BBC Mark II: Mr Byford gives the corporation's journalism a makeover
A long piece. I am sure that in there, somewhere, amongst the MBA-speak and brand-babble, there might be something about using funds in addressing the quality of the actual journalism.
Your licence fee at work.
Coincidentally on the matter of our public-service news reporting, I listen to a BBC News reader ask the CEO of the travel company (whose coach was rammed by a rogue truck driver) 'Should we be asking if our children can be safe when they travel overseas?'.
From the ridiculous, I move to this:
PR: The dark history of spin and its threat to genuine news
So if they are not being stupid or acting as agenda-driven mouthpieces, they are being bought (Fancy buying a toy that makes the sound of bubble-wrap? The solution, according to the BBC, is to buy bubble wrap. Or... and here's thought, keep all that you get sent and reuse it when required... with a few stress relief pops at the edges (so it still functions) as you re-wrap).
But sorry, that's all we have time for. Now, back to the skateboarding turtle...
Addendum:
The Register - Earth to Ofcom: They're our airwaves. Give them back - Priceless, if depressing.
Times - BBC rings changes with news revamp - universal appeal. Not.
Showing posts with label NEWS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NEWS. Show all posts
Monday, April 14, 2008
Friday, May 18, 2007
They are cracking me up!
Before I go to bed, I just have to get off my chest the latest idiocy from out national broadcaster.
A few years ago, a dirty great lump of ice in the middle of the Canadian wastewaters broke off.
Now, it is probably not a good thing, and possibly a further sign, should we need it, of a warming trend climatically. So far, so factual.
But what do we get? Po-faced, the anchor announces that: 'this is what it could have looked like; before we get what seemed like a cut-price CGI animatic to the opening sequence of Ice Age, the movie. Basically a cartoon of a white thing with a crack running along it.
Then, just for good measure, we get a blow by blow account of the BBC reporter and team struggling, you guessed it, to get there in a chartered airplane to stand on this two year old lump of floating ice, '...to understand what may have caused this'.
For some reason, all watching thought this more of an effective p*ss take than the preceding Have I Got New For You, and fell off their chairs laughing. I sooo feel my licence fee is being well spent.
ADDENDUM - yes, it's now also on the web: Mission to Ice Island - 'you can follow the progress of myself and producer Mark Georgiou and cameraman Duncan Stone.'
A few years ago, a dirty great lump of ice in the middle of the Canadian wastewaters broke off.
Now, it is probably not a good thing, and possibly a further sign, should we need it, of a warming trend climatically. So far, so factual.
But what do we get? Po-faced, the anchor announces that: 'this is what it could have looked like; before we get what seemed like a cut-price CGI animatic to the opening sequence of Ice Age, the movie. Basically a cartoon of a white thing with a crack running along it.
Then, just for good measure, we get a blow by blow account of the BBC reporter and team struggling, you guessed it, to get there in a chartered airplane to stand on this two year old lump of floating ice, '...to understand what may have caused this'.
For some reason, all watching thought this more of an effective p*ss take than the preceding Have I Got New For You, and fell off their chairs laughing. I sooo feel my licence fee is being well spent.
ADDENDUM - yes, it's now also on the web: Mission to Ice Island - 'you can follow the progress of myself and producer Mark Georgiou and cameraman Duncan Stone.'
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Irony is in short supply, too
It is great to be back at home, in a well, naturally-lit room (or, preferably, outdoors) with my kids around me. However, some aspects of this job I really dread.
High on the list is watching the BBC 'News'.
This lunchtime there was yet another piece on climate change. One reporter sent to Brussels to cover the latest conference (apparently, something needs to be done). One reporter sent to Mexico where some lake is receding and the locals want something done as they are losing the tourist visitors (is there such a thing as double irony?), and one course another sent to Antarctica to talk on a video phone about why all this travelling we're doing (presumably going to report from a blizzard some decent CGI could knock up... or even a nice backdrop, is not an option) is not helping.
Still, it was nice all the folk interviewed at Heathrow were really thinking of not going to Florida again this year, and maybe would just cut down to Europe or the Med.
And speaking of Heathrow, wasn't it nice to see those two helicopters taking the captive sailors off to Devon?
BBC - Europe diary: Cars and lobbyists - Not sure, but I do belive a different reporter to the Brussels one above
Just watched BBC Lunchtime News and one of the main features was this latest climate change fest. I was just wondering if Mr. Mardell was the UK reporter from this venue, as opposed to the one in Mexico by the lake that's getting no more tourists because of global warming (double irony?) or the one who flew to the Arctic to 'report' live on how flying to the Arctic is causing a problem (triple irony?).
High on the list is watching the BBC 'News'.
This lunchtime there was yet another piece on climate change. One reporter sent to Brussels to cover the latest conference (apparently, something needs to be done). One reporter sent to Mexico where some lake is receding and the locals want something done as they are losing the tourist visitors (is there such a thing as double irony?), and one course another sent to Antarctica to talk on a video phone about why all this travelling we're doing (presumably going to report from a blizzard some decent CGI could knock up... or even a nice backdrop, is not an option) is not helping.
Still, it was nice all the folk interviewed at Heathrow were really thinking of not going to Florida again this year, and maybe would just cut down to Europe or the Med.
And speaking of Heathrow, wasn't it nice to see those two helicopters taking the captive sailors off to Devon?
BBC - Europe diary: Cars and lobbyists - Not sure, but I do belive a different reporter to the Brussels one above
Just watched BBC Lunchtime News and one of the main features was this latest climate change fest. I was just wondering if Mr. Mardell was the UK reporter from this venue, as opposed to the one in Mexico by the lake that's getting no more tourists because of global warming (double irony?) or the one who flew to the Arctic to 'report' live on how flying to the Arctic is causing a problem (triple irony?).
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