tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18265910015900575682024-03-19T04:04:36.101+00:00trading as wdra blog containing thoughts about change and how to achieve ittradingaswdrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09969773492624569044noreply@blogger.comBlogger14486125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826591001590057568.post-18046970301937982762024-03-18T12:33:00.004+00:002024-03-18T12:33:57.514+00:00Tweet tweet<p>Fearless Radio 4 Controller Mo Bakaya is cancelling the weekday editions of Tweet of The Day.</p><p>His arguments - it's apparently an important time to give Farming Today an extra 90 seconds; he couldn't afford to continue it without repeats; some of the saving allows new recordings for the surviving Sunday slot. </p><p>Let's try some others. The show has been going since 6th May 2013; Twitter started in 2006, with Jack Dorsey explaining "We came across the word 'twitter', and it was just perfect. The definition was 'a short burst of inconsequential information', and 'chirps from birds'. And that's exactly what the product was...." </p><p>Tweet of the Day was the idea of Julian Hector, running the radio end of the Natural History Unit. He'd started out as a sea-bird ecologist. He'd been stranded doing research work on Bird Island at the time of the invasion of South Georgia, with just a oil-drum of dried cabbage left; he was rescued by the Royal Navy. He recalled hearing a World Service programme featuring the tawny owl during his time in the South Atlantic, which propelled him to a safer life as a radio producer. </p><p>There are currently 634 different species of bird in the UK. The first series found 166 of them, most recorded specially. The second series was named World Birds, using library and archive recordings; the third series featured less tweeting, and more presenter talk. </p><p>You'd need 2836 birds to keep every weekday edition since 2013 different. The launch edition, with Sir David Attenborough on the cuckoo, has been out three times. There are 743 editions available on BBC Sounds, but some are extended versions featuring the same birds. </p>tradingaswdrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09969773492624569044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826591001590057568.post-48822633114886732252024-03-18T08:53:00.000+00:002024-03-18T08:53:16.769+00:00John Wilson<p>John Wilson, the BBC's first Controller of Editorial Policy, has died, aged 87. </p><p>He was appointed in September 1987, by John Birt. In an interview in 1993, he described what the job was supposed to do. </p><div style="text-align: left;">"The idea was to have someone who would be a touchstone for Editorial standards for all of the factual programmes for the BBC, that's television and radio, national television, national radio, local radio, regional television and of course, internationally as well. I thing one of the concerns had been that programme-makers all over the BBC, in what is nowadays and was certainly true then, an ever changing programme-making population, needed someone to whom they could tum to who'd had quite a lot of experience of editorial issues and to whom they could say, 'Look we have this problem, what do you think we should do ?'. That really was my role, was to give advice and guidance to programmes ad hoc, as they needed it but also to be a source for the stating of programme standards after discussions and whatever."</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The <a href="https://connectedhistoriesofthebbc.org/data/main/JohnWilson/interview1/LR0002566Transcripts1.pdf">transcript of the full interview</a> provides marvellous insights on Northern Ireland, The Westland Affair, various tricky Panoramas, and political bullying of the BBC. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">John was running the Six O'Clock News on Radio 4 when I first met him as a trainee in late 1973; the three-day week was looming, and, during the programme, a new Government edict came through about the use of generators to keep evening football matches going. I was told to write it up as 'a tight half', and passed it to John, who said it was too long. In the corridor outside the studio, he asked "What's the real point ?" I said "Football clubs who thought they could use generators for night matches have been told they can't". </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">"Why didn't you write that in the first place ?". </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Later, when John was in charge of all network radio news and current affairs, he was one of few senior managers who 'got' Newsbeat. He would regularly appear, quietly, at the back of the studio during the 1230 transmission, then chat with us afterwards. When there were arguments from others that we weren't following newsroom 'leads', he usually took our side. |</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>tradingaswdrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09969773492624569044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826591001590057568.post-46124937755862894712024-03-17T11:19:00.000+00:002024-03-17T11:19:27.966+00:00Mike Chaney<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh09JFKgpWaORPs8J7cznu4IHiw81_60BVcN-FPU46CGvV4Vfd4xWmsM0SpKpj3PF31ZLxc3ISGUOYxbCNLNcNnn1A_Isgly-Rsai4_x4n7yhAVP2zjSQ_LJdxvF51pe3Jm3dwvngLZ2TvG9KY7eCip2b48kC1es6qKCa8vpqZlM25bUmFvfBJ_3I2UjoSY" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="549" data-original-width="577" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh09JFKgpWaORPs8J7cznu4IHiw81_60BVcN-FPU46CGvV4Vfd4xWmsM0SpKpj3PF31ZLxc3ISGUOYxbCNLNcNnn1A_Isgly-Rsai4_x4n7yhAVP2zjSQ_LJdxvF51pe3Jm3dwvngLZ2TvG9KY7eCip2b48kC1es6qKCa8vpqZlM25bUmFvfBJ_3I2UjoSY" width="252" /></a>Mike Chaney, founding editor of Newsbeat on Radio 1, has died, aged 91. </p><p>He was genuinely larger than life, though a little smaller than James Robertson Justice, and only a tad less nautical than Captain Birdseye. </p><p>He'd been in and around Fleet Street, with experience at World Service, and was working at The Sun when he was appointed; their headline was "Sun staff gets top Beeb job". </p><p>After early editions fronted by Ed Stewart, the show settled down with Laurie Mayer and Richard Skinner presenting; one Roger Gale, now Sir Roger Gale, MP, Deputy Speaker, was on the production team, having been signed from Radio London. I was there as a trainee during the elections of 1974; Newsbeat was the first Radio 1 programme to interview a Prime Minister, Edward Heath. </p><p>Mike moved to Today in 1976; The BBC Press Office release noted"Mike Chaney is married and lives in Dulwich; they have twelve children, three from his previous marriage, four by his wife, and five from his wife's previous marriage". Mike's job was to launch co-presentation from Manchester and London, a plan refused by the previous editor Alistair Osborne. He brought in Roger Gale and Paul Heiney (then a reporter) with him from Newsbeat; he fired Gillian Reynolds and Barry Norman from weekend presentation. </p><p>Mike's spell was short - a new Controller R4 invented the daft 'Up to the hour', Chaney walked, and hung around till given the job of launching Radio Norfolk, which lasted until 1982, when he had a row with Managing Director Aubrey Singer over <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p08pzslr">the supply of fresh razor blades </a>for audio tape editing.</p><p>He moved to Dorset, working in press and PR for the County Council. In retirement, he campaigned successfully to save Puddletown Library in 2013; represented the interests of local NHS patients; and co-ordinated shared cars in the town. <br /><br /></p>tradingaswdrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09969773492624569044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826591001590057568.post-9252717912182882502024-03-16T09:31:00.003+00:002024-03-16T09:31:31.376+00:00Yanked<p>Pretty clear that new investors Disney+ have called the shots in launch time and date for the next season of Dr Who. </p><p>The 15th Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa, makes his full debut at 7pm Eastern Time, Friday May 10th, and will be available in the UK on iPlayer at that time, 11pm BST. Its linear broadcast on the UK will come on Saturday 11th May, somewhere in the build-up to the Eurovision Final in Malmo. </p>tradingaswdrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09969773492624569044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826591001590057568.post-83131626378157643992024-03-16T08:48:00.002+00:002024-03-16T08:48:17.827+00:00It's for charitee<p>We may never know who they were. The mysterious funders of the Jewish Chronicle, fronted by Sir Robbie Gibb, want to turn the operation into a charitable trust. </p><p>The weekly was rescued in April 2020. Current editor Jake Wallis Simons said that some of those involved in the consortium “are elderly and I understand that their motives are philanthropic. Even prior to the events of 7th October, they had no interest in being publicised as the interim owners of the world’s oldest Jewish newspaper."</p><p>“Without their generosity, the JC may not be here today."</p><p>Whilst the advancement of journalism is not accepted as a charitable purpose, a number of new-ish organisations have achieved charitable status, including Full Fact, The Conversation UK, andThe Burngreave Messenger. </p>tradingaswdrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09969773492624569044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826591001590057568.post-48581646708762625902024-03-15T13:21:00.000+00:002024-03-15T13:21:49.164+00:00All the answers<p>Tuesday 26th March is "Live Long and Prosper Day", in honour of the birthday of the late Leonard Nimoy. Let's hope the same applies to the BBC; DG Tim Davie has apparently chosen that date for a big "Future of Everything" speech. </p><p>“A new wave of technological change is reshaping the media landscape and bringing fresh challenges for us all: to our democracy; to our creative economy; and, to society" is his build-up. </p><p>Late March is when the BBC publishes its Annual Plan, required to hand to Ofcom since 2017/18; before that, the BBC issued an annual "statement of programme policy". Over the years, they've morphed into a preview of big events coverage, with less and less financial detail. </p><p>The plan requires endorsement from new Chairman Shah; will, as best BBC management speak now has it, their visions be aligned ?</p>tradingaswdrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09969773492624569044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826591001590057568.post-54765968931042761612024-03-15T12:05:00.001+00:002024-03-15T12:05:07.602+00:00Parallel running<p>Whilst Martha Kearney might not be surprised that Emma Barnett is to be her long-term replacement in the Today Programme presenter team, she might raise a ladylike eyebrow to see her successor arrive before the Kearney locker is emptied. </p><p>Martha has announced her departure 'after the next General Election'. It seems BBC News can afford to bring Emma Barnett on board alongside her from May. </p><p>The appointment was announced by Director of News Programmes, John McAndrew. Emma was one of the team of nine presenters on Sky News' weekly chatathon, The Pledge, launched by McAndrew in 2016. In 2017 he paired Barnett and Nick Ferrari as co-hosts of the experiment, After The News, from ITN. </p>tradingaswdrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09969773492624569044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826591001590057568.post-2268524721123265952024-03-15T10:52:00.004+00:002024-03-15T10:52:43.107+00:00It's a channel<p>In the digital first world, the old-fashioned 'channel' is back on a roll as a FAST offering - free ad-supported streaming television, and, wait for it, BBC News is ON IT. </p><p>With the help of AMC Networks, more people in the United States will be able to pick up BBC News via Pluto TV, Samsung TV Plus, Xumo Play, VIZIO WatchFree+, Sling Freestream and Plex. That could, in theory, double the channel's US reach, beyond its current satellite and cable providers. </p><p><br /></p>tradingaswdrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09969773492624569044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826591001590057568.post-40038180131716034562024-03-15T10:35:00.001+00:002024-03-15T10:35:30.111+00:00Starmer on BBC Local Radio<p>Sir Keir Starmer on yesterday's Front Row, Radio 4, talking to Samira Ahmed about Labour's arts strategy, the BBC licence fee and BBC Local Radio.</p><p><br /></p><iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1775413767&color=%2354444c&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/tradingaswdr" title="tradingaswdr" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">tradingaswdr</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/tradingaswdr/starmer" title="Starmer" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Starmer</a></div>tradingaswdrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09969773492624569044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826591001590057568.post-36296753472879448352024-03-15T09:35:00.001+00:002024-03-15T09:35:39.027+00:00Three more years<p>By presumably universal acclaim from the Conservative Government, Sir Robbie Gibb has been appointed non-executive member of the BBC Board representing the interests of England for another three years. </p><p>His most recent Chair, Dame Elan Closs Stephens opined “Robbie has a particular point of view about diversity of thought that usually means we are probably too left in his opinion." When Sr Robbie was accused of heavy lobbying about the appointment of the Ofcom chair by Nadine Dorries, Elan had a look, swerved the lobbying issue, and said "I am satisfied that no breach of the Board's Code of Practice has taken place". </p><p>In the revolving world of public appointments, Samir Shah, who as an indie producer supplied This Week to the BBC under the editorial eye of Robbie Gibb, was on the interview panel when Robbie first turned up as a Board member. As BBC Chair-elect, Samir promised MPs he'd look at Robbie Gibb's lobbying activities; we must assume he has, and is happy. </p>tradingaswdrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09969773492624569044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826591001590057568.post-87019220104336513032024-03-15T09:20:00.001+00:002024-03-15T09:20:22.024+00:00February figures<p>BARB monthly reach figures for February are in. BBC News suffered a big drop, down to 9.66m, from 10.45m in January, and 11m in February 2023. Sky is also down, to 6.96m, from 7.63m in January and .... a year ago. </p><p>GB News nudges up to 3.31m, from 3.16m the previous month, and up from 2.77m in February 2023.</p><p>TalkTV, soon to depart Barb ratings, is on a downward trend, at 2.25m, from 2.50m the previous month, and 2.25m a year ago. </p>tradingaswdrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09969773492624569044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826591001590057568.post-57536284950191863052024-03-14T06:15:00.002+00:002024-03-14T06:15:52.095+00:00Rules<p>In <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/13/ofcom-gb-news-media-regulator?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other">a think piece </a>for the Guardian, Stewart Purvis and Chris Banatvala throw down a challenge to Lord Grade, Melanie Dawes and Cristina Nicolloti Squires of Ofcom to get a grip before the General Election. </p><p>Stewart was editor in chief of ITN and a former Ofcom content and standards partner. Chris Banatvala is an independent expert member of the Sky News board, has done similar for the BBC, and was Ofcom’s founding director of standards responsible for drafting and enforcing its first broadcasting code.</p><p><i>When the broadcasting code, which all UK broadcasters must comply with, was first published almost 20 years ago, it was never envisaged that sitting politicians and senior officials from the same political party would present news and current affairs shows day in, day out. If it did happen, then it would certainly raise questions under the impartiality rules. Now presenters give long monologues on no end of controversial matters and frequently go unchallenged. But neither the law, the code nor Ofcom’s published guidance on the code has changed.</i></p><p><i>It is not for Ofcom but parliament to decide whether impartiality rules should be weakened, changed or abandoned. If, after public and parliamentary debate, there’s a view that perhaps impartiality should only apply to public service broadcasters, then so be it. But, at the moment, the rules are being changed by the back door.</i></p>tradingaswdrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09969773492624569044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826591001590057568.post-2721844210672617802024-03-13T10:53:00.005+00:002024-03-13T11:20:22.306+00:00Not news, Naja 2<p>"Mel B has moved back to Leeds to live with her mum" - Yorkshire Post, 17 September 2019</p><p>"Mel B on moving back in with her mum after 'abusive marriage left her powerless'" - BBC News, 13th March 2024, an interview to promote the second edition of her 2018 autobiography, "Brutally Honest".</p><p>(Mel B appeared on Newsnight on 1st March, and on R4's Young Again yesterday.)</p>tradingaswdrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09969773492624569044noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826591001590057568.post-61619099433037994932024-03-12T09:45:00.002+00:002024-03-12T09:45:50.386+00:00Talk about it<p>BBC News have selected Jonathan Aspinwall, currently in charge of newschat for podcasts, as the man to rebirth Newsnight as even more newschat. </p><p>Jonathan (KGV Sixth Form College, Southport; LLB East Anglia; Post Grad Diploma in Journalism, Falmouth) started out freelancing for Radio Merseyside at the end of the last century. At Radio 5Live he produced Stephen Nolan and Richard Bacon; he was there when Brexitcast started. After a period as No 2 on BBC Breakfast, he now bestrides the News podcast empire; he launched Ukrainecast (with Victoria Derbyshire), he's refreshed Americast; he's started Eurovisioncast, and helped birth The Today Podcast. </p>tradingaswdrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09969773492624569044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826591001590057568.post-42343145172516210732024-03-12T07:44:00.001+00:002024-03-12T07:44:15.092+00:00Not news, Naja 1<p>The first of what I'm afraid is almost certain to be a series. </p><p>Someone has written, edited, added titles and music to this nonsense. At 0740 GMT it's one of five stories highlighted as "World" on the BBC News app, though not given front page placement on the website. </p><p><i>California Highway Patrol officers were seen cleaning up an interstate in Los Angeles, California on Monday after cases of toilet paper fell out of a truck. The loo rolls, which were scattered across multiple lanes, caused a temporary traffic jam.</i></p><p><iframe frameborder="0" height="500" src="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av-embeds/68540785" width="400"></iframe></p>tradingaswdrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09969773492624569044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826591001590057568.post-10656720192410161592024-03-11T09:48:00.004+00:002024-03-11T09:48:51.402+00:00Game-changing<p>New-ish BBC Chief People Officer Uzair Qadeer is out and about this spring. He features in the latest edition (paywalled) of People Management, the organ of the CIPD: ‘I knew nothing about how the BBC worked – but I knew it stood for truth’. He's a keynote speaker at the HR Technology Conference & Exposition in Amsterdam in May. And he's been discussing 'Enterprise Leadership' and his first ten months in the job, with the WaldenCroft Podcast.... </p><p><br /></p><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1771289667&color=%238c7e76&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Interstate, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Garuda, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: 100; line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; word-break: normal;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/tradingaswdr" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="tradingaswdr">tradingaswdr</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/tradingaswdr/uzair" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Uzair">Uzair</a></div>tradingaswdrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09969773492624569044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826591001590057568.post-7970011557516731642024-03-11T07:45:00.000+00:002024-03-11T07:45:01.057+00:00How it's doneNever mind sleeves etc. How do you get three children to smile absolutely simultaneously, with an almost measured precision of mouth-opening ? Why, it's "Best Take" a feature on new Google 8 phones. <p> </p><iframe width="400" height="225" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Z1N53ZOv-ak?si=kz5h7i0QuCi-eE8i" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>tradingaswdrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09969773492624569044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826591001590057568.post-88224029816726004842024-03-10T10:32:00.003+00:002024-03-10T10:32:27.165+00:00Quality and growth<p> How's the BBC News digital team winning this weekend ? Dashcams are helping.... </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgKrHdPUXcZ1LDcQECO9Fm-gkheyJLcbZSu-xqXjAXPMJqLmFNmv2mBBOuzZv5fbZHf9pegLh1nO2jSQWnBi3jGwqTHfnTyhuCadI73kVNuMfcv6IigD4jVsYfOPOZGK9Wt7mmEIB7ub1P3FFdxD57Am5YslUltu8xvRijlr4sOWjlqyfWLbBR6JTEWZAH5" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="1601" height="66" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgKrHdPUXcZ1LDcQECO9Fm-gkheyJLcbZSu-xqXjAXPMJqLmFNmv2mBBOuzZv5fbZHf9pegLh1nO2jSQWnBi3jGwqTHfnTyhuCadI73kVNuMfcv6IigD4jVsYfOPOZGK9Wt7mmEIB7ub1P3FFdxD57Am5YslUltu8xvRijlr4sOWjlqyfWLbBR6JTEWZAH5=w400-h66" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>And there's at least 50 others on offer....</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi6ie4o79pccrus04nd-79gjn5-DYuDjzBHMk65ipLYcfpKVk6uyR6Ar3XJpvPB0LTDqoSzTSTd-gK-ZkxwA3RSP86S6MLpHrFPwVZLB89kAT3MJG6h9-5vlAqSdQnkyejIlrSHIvzqChJHPUOHif-Cf9WI0d1fRmjiBE39kSfo4r9AkaGqnozGotCJxPJI" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="885" data-original-width="576" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi6ie4o79pccrus04nd-79gjn5-DYuDjzBHMk65ipLYcfpKVk6uyR6Ar3XJpvPB0LTDqoSzTSTd-gK-ZkxwA3RSP86S6MLpHrFPwVZLB89kAT3MJG6h9-5vlAqSdQnkyejIlrSHIvzqChJHPUOHif-Cf9WI0d1fRmjiBE39kSfo4r9AkaGqnozGotCJxPJI=w260-h400" width="260" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p>tradingaswdrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09969773492624569044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826591001590057568.post-64355160802183363052024-03-09T09:46:00.002+00:002024-03-09T09:46:49.474+00:00Success City, Arizona<p>There's a flavour of Sunshine Desserts about the latest missive to troops from BBC Digital Director Naja Neilsen. </p><p>"We’re already working at full throttle to deliver what our audiences need – the best journalism in the world on digital, mobile and social platforms, no matter what their media habits might be. And our vision across the whole of the BBC is aligned. Hear more from me and the pan-BBC Digital Leadership Group (DLG) in these digital-first explainer videos....."</p><p>It seems her group may be the 'owners' of Win The Weekend. It's got to everyone it seems. In Yorkshire last week, a frustrated BBC Local Radio fan pointed me to the sort of online journalism now being offered instead of a local radio service beyond 2pm in the afternoons: "<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-68385690">Knaresborough businesswoman says burlesque dancing changed her life". </a> Today, it's taken no less than two journalists to create the feature misleadingly headlined '<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-68514464">Wedding photographer caused mayhem - I told him to leave</a>', a potpourri of wedding tales. </p><p>Naja wants growth. Many others want the BBC to concentrate on telling stories simply and clearly, with a bit more context, even at the expense of first and fast. </p><p>"Keep talking to each other, to your Team Leaders, and to me and my Senior Leadership team about what’s important – our audiences. If we keep focusing on growth through that lens, we’ll stay on track."</p>tradingaswdrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09969773492624569044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826591001590057568.post-73895415050239551612024-03-08T10:44:00.000+00:002024-03-08T10:44:07.957+00:00Clean up<p>Compliance buffs will be delighted to know that the <a href="https://junipertv.co.uk/">Juniper TV website </a>has been expunged of references to Dr Samir Shah, now BBC Chair.</p>tradingaswdrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09969773492624569044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826591001590057568.post-37366506632719639122024-03-08T08:44:00.004+00:002024-03-08T08:44:35.295+00:00NZ News<p>Hard times for hacks down under. New Zealand news fans learned last week that Newshub/nee 3 News, the 6pm bulletin on TV3, is coming to an end in June, alongside pretty much all other news output and some 200 jobs. The decision, by Warner Bros Discovery, left tv news broadcasting to state-own TVNZ; and now they're cutting back. </p><p>68 jobs, 9% of all staff, will go, and programmes to close include Fair Go, a 47-year-old consumer rights show, the 'Sunday' news and current affairs offering, and the weekday half-hour bulletins at 12.30pm and 10.30pm. </p>tradingaswdrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09969773492624569044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826591001590057568.post-39886328913632404822024-03-08T08:07:00.003+00:002024-03-08T08:07:30.965+00:00Team news<p>Word reaches me that BBC executives have selected a new head of sport, to replace the retiring Barbara Slater. A second word reaches me that the successful candidate is a woman. I await the third word. </p>tradingaswdrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09969773492624569044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826591001590057568.post-55957420305336290602024-03-07T16:15:00.001+00:002024-03-07T16:15:26.552+00:00PluggerEvgeny Lebedev continues his campaign for wider use of psychedelic ayahuasca in today's London Evening Standard. <div><br></div><div>The proprietor turns interviewer across two pages. His subject: Professor Bill Richards and his book "Sacred Knowledge: Psychedelics and Religious Experience"; the peg - the book, first published in 2016, is coming out in Spanish in May.</div>tradingaswdrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09969773492624569044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826591001590057568.post-6677580103605223582024-03-07T13:47:00.001+00:002024-03-07T13:47:41.311+00:00Dictionary CornerUnworthy - not deserving respect or attention.<div><br></div><div>(of an action) not acceptable, especially from someone with a good reputation or social position.</div><div>"such a suggestion is unworthy of the Honourable Gentleman"</div><div><br></div><div>NB "Wrong" is not a synonym </div>tradingaswdrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09969773492624569044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1826591001590057568.post-5809546960574133802024-03-06T17:16:00.000+00:002024-03-06T17:16:01.885+00:00Pyrrhic ?<p>GB News has 'won' the battle to be the major loss-making window for right-wing commentators and right-wing eccentrics on linear TV in the UK. </p><p>TalkTV has thrown in the linear channel towel, but it's still not clear how the operation will re-structure itself in the summer. One suspects it will try to maintain an 18-hour a day live presence, if only as a live YouTube stream of TalkRadio. But there'll be little point in paying Jeremy Kyle thousands to do an early breakfast; the Talk, with or without Sharon Osbourne, doesn't make much sense, and Vanessa ain't cutting it, so it's back to more of Iron Mike and his chums. It may even be curtains for Richard Wallace, Head of Broadcasting for News UK; we note yesterday's announcement of 'stepping back' came from Scott Taunton, executive vice-president and president of broadcasting at News UK. Rebekah Brooks now gets her 'go' at tv with the creation of News Studios, making video snippets for The Sun, The Times, Times Radio and TalkTV. </p>tradingaswdrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09969773492624569044noreply@blogger.com0