Scrap the 25% independent producers quota for ITV - one of Michael Grade's suggestions for the future. Here's another - ITV news in the nations and regions might be provided in the longer term by a publicly funded third party, Grade told the RTS yesterday.
Is he throwing his toys out of the pram or the baby with the bathwater? I can't see ITV1 is overflowing with exciting new ideas from indies - they seem to turn up on the BBC more often, particularly when it comes to drama. Tearing up a statutory quota doesn't sound like a good way of building relations with indies.
As for dropping the regional news into an unspecified 'public' home - clearly ITV sees its regional commitment as 'toxic' in the way that banks have toxic finance clogging up their books. What was once thought to be it's USP, is now looked on as a UBX.
ITV usually gets its way from the regulator so the chances are that these ideas - and others - will come about. But don't be suprised if it's under a different ownership.
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Jamie's luck
I know the BBC's supposed to be considering ways to help out Channel 4 - rather than hand over some of the licence fee - and Tuesday night's schedule suggests it's already doing its bit. Jamie's Ministry of Food has stirred a small controversy for its attitude to Rotherham, but he's pretty lucky that Tuesday night is pretty turgid.
The show increased its audience to 3.1 million/14% share from last week's 3 million/13% - but I'm not sure it would have happened if the competition hadn't been so weak. BBC1's thin Steve Coogan vehicle, Sunshine - he's a Mancunian, wouldn't you know - opened with 3.7 million/17% share, and it combined with a disappointing 1 million/5% share for the new but somewhat esoteric British Style Genius series. With an unexceptional ITV1 offering Cops with Cameras had 3.6 million/16% share and Five's consistent CSI Miami with 2.6 million/11% share, Jamie's show looked better than it might have seemed.
Channel 4 increased its primetime share to almost 10% - which will be something of a relief.
The show increased its audience to 3.1 million/14% share from last week's 3 million/13% - but I'm not sure it would have happened if the competition hadn't been so weak. BBC1's thin Steve Coogan vehicle, Sunshine - he's a Mancunian, wouldn't you know - opened with 3.7 million/17% share, and it combined with a disappointing 1 million/5% share for the new but somewhat esoteric British Style Genius series. With an unexceptional ITV1 offering Cops with Cameras had 3.6 million/16% share and Five's consistent CSI Miami with 2.6 million/11% share, Jamie's show looked better than it might have seemed.
Channel 4 increased its primetime share to almost 10% - which will be something of a relief.
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Wishlist for BBC2 - part 2
Janice Hadlow has been appointed controller of BBC2 - time to revisit a couple of the ideas on my BBC2 wishlist.
How would BBC2 benefit from Newsnight being shorter? I doubt if the next editor of Newsnight will want to turn it into a 30 minute magazine - but opening up 11pm to new documentaries is a good idea. BBC2's primetime is over-crowded with formulaic factual - Anger is the latest example - so the channel could do with somewhere for fresh ideas.
Maybe the solution would be to trim Newsnight on a Friday and free up the Newsnight Review slot. If so, it could be part of a more substantial overhaul of BBC2's arts, culture and media coverage.
How would BBC2 benefit from Newsnight being shorter? I doubt if the next editor of Newsnight will want to turn it into a 30 minute magazine - but opening up 11pm to new documentaries is a good idea. BBC2's primetime is over-crowded with formulaic factual - Anger is the latest example - so the channel could do with somewhere for fresh ideas.
Maybe the solution would be to trim Newsnight on a Friday and free up the Newsnight Review slot. If so, it could be part of a more substantial overhaul of BBC2's arts, culture and media coverage.
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