Imagethief has been hearing for the last few months from friends in positions to know that the setup of Beijing Olympic Broadcast Centre is not going well. "Total chaos," and "Way behind Athens at this stage," are some of the not-so-kind comments. I was therefore interested to see the issue percolating into the mainstream media, via this story from the Associated Press (H/T Thomas Crampton):

Television networks that will broadcast the Beijing Olympics to billions around the world are squaring off with local organizers over stringent security that threatens coverage of the games in two months.

Differences over a wide range of issues — from limits on live coverage in Tiananmen Square to allegations that freight shipments of TV broadcasting equipment are being held up in Chinese ports — surfaced in a contentious meeting late last month between Beijing organizers and high-ranking International Olympic Committee officials and TV executives — including those from NBC.

In response to the complaints from broadcasters, Sun Weijia, head of media operations for the Beijing organizers, asked them to put it in writing, only to draw protests about mounting paperwork.

"I think what I have heard here are just a number of conditions or requirements that are just not workable," said IOC official Gilbert Felli, according to minutes of the May 29 meeting obtained by The Associated Press. "There are a number of things that are just not feasible."

Despite the outburst, Sun asked again to have the complaints in writing.

"I just wish to have a kind of document to help me identify the key points," he said, drawing immediate protest.

"How many times do we have to do that?" asked Manolo Romero, an Olympic broadcasting official.

As many times as they ask, I guess.

It's interesting that this story should come out now, even though the troubles have apparently been ongoing for a while. Imagethief, not normally prone to conspiracy theories, wonders if AP's acquisition of the minutes of the May 29th meeting is not entirely accidental.

A couple of issues surface here. One is the right to broadcast live from Tian'anmen Square. This is colorful, but not, in fact the critical issue. That's just as well, because the Chinese government seems unwilling to relent on it. What's really important is the delays and problems in getting the broadcasting equipment shipped and installed in the Olympic Broadcast Center. While networks around the world have paid millions of dollars (and in the case of America's NBC, nearly a billion) to broadcast the Games, all those broadcasts will in fact originate from the Beijing Olympic Broadcast Center. If its not functioning well, everyone gets burned. For what is largely a made-for-TV event, that is a big deal.

Twittering Beeb employee Peanutbrittle25 tweeted today that he'd heard reports of BOBC people trying to make deliveries of equipment to Olympic venues and being turned around at the gates. This echoes what I've heard elsewhere, along with reports of planning snafus, poor communications, poor process management and other issues. Not so surprising considering two likely factors: The natural suspicion that arises at the intersection of the Chinese government and international media; and the local bureaucratic tendency to handle the big stuff beautifully but muff the operational details (case study: BCIA Terminal Three).

Presumably it will all be ironed out by game time (even CCTV will rely on the BOBC), but with the games now a mere 57 (!) days away, every day of delay is a meaningful chunk of time gone. It can't be doing much for the blood pressure of the BOB people or the networks around the world that have coughed up big bucks for broadcast rights.

Stay tuned. Literally.

Update:

For more dishy tidbits, see also The Australian's story on this.