Sportsworld (radio)
Encyclopedia
Sportsworld is the flagship weekend sports programme on BBC World Service
radio and winner of bronze award in the best sports programme category at the 2009 Sony
Radio Academy
award and the silver award at the 2011 Sony Radio Academy awards.
Sportsworld can be heard on BBC World Service radio, on many of the BBC's FM partner stations who simulcast
the programme and from August 2010 online at www.bbcworldservice.com.
Sportsworld is produced by BBC Sport
for BBC World Service
.
The big football events on the global sporting calendar always feature such as African Cup of Nations, World Cup and European Championships. As do the multi-sport events like the Olympics, Commonweath and Asian Games. The regular events on the annual calendar are a feature point of the year such as the Grand Slam's in Tennis, the Golfing Majors, Test cricket, Formula One, Diamond League Athletics, the NBA, the Baseball World Series and Moto GP.
A global audience of 188 million, and the reputation of the programme, ensures Sportsworld is able to secure exclusive interviews with the biggest names in world sport.
The programme often leaves its base at BBC Television Centre
in West London
. In 2010 Sportsworld was presented from the 2010 African Nations Cup in Angola
, the Jamaican Schools Athletics Championships in Kingston
, the FA Cup Final
at Wembley Stadium
, the 2010 World Cup in South Africa
, the European Champions League final in Madrid
, the 2010 World Basketball Championships in Turkey
and the 2010 Commonwealth Games
in Delhi
.
and calls to interact with the audience. Topics for discussion are often set by listeners who contact the programme during the week. Some of the comments left on the Sportsworld blog, emails, and SMS text messages are read on the air, and callers from all over the world are the key part of the program by calling in and debating the big topics in sport . Sportsworld Have Your Say touts itself as "the global sporting conversation" as it encourages callers to talk to each other and directs questions asked by listeners to the guests on the program, intervening as little as possible to keep the show more of a conversation than a talk show. The programme text number is + 44 7786 20 2004. The programme e-mail address is sportsworld@bbc.co.uk and you can call the programme on + 44 207 083 73 33
presented the programme from the start in 1959 through to his retirement in 1995. Other presenters have included Martin Fookes and Mike Costello
. The current presenters are Russell Fuller
, Richard Connelly and Lee James (BBC)
. The current producer is Matt Davies.
, the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens
and the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. A one hour highlights programme, Sportsworld at Wimbledon, has been broadcast from the Wimbledon Championships since 1992. The Wimbledon coverage was cut as a cost saving measure in September 2010.
BBC World Service
The BBC World Service is the world's largest international broadcaster, broadcasting in 27 languages to many parts of the world via analogue and digital shortwave, internet streaming and podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays...
radio and winner of bronze award in the best sports programme category at the 2009 Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
Radio Academy
Radio Academy
The Radio Academy is a registered charity that is dedicated to 'the encouragement, recognition and promotion of excellence in UK broadcasting and audio production'....
award and the silver award at the 2011 Sony Radio Academy awards.
Sportsworld can be heard on BBC World Service radio, on many of the BBC's FM partner stations who simulcast
Simulcast
Simulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
the programme and from August 2010 online at www.bbcworldservice.com.
Sportsworld is produced by BBC Sport
BBC Sport
BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC. It became a fully dedicated division of the BBC in 2000. It incorporates programmes such as Match of the Day, Grandstand , Test Match Special, Ski Sunday, Rugby Special and coverage of Formula One motor racing, MotoGP and the Wimbledon Tennis...
for BBC World Service
BBC World Service
The BBC World Service is the world's largest international broadcaster, broadcasting in 27 languages to many parts of the world via analogue and digital shortwave, internet streaming and podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays...
.
History
The programme began life as Saturday Special for one hour in the summer of 1959. Slowly its scope expanded to include the winter months to cover football. The name was changed to Sportsworld in 1979. A Sunday edition was added in 1996. The programme is now broadcast for three hours on a Saturday 1400-1700 GMT and two hours on a Sunday 1500-1700 GMT. An additional spin-off Saturday phone-in programme, Sportsworld Have Your Say, was launched in 2008 and a Sunday edition in 2010. The Have Your Say programmes air at 1730 GMT each weekend.Content
Sportsworld brings the biggest sporting events to a global audience, using the full resources of the BBC. The programme features live commentary from the Premier League every weekend during the English football season. Correspondents in Spain and Italy cover La Liga and Serie A. Live sport is mixed with debate, discussion and analysis of the leading sport stories of the week by the Sportsworld Panel. A weekly basketball slot is now part of the Sunday programme.The big football events on the global sporting calendar always feature such as African Cup of Nations, World Cup and European Championships. As do the multi-sport events like the Olympics, Commonweath and Asian Games. The regular events on the annual calendar are a feature point of the year such as the Grand Slam's in Tennis, the Golfing Majors, Test cricket, Formula One, Diamond League Athletics, the NBA, the Baseball World Series and Moto GP.
A global audience of 188 million, and the reputation of the programme, ensures Sportsworld is able to secure exclusive interviews with the biggest names in world sport.
The programme often leaves its base at BBC Television Centre
BBC Television Centre
BBC Television Centre at White City in West London is the headquarters of BBC Television. Officially opened on 29 June 1960, it remains one of the largest to this day; having featured over the years as backdrop to many BBC programmes, it is one of the most readily recognisable such facilities...
in West London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. In 2010 Sportsworld was presented from the 2010 African Nations Cup in Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
, the Jamaican Schools Athletics Championships in Kingston
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
, the FA Cup Final
FA Cup Final
The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the Football Association Challenge Cup. With an official attendance of 89,826 at the 2007 FA Cup Final, it is the fourth best attended domestic club championship event in the world and the second most...
at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
, the 2010 World Cup in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, the European Champions League final in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, the 2010 World Basketball Championships in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
and the 2010 Commonwealth Games
2010 Commonwealth Games
The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games, were held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events, making it the largest Commonwealth Games till date...
in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
.
Interaction
Sportsworld Have Your Say uses texts, e-mails, blogs, facebookFacebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
and calls to interact with the audience. Topics for discussion are often set by listeners who contact the programme during the week. Some of the comments left on the Sportsworld blog, emails, and SMS text messages are read on the air, and callers from all over the world are the key part of the program by calling in and debating the big topics in sport . Sportsworld Have Your Say touts itself as "the global sporting conversation" as it encourages callers to talk to each other and directs questions asked by listeners to the guests on the program, intervening as little as possible to keep the show more of a conversation than a talk show. The programme text number is + 44 7786 20 2004. The programme e-mail address is sportsworld@bbc.co.uk and you can call the programme on + 44 207 083 73 33
Presenters
Paddy FeenyPaddy Feeny
Paddy Feeny was a presenter of the BBC World Service's Saturday Special programme from 1959 to 1995.-Biography:After working in theatre, Feeny's broadcasting career began at the age of 26, when he began working for BBC Radio Birmingham. He moved to the World Service in the late 1950s, and began...
presented the programme from the start in 1959 through to his retirement in 1995. Other presenters have included Martin Fookes and Mike Costello
Mike Costello
Mike Costello is a British sports broadcaster. He is currently the main commentator for boxing and athletics for BBC Radio, having taken over this role when John Rawling moved to television...
. The current presenters are Russell Fuller
Russell Fuller
Russell Fuller is a British sports broadcaster. He is one of the three main presenters of Sportsworld which can be heard Saturday and Sunday on BBC World Service, and is a regular presenter on BBC Radio Five Live...
, Richard Connelly and Lee James (BBC)
Lee James (BBC)
Lee James is a British sports broadcaster. He is one of the three main presenters of Sportsworld which can be heard Saturday and Sunday on BBC World Service....
. The current producer is Matt Davies.
Special programmes
A two hour daily Olympic Sportsworld has been broadcast from the 2000 Olympic Games in SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
and the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. A one hour highlights programme, Sportsworld at Wimbledon, has been broadcast from the Wimbledon Championships since 1992. The Wimbledon coverage was cut as a cost saving measure in September 2010.