Roojoice? Roobore?
"Cometh the hour, cometh the scan," one of George's better lines I thought, as we prepared for last night's Six.
In screens all across the newsroom "Rooney's Scan" screamed in bold type, as Wayne's every movement - from Germany, on to his private jet, in and out of his Bupa hospital, and in to his in-laws - was captured by the cameras. We even had slow-mo pictures of Colleen leaving her house - "is she smiling?, is she smiling?," came the cry.
The coverage was great fun - like a particularly good episode of Footballers' Wives. So how much prominence should we give it on a bulletin? It's an interesting question, because - to some extent anyway - your intuition is pitted against known audience research. We know from family, friends and everyday conversations that there is significant interest in whether Rooney will play in the World Cup. However, the pulse audience survey, viewer e-mails and the duty log would suggest that many of our viewers are completely turned off by the subject. In truth it's all about balance again (boring, I know).
So what did we do? A strong Mark Simpson package (complete with "Rooney's Big Day" sketches) and a great live, in which the latest news from inside Wayne's hospital was texted to Mark by a Man Utd source. The story was in the first half, after NHS debts and an exclusive interview with a Taleban commander.
So when should a news bulletin lead with a sports story? Well, let's wait and see how Rooney and Co get on first shall we?!
PS: To those viewers who phoned in to complain that we had a picture of a Union Flag "upside down" in one of our pieces, we've checked it with a higher authority ("Flags of the World Atlas"), and though it was not technically "upside down," it was hanging at the wrong angle…so sorry about that.
