[67Irralphaisa]

I agree, got my hands on a Lumia 900 and it really seems to be a very good phone, though I miss the qwerty key board from my e7..

Yes, has been IOS and Android for a while. But now many are back On Nokias. The new Windows Mobile Nokias are good

[OQmYckYz]

I am a former employee of North One Television and spent the last 2 years working on the WRC for the production arm for the company. I haven't read through all the posts on here so I can't say if what I will say will be news to any of you but I thought it best to put across the point of view of someone from the inside and give everyone a better understanding of exactly what happened near the end.

Firstly, around September time, we were told by the powers that be at North One that Roman Antanov had decided he could provide WRC coverage, worldwide, cheaper and more efficient using his own employees. This meant the whole TUPE ordeal started with his company CSI and all was planning to go ahead up until November when he was arrested/made insolvent and the deal was off, with the rights to the rally then to be decided by the FIA. Firstly they were encouraging new bids from anyone that could pick up the pieces and carry on the progress already made, there were 2 parties interested, the first pulled out 5 days before Christmas as the FIA had not responded to any communication from this party and got fed up of being messed around. The second was from a Middle Eastern party and just as everything looked to be in place, just after new year, the FIA decided that they wanted North One Sport/Television to have nothing to do with it anymore as they had become tired of being 'messed about' and with 'nothing stable in place'.

From the inside, I can tell you for a fact that had the FIA decided to go with one of these new bids for global broadcast and promotion, the WRC would be in a much better place than it is now. It was thrown on Eurosport late in the day and they didn't have the resources or funding to take on such a job and since then it has become a complete joke with Nokia backing out last week, it is moving backwards at a rapid pace. Firstly, nobody wants to sponsor an event/manufacturer that isn't being promoted/broadcast on a global scale so eventually more and more sponsors will drop out and because of this, none of the teams will have the funding to race in as many events each year, slowly dropping out. Mini is a prime example of this, Prodrive pretty much jumped straight off the sinking ship one it had been announced.

North One Sport were actually doing an incredible job maintaing the rally as it was, the FIA like to criticise their work as it wasn't making as much money as they would have liked and the WRC will always play second fiddle to F1. WRC doesn't recieve as much coverage not because North One Sport/FIA weren't pushing it in the right directions but simply because it isn't sexy enough like the F1. In my honest opinion, the FIA are entirely to blame for this and only now are they starting to realise what a huge mistake it was to end North One Sport's involvement with the WRC in the way that they did.

The 2 years I spent working on the WRC were the best years I've enjoyed as a professional and I know that nothing will rival it. I hope one day to get back into the same line of work and rejoin the incredible family that is the WRC.

If anyone has any questions that they think I might be able to answer, please don't hesitate to ask and I will try to answer as best I can.

[Abarricoss]

If anyone has any questions that they think I might be able to answer, please don't hesitate to ask and I will try to answer as best I can.

Thanks to be here. If you turn back, do you see anything in the past what was not done on the best way by North One and could be improved.

[Lictimind]

rallyfan2000/ Thank´s for the inside information.

Can you tell how much involved FIA was in North One Tele´s work and management? Why was NOT out of money because of Antonov affair? He was the owner, yes, but so what? His company could still have been working, couldn´t it?

[Drugsonl]

FIA like to criticise their work as it wasn't making as much money as they would have liked and the WRC will always play second fiddle to F1. WRC doesn't recieve as much coverage not because North One Sport/FIA weren't pushing it in the right directions but simply because it isn't sexy enough like the F1. In my honest opinion, the FIA are entirely to blame for this and only now are they starting to realise what a huge mistake it was to end North One Sport's involvement with the WRC in the way that they did.
If anyone has any questions that they think I might be able to answer, please don't hesitate to ask and I will try to answer as best I can.

Sorry but in the most part North One coverage was rubbish, no hd, the most boring on/in car camera angles (made the cars look like they are going 5 mph), boring camera locations. I remember one rally where one day all we saw was loebs face in car, Also the all the coverage of the last day was the power stage. One had the feeling that they knew nothing about the sport. We saw far better action by privateers on you tube. How can the sport be considered "sexy" when it was covered so poorly? The only good thing was the live coverage from one of the rallys online, but that was only for one day and that was it?

[kmjbbT3U]

rallyfan2000 it's cool of you to come and discuss this openly, the current situation is quite bad and it seems there was a chain of bad decisions that lead to this.

However I also think that WRC was not promoted in the best way and the TV production was not that good either, as sillyseat pointed out. It's easy to say the WRC isn't as sexy as F1 but it doesn't need to be it has its own appeal but it must be produced/packaged/marketed properly.

[pheelixoss]

The only good thing from NOS was live power stage.

[OQmYckYz]

I agree, most of the footage was sub standard in this day and age and with the technology available, however, speaking as someone who digitised all footage for every event in 2010 and 2011, there is a very good reason for this. The FIA wouldnt allow the budget to do so. Up to the end of last season, many of the onboard cameras were still being shot on Mini DV. This is incredibly od and unstable technology, have a look at the way it's shot now and tell me it's better.

[OQmYckYz]

Sorry but in the most part North One coverage was rubbish, no hd, the most boring on/in car camera angles (made the cars look like they are going 5 mph), boring camera locations. I remember one rally where one day all we saw was loebs face in car, Also the all the coverage of the last day was the power stage. One had the feeling that they knew nothing about the sport. We saw far better action by privateers on you tube. How can the sport be considered "sexy" when it was covered so poorly? The only good thing was the live coverage from one of the rallys online, but that was only for one day and that was it?

I agree, most of the footage was sub standard in this day and age and with the technology available, however, speaking as someone who digitised all footage for every event in 2010 and 2011, there is a very good reason for this. The FIA wouldnt allow the budget to do so. Up to the end of last season, many of the onboard cameras were still being shot on Mini DV. This is incredibly od and unstable technology, have a look at the way it's shot now and tell me it's better.

[OQmYckYz]

rallyfan2000 it's cool of you to come and discuss this openly, the current situation is quite bad and it seems there was a chain of bad decisions that lead to this.

However I also think that WRC was not promoted in the best way and the TV production was not that good either, as sillyseat pointed out. It's easy to say the WRC isn't as sexy as F1 but it doesn't need to be it has its own appeal but it must be produced/packaged/marketed properly.

I don't disagree with you that there were areas that the WRC weren't pushed enough into however, as with anything these days, money talks and if nobody wants to pay the money to fund a project that could promote the sport, it just won't happen. North One Sport got money from sponsors which paid for the coverage to be broadcast as globally as it was, I'm sure it didn't look like it was but we aren't talking about millions of pounds being thrown around here. Essentially the Nokia deal was to pay for the live internet streaming, similar to that of France 2011, in every european event this year. Nokia knew about this and were happy for it to happen, knowing that the Nokia brand would be banded about in a new location and for potentially millions of more people to see. Jean Todt and Michelle Mouton both went to Alsace to see the coverage being broadcast and both were very happy with the way it was working which is just another reason that baffles me to why they pulled the rug away from underneath the feet of North One and all its employees.

At every point that it looked like it was taking a step forward, it was taking 3 or 4 backwards as well. For instance, something that not a lot of people will know about is the whole reason behind Abu Dhabi dropping their sponsorship of the Ford WRC team which in effect could have stopped Ford even competing this year. Around this time last year, the new calendar was being decided, Abu Dhabi said they would pull out of all sponsorship if Jordan wasn't on the calendar this year. Jean Todt wanted France to remain on the calendar and it boiled down to one or the other. He decided to drop the rally in Jordan, which made them pull all their sponsorship from the WRC, costing millions of pounds and putting an end to any money making ooportunities in the middle east for the forseable future. Why would you want an event in the Alsace if there is an event a few hundred miles away in Trier, Germany. You would have been getting the same fans attending both events and not making that much more money.

Years ago, there used to be a longer event in Kenya, Safari Rally, until the FIA decided they weren't making enough money from the event and pulled out of it. Even though all the teams and manufacturers loved the event and it staged some of the best moments and memories the WRC has seen.

[OQmYckYz]

Thanks to be here. If you turn back, do you see anything in the past what was not done on the best way by North One and could be improved.

To be perfectly honest, I think North One did all that they could to ensure the WRC had as a prolonged life as possible. From a production point of view, we just about made as much money as was spent so all 'profit'/'revenue' came from sponsorship. North One's hands were tied to a certain extent by the FIA when they decided to abandon Abu Dhabi, they waved goodbye to a huge amount of money and as soon as you lose any funding, you have to replace it straight away or start making cut backs otherwise you're spending more than you're making.

North One Sport has come out of this with a very bad name but in truth they weren't running the show, they did the best they could with the money and resources that were made available by the FIA. Everything had to be run through the FIA and approved by them and if they didn't like the idea, then it wouldn't happen. If the live streaming had been introduced at any other point in the season, say Germany/Italy, Jean Todt would have said no. He wants to showcase the French Rally, and a fine rally it is but he can't see past the fact that it's not all about 1 event or 1 team or 1 driver, there are bigger things in the sport that need addressing.

[huylibizonoff]

Sorry but in the most part North One coverage was rubbish, no hd, the most boring on/in car camera angles (made the cars look like they are going 5 mph), boring camera locations. I remember one rally where one day all we saw was loebs face in car, Also the all the coverage of the last day was the power stage. One had the feeling that they knew nothing about the sport. We saw far better action by privateers on you tube. How can the sport be considered "sexy" when it was covered so poorly? The only good thing was the live coverage from one of the rallys online, but that was only for one day and that was it?

Dont' forget the faux "live" commentary over recorded footage from Paul King.

[pheelixoss]

Bernie should retake it.

[SHpuntik]

Thanks for coming on and giving your side of the story Rallyfan2000

One question from me...what has been the the hold up with the new promoter and how close have we to a replacement? Its been around 6 months since it all started to fall apart and the few hardcore fans that are hanging onto the WRC have had so little info

[Emapymosy]

Thanks for coming on and giving your side of the story Rallyfan2000

One question from me...what has been the the hold up with the new promoter and how close have we to a replacement? Its been around 6 months since it all started to fall apart and the few hardcore fans that are hanging onto the WRC have had so little info

There won't be a new promoter.

I would bet the FIA will continue to do it in house. Let's see how that goes. They haven't exactly been doing a sterling job so far, especially with the recent departure of Nokia.

[adultcomicssitedessaa]

I was priviledged enough to be in an audience with a top FIA official as recently as 3 or 4 weeks ago who stated that a public announcement is due within the next few weeks. I believe that rather than
sitting on their hands a significant amount of progress has been made.

Rallyfan2000's 'insight' is all very well & good but there's a few facts that have to be taken onboard ... which many seem to have forgotten.

NOS was a company not cash rich, reliant on outside funding to perform it's job. In 2010 it was aquired by CSI which was inturn owned by a Russian businessman.
That businessman was indicted, arrested and jailed on serious criminal charges and as a result CSI, the parent company to NOS and it's financial surety, was placed in administration.
This resulted in NOS's financial uncertainty and serious questions over it's ability to honour it's obligations.

But overriding the issues of NOS's financial position was the fact that it is absolutely unconscionable that an organisation such as the FIA, which is far larger than just the sporting arm, could be
seen to be doing business with a company owned by a criminal and one which is under administration.
In essence, under best business practice, the FIA had no alternative but to terminate it's arrangements with NOS.

I have no doubt that, as Rallyfan2000 has stated, FIA officials are regretful that such action had to be taken but, even with benefit of hindsight, they wouldn't turn the clock back as it was fete acompli.

Rallyfan2000 has written about prospective contractors opting out due to FIA muddling. This is a red herring. In truth the tenderers weren't considered the right fit and nobody, least of all contributors to this forum,
would be particularly thankful if the process were revisited in relatively short order due to the appointment of the wrong agency.

There's an old adage about going into business that says "going into business immediately entitles you to endless free advice from people who have never possessed either the courage or the ability to do so themselves".
There's a fair amount of that going on here.

[Emapymosy]

I was priviledged enough to be in an audience with a top FIA official as recently as 3 or 4 weeks ago who stated that a public announcement is due within the next few weeks. I believe that rather than
sitting on their hands a significant amount of progress has been made.

Rallyfan2000's 'insight' is all very well & good but there's a few facts that have to be taken onboard ... which many seem to have forgotten.

NOS was a company not cash rich, reliant on outside funding to perform it's job. In 2010 it was aquired by CSI which was inturn owned by a Russian businessman.
That businessman was indicted, arrested and jailed on serious criminal charges and as a result CSI, the parent company to NOS and it's financial surety, was placed in administration.
This resulted in NOS's financial uncertainty and serious questions over it's ability to honour it's obligations.

But overriding the issues of NOS's financial position was the fact that it is absolutely unconscionable that an organisation such as the FIA, which is far larger than just the sporting arm, could be
seen to be doing business with a company owned by a criminal and one which is under administration.
In essence, under best business practice, the FIA had no alternative but to terminate it's arrangements with NOS.

I have no doubt that, as Rallyfan2000 has stated, FIA officials are regretful that such action had to be taken but, even with benefit of hindsight, they wouldn't turn the clock back as it was fete acompli.

Rallyfan2000 has written about prospective contractors opting out due to FIA muddling. This is a red herring. In truth the tenderers weren't considered the right fit and nobody, least of all contributors to this forum,
would be particularly thankful if the process were revisited in relatively short order due to the appointment of the wrong agency.

There's an old adage about going into business that says "going into business immediately entitles you to endless free advice from people who have never possessed either the courage or the ability to do so themselves".
There's a fair amount of that going on here.

On the same token, you need to be careful how you yourself throw around the word 'facts'.

Antonov is not in jail, he has not been tried in court, is not yet guilty of any crime and is in fact still wandering the streets of London as he wishes.

Therefore, there are / were no grounds for FIA to terminate any contract on this basis. That would be presumptive and open the FIA up to being sued. You can't accuse someone of not being a 'fit and proper person' until they've been found to be 'unfit and not proper'.

The FIA terminated the agreement because NOS was in default of it's obligations - I would guess not paying bills to the FIA.

[adultcomicssitedessaa]

Point taken although I'm not sure that a court conviction is required to determine 'fit & proper' status and there is absolutely no question that CSI is under administration.

[CoiI8XIj]

Dont' forget the faux "live" commentary over recorded footage from Paul King.

Yes that was stupid but generally his speech was plenty of times better than the faqqot with the pink ribbon, cracked voice, disgusting accent, ridiculing people's foreign names and all of this backed with 99% muted sound of cars. Honestly I dont watch MOTORSTV and WRC.com reviews anymore and am not going to do it 'til he's there!!!

[OQmYckYz]

I was priviledged enough to be in an audience with a top FIA official as recently as 3 or 4 weeks ago who stated that a public announcement is due within the next few weeks. I believe that rather than
sitting on their hands a significant amount of progress has been made.

Rallyfan2000's 'insight' is all very well & good but there's a few facts that have to be taken onboard ... which many seem to have forgotten.

.

NOS was a company not cash rich, reliant on outside funding to perform it's job. In 2010 it was aquired by CSI which was inturn owned by a Russian businessman.
That businessman was indicted, arrested and jailed on serious criminal charges and as a result CSI, the parent company to NOS and it's financial surety, was placed in administration.
This resulted in NOS's financial uncertainty and serious questions over it's ability to honour it's obligations.

But overriding the issues of NOS's financial position was the fact that it is absolutely unconscionable that an organisation such as the FIA, which is far larger than just the sporting arm, could be
seen to be doing business with a company owned by a criminal and one which is under administration.
In essence, under best business practice, the FIA had no alternative but to terminate it's arrangements with NOS.

I have no doubt that, as Rallyfan2000 has stated, FIA officials are regretful that such action had to be taken but, even with benefit of hindsight, they wouldn't turn the clock back as it was fete acompli.

Rallyfan2000 has written about prospective contractors opting out due to FIA muddling. This is a red herring. In truth the tenderers weren't considered the right fit and nobody, least of all contributors to this forum,
would be particularly thankful if the process were revisited in relatively short order due to the appointment of the wrong agency.

There's an old adage about going into business that says "going into business immediately entitles you to endless free advice from people who have never possessed either the courage or the ability to do so themselves".
There's a fair amount of that going on here.

I read what you've written and I wonder how it is you think you know so much about it?

I promise you for a fact that one prospective broadcaster/promoter pulled out of a deal on the 20th December 2011 because they were waiting for a response from the FIA and when there wasn't one, they became impatient and walked. The second 'buyer' was still in the running to take over up until the 8th January 2012 but by the 9th, the FIA had decided otherwise and despite the fact that the rally coverage would have carried on similar to that of the last few seasons, the FIA decided that they could find someone better to do the job and frankly, they haven't. If anything, it's gone backwards from there. You have to ask some serious questions about an organisation that would rather take everything away from everybody, as they have done, than give someone a chance of taking it forward. Even if one of these prospective buyers hadn't been approved by everyone, I assure you that the WRC would be in a much better place than it is now.

I'd also have to ask some serious questions about a person who states "facts" that simply aren't true. You are in no position to tell people these facts and claim you have an insight into what happened and what's going on in the future.