Across the waves

[RoyalChicagoFC]

Hiya --didn't know which thread to trample on with this so reluctantly decided to start a new one.

First, congratulations to Reading FC and its supporters on the eve of what has to rank as the biggest day in the history of the club. Well wishes also to BBC Radio Berkshire, with congratulations on the triumph of people power which resulted in reinstating the long-standing broadcast relationship between club and station.

I'll of course be making an effort to tune in to all programming available to nondomestic listeners, beginning this evening, continuing tomorrow before the game and resuming afterwards. It is a shame that policy requires what it does with regard to blacking out match broadcasts, but rules are rules; perhaps one day those who made them will see fit to unmake them, and I shall remain hopeful.

It's a matter of concern to me that Reading fans should know that a trip to the States for business or pleasure during the season is not tantamount to deprivation. As things currently stand, no fewer than six of the coming season's first nine fixtures are scheduled to air on U.S. television; of those, two will air on a delayed, same-day basis (Boro and Wigan), and the four others will air live (ManCity, ManUnited, Chelsea and Arsenal).

Each of them will be shown on Fox Soccer Channel, a cable-only station available to many (if not necessarily most) of the cable-subscribed households in the U.S., and certainly to any football pub worthy of the name (and, for the record, I am not now, have never been and harbor no ambitions of ever being in the employ of FSC or any of its affiliated companies, including among others bSkyb). FSC's broadcast schedules are usually posted online from ten days to two weeks in advance, subject to finalization, so it's possible to know in a timely manner if Royals visiting the States will be able to see a game live or close to it; the same goes for those visiting Canada.

I maintain a thread over in the Meeting Up section with specific regard to game broadcasts in the U.S., and it's strictly up to BBC Radio Berkshire as to if, how or when such information might be used in the course of its programming; the larger point is that if a BBC/RB listener has plans to be in the States (or, for that matter, resides here), it's pretty safe to say that information about domestic broadcast availability and times would be known at least ten days out --and if there's an interest in passing such information along over the air, then please by all means be my guest.

I wouldn't need my name tied up with it from any kind of ego-gratification standpoint, but I suppose that it would only be right to step forward in the event that bad information somehow got out and people needed someone in particular to yell at. If there's a need for my identifying information, a request to my attention via PM would suffice to acquire it.

With that, I'll conclude by extending best wishes to all for a successfully memorable season from a long-distance admirer, and I look forward to listening in. URZZ!!

[URZZZZZZZZ]

Amen to that!