Boxing section on the BBC website

[slapbangwhallop]

is it run my a Welsh guy?

[Wales]

not that I know of, a lad comically called "Ben Dirrs" isnt it ?

[Pickers]

Ben Dirs and Nabil Hassan, once of the South Wales Argus, are the most prominent boxing hacks at the Beeb.

[Wales]

is that a paid job I wonder?

[Pat Butcher]

is that a paid job I wonder?

Yep, and he gets to go over to the states to report on the big fights. Also reports on cricket too.

[slapbangwhallop]

Ben Dirs and Nabil Hassan, once of the South Wales Argus, are the most prominent boxing hacks at the Beeb.

I knew there must have been a Welsh fella involved.

Kerry Hope and James Todd almost get HBO 24/7 treatment on the BBC website.

[Pickers]

Ben Dirs and Nabil Hassan, once of the South Wales Argus, are the most prominent boxing hacks at the Beeb.

I knew there must have been a Welsh fella involved.

Kerry Hope and James Todd almost get HBO 24/7 treatment on the BBC website.

That material is produced by BBC Wales in Cardiff.

[Wales]

is that a paid job I wonder?

Yep, and he gets to go over to the states to report on the big fights. Also reports on cricket too.

Jesus, not knocking them but their fight reports are hardly earth shattering, especially considering they're going there live!

Good luck to them for getting the gig, but theres no way I'd be sending them to the US if all I got in return was 200 odd words.

[Pickers]

is that a paid job I wonder?

Yep, and he gets to go over to the states to report on the big fights. Also reports on cricket too.

Jesus, not knocking them but their fight reports are hardly earth shattering, especially considering they're going there live!

Good luck to them for getting the gig, but theres no way I'd be sending them to the US if all I got in return was 200 odd words.

They file half of a dozen pieces for their BBC blog, report on the weigh-in and the fight. The magazine journalists there only have to write the once piece.

[Wales]

A magazine article for one "super fight" can be way over a couple of thousand of words. For the Hatton Mayweather fight, one of the biggest fight nights in british boxing history, with tickets scaling £1000 face value, and hotels and flight prices to vegas sky high the fight report had 600 words, with another 100 in hattno quoptes at the end. 700 words for what most boxing fans wouldve killed to see, especially ringside. Im not knocking the guys that get the work, good luck to them, but I'll wager if Ian Mc was paying me a wage, paying for my flights and hotel in vegas, and getting me a press pass he'd be miffed with a 600 word article on the fight itself.

BBC could get better writers to do it for free IMO. Sure Terry D, James Mc or David Payne would go to Vegas and pen a couple of blogs, info on the weigh in and a damend good fight report for free if everything else was paid for.

Good luck to them though!

[TerribleTerry]

is that a paid job I wonder?

Yep, and he gets to go over to the states to report on the big fights. Also reports on cricket too.

Jesus, not knocking them but their fight reports are hardly earth shattering, especially considering they're going there live!

Good luck to them for getting the gig, but theres no way I'd be sending them to the US if all I got in return was 200 odd words.

Welcome to the BBC gravy train!

[steve689]

Was thinking that myself when reading the other day. Very pro-Welsh content. Not that it's a bad thing, just surprising...until all is now explained.

[DavidPayne]

A magazine article for one "super fight" can be way over a couple of thousand of words. For the Hatton Mayweather fight, one of the biggest fight nights in british boxing history, with tickets scaling £1000 face value, and hotels and flight prices to vegas sky high the fight report had 600 words, with another 100 in hattno quoptes at the end. 700 words for what most boxing fans wouldve killed to see, especially ringside. Im not knocking the guys that get the work, good luck to them, but I'll wager if Ian Mc was paying me a wage, paying for my flights and hotel in vegas, and getting me a press pass he'd be miffed with a 600 word article on the fight itself.

BBC could get better writers to do it for free IMO. Sure Terry D, James Mc or David Payne would go to Vegas and pen a couple of blogs, info on the weigh in and a damend good fight report for free if everything else was paid for.

Good luck to them though!

I'd shag Chris Evans for that gig.

[Wales]

Pilot or navigator?

[DavidPayne]

Mmmmm. Depends on the headline fight.

[Pickers]

Im not knocking the guys that get the work

BBC could get better writers to do it for free IMO

Your main gripe is that a report on a fight ‘most boxing fans would’ve killed to see’ would be far more in-depth on a boxing website than on the sports section of the BBC website?

They focus on regular streams of content and update the site almost daily in the build-up to such fights. Check out http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bendirs/

Sure it’s a great gig but to be fair whoever does it also contributes their fair share of work. I’m sure that regardless of the volume of content you’d have no complaints about if those your name dropped occupied it.

[slapbangwhallop]

Im not knocking the guys that get the work

BBC could get better writers to do it for free IMO

Your main gripe is that a report on a fight ‘most boxing fans would’ve killed to see’ would be far more in-depth on a boxing website than on the sports section of the BBC website?

They focus on regular streams of content and update the site almost daily in the build-up to such fights. Check out http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bendirs/

Sure it’s a great gig but to be fair whoever does it also contributes their fair share of work. I’m sure that regardless of the volume of content you’d have no complaints about if those your name dropped occupied it.

thanks Ben

[TerribleTerry]

Your main gripe is that a report on a fight ‘most boxing fans would’ve killed to see’ would be far more in-depth on a boxing website than on the sports section of the BBC website?

They focus on regular streams of content and update the site almost daily in the build-up to such fights. Check out http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bendirs/

Sure it’s a great gig but to be fair whoever does it also contributes their fair share of work. I’m sure that regardless of the volume of content you’d have no complaints about if those your name dropped occupied it.

thanks Ben

Thought the exact same thing myself Sligo!

[m1kee50]

they do the same sort of commentary for the fight that they do for footy, round by round like on here.

[jeej]

Obviously there could be more/better boxing content on the BBC boxing site, but my main gripe has always been more to do with the amount of time it takes for news to appear on there. But it's not like the BBC site is the only place I go for my boxing fix, so not the end of the world.

[fistic mystic]

BBC could get better writers to do it for free IMO. Sure Terry D, James Mc or David Payne would go to Vegas and pen a couple of blogs, info on the weigh in and a damend good fight report for free if everything else was paid for.

I won't say I'm a better writer, but I am a good writer. I already had my credentials in order when I contacted BBC and offered to provide a full ringside writeup for the Hope and Todd fights - including RBR - free of charge. They replied that they already had professional writers on staff. **shrugs** I will say that my report would have been ten times better than what they ran. In fact it was better, but I self-published it.

[Wales]

they do the same sort of commentary for the fight that they do for footy, round by round like on here.

but if they're at the fights how? or os it done by fans form the message boards?

[Wales]

Im not knocking the guys that get the work

BBC could get better writers to do it for free IMO

Your main gripe is that a report on a fight ‘most boxing fans would’ve killed to see’ would be far more in-depth on a boxing website than on the sports section of the BBC website?

They focus on regular streams of content and update the site almost daily in the build-up to such fights. Check out http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bendirs/

Sure it’s a great gig but to be fair whoever does it also contributes their fair share of work. I’m sure that regardless of the volume of content you’d have no complaints about if those your name dropped occupied it.

"BBC could get better writers to do it for free IMO" - thats not knocking the lads that have got the gig at all, I didnt slag them off, or say their work was rubbish, just that if they're paid to do boxing work then in my opinion there are better unpaid writers, who do better articles without being flown across the world, and they do it for free and on varied boxers.
Look at boxrec news thats just been set up and the volume of interesting interviews and insights on there by a team of unpaid guys, not even expenses for driving x miles to the event. They dont just focus on the big 4 or 5 fighters, plus two welsh lads who aint that good but have gone to the US (to be fed to the lions seemingly). They focus on everyone, and produce good solid pieces day by day.

Brutally honest, if this is their (your) main job and you're paid to do boxing just for the beebs web site, then its poor. Theres little variations and just logging on now the Darren Barker write up is 80 words long.

Also, you say if the names I dropped had the gig I wouldnt be complaining regardless of volume or content. If any of the three of them were producing whats being produced I would be shocked, as their unpaid work is far better, and their knowledge of the sport is extensive. Have you ever read any of their articles... the ones they do for free, in their own time.

[m1kee50]

they do the same sort of commentary for the fight that they do for footy, round by round like on here.

but if they're at the fights how? or os it done by fans form the message boards?

I'm only guessing here but I imagine its done the same way they do it at the football matches.... over the internet.

[Wales]

From ringside, in the 60 seconds you have between the rounds.... ??!!