Next season's commentary and highlights
 

It's great that the club is going free-to-air for commentary and highlights next year, and trying to raise a bit of revenue through advertising. As an exile, I've relied on their service for years, and it's improved dramatically in recent seasons.

So, in anticipation I tried listening to Calon FM over the internet. The experience was terrible. It only lasted a few seconds before buffering then cutting out, then looping randomly. (This is on my broadband at home. It's even worse on 3G.) Part of the problem seems to be that the stream is only available as a 256kbps stream. That's going to chew through data allows at around 250Mb per game, or perhaps 2Gb per month during busy periods.

It's vital that this is sorted before the new season, so that there's a very reliable stream that people can use with their mobiles.

PS - I was also going to say that perhaps many of those of us who have been used to paying £48/year for Wrexham Player might be willing to continue some level of payment next season. I wonder whether you could encourage listeners to donate £1 or £2 a month. The website [url]https://www.patreon.com[/url] is set up to help small-scale creators get funds like this. I use it to support a guy who draws comics, and he's making about £3k a month now and has quit his job and does comics full time. I'm not saying that the Media team will bring in that amount, but every little helps...

Re: Next season's commentary and highlights
 

Yep you are correct the stream is awful either direct through the website, the app or through the tunein app. Definitely will need sorting before the new season or stick to Radio Wales😎

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Re: Next season's commentary and highlights
 

Surprised at this. Because clear as a bell on 4G/ 3G in Saudi. No issues with buffering either. This is using the app.

Re: Next season's commentary and highlights
 

Think they must be having issues as it's doing the same for me but is usually clear?


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Re: Next season's commentary and highlights
 

Hello everyone - One of the Media Team members brought this thread to my attention so I thought I would come and say hi.

Firstly, I am always happy to answer any questions regarding the club's media output and have been out to supporters groups to do so in the past few months. I'm always approachable on any platform if you would like to contact me. I'm also happy to start answering any sensible questions on Red Passion if the community here would find it useful.

I've got to say, when I first read what WAFCexile had wrote I thought "This can't be right" as the main reason I decided to approach Calon FM to platform next seasons commentary was through me analysing their live stream capabilities over a long period and finding it extremely stable. We did have other options, but Calon is the best option for the club going forward in terms of performance levels and workability.

Although, I popped on to have a listen to all of their platforms and it's not so good today. I've contacted them and they are currently doing some work on their stream capabilities in what is 'phase two' of their project with the football club. We are expecting Calon's listener numbers to approximately quadruple when we go on air with commentary. They are spending some time testing in the coming weeks to ensure their stream is ready for this expected boost in numbers, unfortunately this may cause some interruptions to their existing services.

It's interesting that you mention a supporters contribution to the new service by existing Wrexham PlayerHD subscribers or by some of the new listener base in general, as it was also suggested by some of the team during our media meeting last week. I want to make sure we iron out any teething problems and ensure the service is 100% before exploring this.

My aim from the very start of my involvement with club media was to make commentary and highlights free. I hope everyone can support us through this. If there is a desire there from supporters to help support us financially next season I'll certainly look in to it though.

Currently, apart from some camera equipment that the Shreds paid for this season (which has and will save the club thousands of pounds going forward) and a recent donation from the Buckley Reds, Mark and I have personally paid for everything media wise at the club. In some cases paying expenses for our commentators to travel to long distance away matches. I'd dread to think of the figure, but I'd estimate many, many thousands of pounds, which we are happy to help the club save on so supporters are able to keep up-to-date online.

Our main concern for next season is funding travel. With this new service it's even more vital we get someone to every match, even if it's Torquay on a Tuesday night, not forgetting it's not like a fan going to watch a match - it's essentially work and requires a lot of discipline to produce a professional commentary. For these type of circumstances we turn to our student media team members, as others have existing work or family commitments that won't allow for such time consuming travel and the students can't justify the spend required. We are working on this internally but any extra support would be fantastic.

We are aiming for the Calon service to start for our last preseason game at the back end of July. All other preseason games will be covered on the club's Mixlr channel.

On a final note, not to blow our own trumpet, but the Media Team are involved in many projects at the club. Everyone involved is enthusiastic and committed. From Stadium promotion, managing many aspects of the upcoming concerts, Build The Budget, Red For A Day, Nine Acre, PA Announcer management, online customer service, the scoreboard, club digital output and the list goes on... all free of charge to the club and personally invested in with either time or our own money. We're not perfect (who is?) and we will make mistakes along the way - we always learn and move on positively though.

Thanks,
Carl
WAFC Media Manager

Re: Next season's commentary and highlights
 

[QUOTE=Media Team;2026829]Hello everyone - One of the Media Team members brought this thread to my attention so I thought I would come and say hi.

Firstly, I am always happy to answer any questions regarding the club's media output and have been out to supporters groups to do so in the past few months. I'm always approachable on any platform if you would like to contact me. I'm also happy to start answering any sensible questions on Red Passion if the community here would find it useful.

I've got to say, when I first read what WAFCexile had wrote I thought "This can't be right" as the main reason I decided to approach Calon FM to platform next seasons commentary was through me analysing their live stream capabilities over a long period and finding it extremely stable. We did have other options, but Calon is the best option for the club going forward in terms of performance levels and workability.

Although, I popped on to have a listen to all of their platforms and it's not so good today. I've contacted them and they are currently doing some work on their stream capabilities in what is 'phase two' of their project with the football club. We are expecting Calon's listener numbers to approximately quadruple when we go on air with commentary. They are spending some time testing in the coming weeks to ensure their stream is ready for this expected boost in numbers, unfortunately this may cause some interruptions to their existing services.

It's interesting that you mention a supporters contribution to the new service by existing Wrexham PlayerHD subscribers or by some of the new listener base in general, as it was also suggested by some of the team during our media meeting last week. I want to make sure we iron out any teething problems and ensure the service is 100% before exploring this.

My aim from the very start of my involvement with club media was to make commentary and highlights free. I hope everyone can support us through this. If there is a desire there from supporters to help support us financially next season I'll certainly look in to it though.

Currently, apart from some camera equipment that the Shreds paid for this season (which has and will save the club thousands of pounds going forward) and a recent donation from the Buckley Reds, Mark and I have personally paid for everything media wise at the club. In some cases paying expenses for our commentators to travel to long distance away matches. I'd dread to think of the figure, but I'd estimate many, many thousands of pounds, which we are happy to help the club save on so supporters are able to keep up-to-date online.

Our main concern for next season is funding travel. With this new service it's even more vital we get someone to every match, even if it's Torquay on a Tuesday night, not forgetting it's not like a fan going to watch a match - it's essentially work and requires a lot of discipline to produce a professional commentary. For these type of circumstances we turn to our student media team members, as others have existing work or family commitments that won't allow for such time consuming travel and the students can't justify the spend required. We are working on this internally but any extra support would be fantastic.

We are aiming for the Calon service to start for our last preseason game at the back end of July. All other preseason games will be covered on the club's Mixlr channel.

On a final note, not to blow our own trumpet, but the Media Team are involved in many projects at the club. Everyone involved is enthusiastic and committed. From Stadium promotion, managing many aspects of the upcoming concerts, Build The Budget, Red For A Day, Nine Acre, PA Announcer management, online customer service, the scoreboard, club digital output and the list goes on... all free of charge to the club and personally invested in with either time or our own money. We're not perfect (who is?) and we will make mistakes along the way - we always learn and move on positively though.

Thanks,
Carl
WAFC Media Manager[/QUOTE]

Cheers Carl, I will mention this post at our next Gwersyllt Reds meeting to see if we can help in any way and maybe encourage some of the other groups to offer whatever help they can.

We've got Liam Partyn and Phil Davies coming down to speak to us, which should give us a good insight into some of the unseen work that goes on at the club.

Re: Next season's commentary and highlights
 

[QUOTE=Media Team;2026829]Hello everyone - One of the Media Team members brought this thread to my attention so I thought I would come and say hi.

Firstly, I am always happy to answer any questions regarding the club's media output and have been out to supporters groups to do so in the past few months. I'm always approachable on any platform if you would like to contact me. I'm also happy to start answering any sensible questions on Red Passion if the community here would find it useful.

I've got to say, when I first read what WAFCexile had wrote I thought "This can't be right" as the main reason I decided to approach Calon FM to platform next seasons commentary was through me analysing their live stream capabilities over a long period and finding it extremely stable. We did have other options, but Calon is the best option for the club going forward in terms of performance levels and workability.

Although, I popped on to have a listen to all of their platforms and it's not so good today. I've contacted them and they are currently doing some work on their stream capabilities in what is 'phase two' of their project with the football club. We are expecting Calon's listener numbers to approximately quadruple when we go on air with commentary. They are spending some time testing in the coming weeks to ensure their stream is ready for this expected boost in numbers, unfortunately this may cause some interruptions to their existing services.

It's interesting that you mention a supporters contribution to the new service by existing Wrexham PlayerHD subscribers or by some of the new listener base in general, as it was also suggested by some of the team during our media meeting last week. I want to make sure we iron out any teething problems and ensure the service is 100% before exploring this.

My aim from the very start of my involvement with club media was to make commentary and highlights free. I hope everyone can support us through this. If there is a desire there from supporters to help support us financially next season I'll certainly look in to it though.

Currently, apart from some camera equipment that the Shreds paid for this season (which has and will save the club thousands of pounds going forward) and a recent donation from the Buckley Reds, Mark and I have personally paid for everything media wise at the club. In some cases paying expenses for our commentators to travel to long distance away matches. I'd dread to think of the figure, but I'd estimate many, many thousands of pounds, which we are happy to help the club save on so supporters are able to keep up-to-date online.

Our main concern for next season is funding travel. With this new service it's even more vital we get someone to every match, even if it's Torquay on a Tuesday night, not forgetting it's not like a fan going to watch a match - it's essentially work and requires a lot of discipline to produce a professional commentary. For these type of circumstances we turn to our student media team members, as others have existing work or family commitments that won't allow for such time consuming travel and the students can't justify the spend required. We are working on this internally but any extra support would be fantastic.

We are aiming for the Calon service to start for our last preseason game at the back end of July. All other preseason games will be covered on the club's Mixlr channel.

On a final note, not to blow our own trumpet, but the Media Team are involved in many projects at the club. Everyone involved is enthusiastic and committed. From Stadium promotion, managing many aspects of the upcoming concerts, Build The Budget, Red For A Day, Nine Acre, PA Announcer management, online customer service, the scoreboard, club digital output and the list goes on... all free of charge to the club and personally invested in with either time or our own money. We're not perfect (who is?) and we will make mistakes along the way - we always learn and move on positively though.

Thanks,
Carl
WAFC Media Manager[/QUOTE]
Thanks for the update and good to know that work is going on behind the scenes to get ready for next season. Maybe a voluntary donate button on the app during live broadcasts for people who want to contribute towards the expenses you have mentioned?

Sent from my D6603 using Tapatalk

Re: Next season's commentary and highlights
 

[QUOTE=Media Team;2026829]Hello everyone - One of the Media Team members brought this thread to my attention so I thought I would come and say hi.

Firstly, I am always happy to answer any questions regarding the club's media output and have been out to supporters groups to do so in the past few months. I'm always approachable on any platform if you would like to contact me. I'm also happy to start answering any sensible questions on Red Passion if the community here would find it useful.

I've got to say, when I first read what WAFCexile had wrote I thought "This can't be right" as the main reason I decided to approach Calon FM to platform next seasons commentary was through me analysing their live stream capabilities over a long period and finding it extremely stable. We did have other options, but Calon is the best option for the club going forward in terms of performance levels and workability.

Although, I popped on to have a listen to all of their platforms and it's not so good today. I've contacted them and they are currently doing some work on their stream capabilities in what is 'phase two' of their project with the football club. We are expecting Calon's listener numbers to approximately quadruple when we go on air with commentary. They are spending some time testing in the coming weeks to ensure their stream is ready for this expected boost in numbers, unfortunately this may cause some interruptions to their existing services.

It's interesting that you mention a supporters contribution to the new service by existing Wrexham PlayerHD subscribers or by some of the new listener base in general, as it was also suggested by some of the team during our media meeting last week. I want to make sure we iron out any teething problems and ensure the service is 100% before exploring this.

My aim from the very start of my involvement with club media was to make commentary and highlights free. I hope everyone can support us through this. If there is a desire there from supporters to help support us financially next season I'll certainly look in to it though.

Currently, apart from some camera equipment that the Shreds paid for this season (which has and will save the club thousands of pounds going forward) and a recent donation from the Buckley Reds, Mark and I have personally paid for everything media wise at the club. In some cases paying expenses for our commentators to travel to long distance away matches. I'd dread to think of the figure, but I'd estimate many, many thousands of pounds, which we are happy to help the club save on so supporters are able to keep up-to-date online.

Our main concern for next season is funding travel. With this new service it's even more vital we get someone to every match, even if it's Torquay on a Tuesday night, not forgetting it's not like a fan going to watch a match - it's essentially work and requires a lot of discipline to produce a professional commentary. For these type of circumstances we turn to our student media team members, as others have existing work or family commitments that won't allow for such time consuming travel and the students can't justify the spend required. We are working on this internally but any extra support would be fantastic.

We are aiming for the Calon service to start for our last preseason game at the back end of July. All other preseason games will be covered on the club's Mixlr channel.

On a final note, not to blow our own trumpet, but the Media Team are involved in many projects at the club. Everyone involved is enthusiastic and committed. From Stadium promotion, managing many aspects of the upcoming concerts, Build The Budget, Red For A Day, Nine Acre, PA Announcer management, online customer service, the scoreboard, club digital output and the list goes on... all free of charge to the club and personally invested in with either time or our own money. We're not perfect (who is?) and we will make mistakes along the way - we always learn and move on positively though.

Thanks,
Carl
WAFC Media Manager[/QUOTE]
Thanks Carl for that comprehensive report. I must say I am rather surprised by your comments re donations. My understanding is that the Supporters' Association pays around £500 per quarter for the BT Landline under the Racecourse Hospital Broadcast banner. Further income is donated via the annual Hospital Broadcast Collection , again under the Supporters' Association auspices. Must mention , since you highlighted other groups , that our Former Players Association donated £50 in February this year to this cause. Perhaps I am missing something and the Media team are entirely unconnected to the Hospital Broadcast even though Mark Griffiths is central to both? Perhaps you could explain?
Dave

Re: Next season's commentary and highlights
 

[QUOTE=StattoWrexham;2026840]Cheers Carl, I will mention this post at our next Gwersyllt Reds meeting to see if we can help in any way and maybe encourage some of the other groups to offer whatever help they can.

We've got Liam Partyn and Phil Davies coming down to speak to us, which should give us a good insight into some of the unseen work that goes on at the club.[/QUOTE]

Thank you. I'm sure Phil and Liam will be great guests.