The non-coverage of the Ashes series – lets blame the real culprits.

The criticism being levelled at the ABC for its decision not to bid for the free-to-air rights for this year’s Ashes cricket series could hardly be more poorly directed.

There are three “entities” that criticism needs to be directed at long before the ABC becomes the target.

The first is our number one cricket tragic himself, John Winston Howard, and his Government. The laws that are supposed to ensure major sporting events are shown on free-to-air television are so weak they could not go three rounds with a revolving door.

If the Ashes are not a major sporting event, by any definition, then what is? Even when the Poms were travelling very ordinarily, interest in the Ashes cricket series – here and in England – remained very high. But now the Poms are travelling very well, and seriously challenging Australia for the number one ranking in World cricket, interest in the mid-year Ashes series will surely be stronger than ever.

But the Ashes are apparently not covered by the so called anti-siphoning laws when they are played in the UK.

The Federal Government does not need to “direct” the ABC to cover a sport it has not had the rights to cover for years. It can give the anti-siphoning laws real clout – and put the pressure where it ought to be, on Cricket Australia and Channel Nine.

Channel Nine is surely the second entity that needs to be the target of criticism, and whatever pressure viewers can apply.

Nine has the free to air rights for cricket exclusively. It only gives them up when it has other, higher rating sport on at the same time……as it did last Winter when the ABC covered the Sunday sessions of Australia’s test series again, as I recall, Sri Lanka. (Channel Nine wouldn’t give up its lucrative Aussie rules and rugby league telecasts, would it?).

The lame excuse being given for Nine not bidding for the Ashes series is that “it fell at a difficult time of the year”. It’s a wonder Kerry hasn’t sought to change to Ashes series dates…..given that he continues to call the shots in world cricket, and Australian cricket in particular.

The Nine spokesman is quoted in today’s media as saying “we have Wimbledon, the AFL and the rugby league to fit in as well so it’s very hard to do justice to it all.” Isn’t that just sad?

Channel Nine has grabbed so many exclusive rights to major sporting events that it cannot do justice to all of them!

But the Nine claims needs closer scrutiny. Wimbledon lasts for two weeks, the Ashes series and One Day games will be played over three months.

So what cricket telecasts would Wimbledon clash with? And this is where it gets interesting, and where Nine gets clean bowled!

Wimbledon 2005 runs from 20 June to 3 July. The first test in the Ashes series will be not start until 21 July! While Wimbledon is on Australia will play four one day matches, two against England, and two against, wait for it, Bangladesh!

So the Wimbledon excuse is a furphy!

The real story is that Nine does not want to give up its top rating Friday night rugby league match of the round, especially as the Ashes series won’t end until the first or second week of the NRL semi finals, and, of course the AFL finals series. And it does not want to give up its early evening quiz shows and US soaps etc.

Is Channel Nine being uncaring about its quite substantial cricket viewing audience. It sure is….but what’s new?

The other entity that needs to have the blowtorch applied to it is Cricket Australia, latterly the Australian Cricket Board (ACB).

We know that Cricket Australia is preparing to renegotiate the rights for domestic television coverage of cricket, why doesn’t Cricket Australia insert a clause in the new agreement – which is almost certainly to be with Nine – requiring the Channel to cover the Ashes series at the very least?

And it could tell Nine in the meantime that Nine’s persistence in not bidding for the Ashes rights will be taken into consideration when the long term domestic rights are determined. (Fat chance that will happen!!!).

But let’s lay off the ABC. And lets put the pressure where it ought to be – on John Howard, Senator Helen Coonan (why are Communications Ministers always “patsies” for the big boys of the media world?), on Channel Nine, and on Cricket Australia.

Nothing will happen of course, but won’t it be nice watching each of the above squirm for a while?