing it.

Before ifollow came on the scene, I would happily listen to the games via Radio Suffolk, and the thing about radio is that it enhances your imagination! Brenner Woolley is the consummate professional, and the crew involves former players and Graeme McDonald, linking up with all the latest scores in the studio, which makes listening so rivetting. I love the show and I sometimes take part in the Final Whistle phone-ins afterwards. The programme is very the definition of a well-oiled machine, and this winning team has been together for more than a decade. It is too good to be considered merely ‘local radio.’  It would not look out of place nationally.

I have been in contact with the new media man at Ipswich, Scott Paul because I am eager to discover the reasoning behind this disconnect with Radio Suffolk. Last week the ifollow presentation was a complete disaster! The sound was so low I had to put my sound bar onto full volume and I could hear both the local and Bolton commentaries in unison. In the end, I switched the sound off completely, and instead decided to watch the match without any audio. It was a good idea!

There could be contractual issues that have influenced the Club’s decision to change the format, and next season the Blues will have their very own coverage, so this will see the end of ifollow anyway. All I do know is that it will be almost impossible to compete with the live audio service provided by Radio Suffolk, and Brenner Woolley has proved that video didn’t kill the radio star!  Dear Mr Paul, can you please explain some more.

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8 comments

  • Redhotitfc says:

    God no. Glad to see the back of Woolley. When you watch Ifollow and listen to him you can see just how poor he really is.

    • Frank Weston says:

      That is, quite frankly, unfair Redhotitfc. You will only begin to realise just how wrong you are when you have to suffer the rest of them!

      • Redhotitfc says:

        Did you not hear Wooley this week? He could barely bring himself to allow any excitement when Morsy scored. I didn’t even realise they had as I thought it had been disallowed. He’s woeful and I’ll be glad to hear someone who actually wants the project to go well.

  • Alex says:

    I live in Australia and watch via ifollow. I didn’t see last week as I was sick, but looking forward to tuning in tonight, but if no commentary it will not be anywhere as good. I do hope they sort that out. I certainly don’t want to listen to opposition commentary. If we don’t have commentary then wtf are we paying the same subscription price for?

    • Frank Weston says:

      Good point Alex. They get away with murder if people do not complain about this rather average service. It is not always so, but it is sometimes too much for supporters, who have to pay big bucks just to follow their team. Emotional balckmail? Well, maybe.

  • Richard Gardiner says:

    Living 12000 miles away in NZ, one of the really good things about the modern world is that I can keep in touch with ITFC and still feel ‘part of it’ via the internet.

    I’m feeling really confident about this season (have just commented on your picks for the new season).

    Think we will end up repeating our 3rd place in our last successful Championship promotion campaign in 2000. This time being pipped for automatic promotion at the final hurdle by Bolton (not Wigan) but going up via the play offs.

    • Frank Weston says:

      I still believe we can make the top two Richard, but this might be my heart ruling my head again!

  • Andrew Smith says:

    The change in the radio commentary policy is disastrous for us fans who live in the UK but not in the broadcasting range of Radio Suffolk and rely on iFollow to follow the games. The new commentary is probably just about adequate to accompany a video feed, but this is not always available and involves extra cost anyway. The new audio is useless for following a match without the pictures and the only solution I find is to switch to our opponent’s commentary. With all the other positive things happening at Portman Road this is a letdown and I too have been unable to get an explanation from the club. Bring back Brenner and Mick, our former England captain, as soon as possible!

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