Synthetic Cricket Commentary

"Before radio, cricket enthusiasts had to rely on newspaper reports for scorecards of the day's game. There was no such thing as ball-by-ball coverage. Radio developed an ingenious system, used from 1934, where commentators in Sydney recreated the game as it being was played in England - synthetic cricket. Detailed analysis of a match was sent via telex from the ground to a studio in Sydney and as soon as one minute later, these descriptions would be broadcast by the commentary team, complete with the sound of a wooden pencil striking the desk and sound effects of a crowd. Synthetic descriptions proved to be incredibly popular."
http://www.abc.net.au/science/slab/2bl/cricket.htm

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• cricket
• commentary
• radio