Holes

Messing around with colanders seems to have disrupted tv audiences yesterday evening. The biggest audience of the day was for regional news slot on the BBC at 6.30pm, adding up to 3.5m. The preceeding 6pm bulletin came second on 2.9m, and the 10pm was third at 2.8m.  Not banging, but top of the linear charts, Mr Brittin. 

Fourth place went to The One Show with an average of 2.4m.  

Warming up

As we head for new, unexplored areas of the thermometer, heed the words of interim BBC News boss, Jonathan Munro  “As this summer’s heatwaves have proved, up-to-the minute and accurate weather information has never been more important."

This was putting a brave face on plans which will reduce the number of national weather presenter roles on the BBC from 11 to 4.5.  These 4.5 will be split between London and Salford, with an additional four weather "reporters" (presumably cheaper than presenters)  based at the Met Office headquarters in Exeter producing online material, video, and social media updates

From the national press, we learn that some of the current roster of 11 may be interested in voluntary redundancy. But if six don't come forward, Mr Munro may find himself interviewing the remainder in competition.  A reminder - the 11 are Ben Rich (41), Tomasz Schafernaker (47), Darren Bett (58), Louise Lear (58), Elizabeth Rizzini (50), Matt Taylor (50), Chris Fawkes (43), Sarah Keith-Lucas (44), Stav Danaos (48), Simon King (45), and Helen Willetts (54). 

Mr Munro is presumably also facing an interview, to see if he can become more than interim; perhaps explaining why he thought the Panorama/Trump edit was acceptable journalism. 

Not happy

The pen that devoted a year to poetry has turned to caustic prose. Huw Edwards has lashed out at most pillars of Welsh society after the judges of the National Eisteddfod's main poetry prize failed to even place his verses.  In a post entitled 'Epic Cant', he rips into the Taffia, some by name. 

First, 'Eisteddfodd bigwigs': 

"Public life in Wales is dominated by a ‘virtuous’ elite — a mob of job-swappers who regularly pop up in different roles. They were out in force last week in their natural habitats: lavish motorhomes with wardrobe-sized wine fridges; Gaddafi-scale tents with space aplenty for druidic cavorting; ‘hospitality’ areas for the more discerning."

Then, the Monday 3rd August edition of BBC-produced Welsh news programme Newyddion, which led on Huw's entry. 

"Unable to shake off the tabloid virus, the Newyddion team — spearheaded, it seems, by an individual called Jacob Morris (described to me by one of his colleagues in terms too offensive to print here) — manufactured a scandal which took the limelight away, quite unforgivably, from the deserving winner of the Crown poetry competition."

The item included the critical views of actress Sera Cracoft, who features in Welsh soap Pobol Y Cwm:

"Not content with this latest spasm of vengeance, they then sought the predictably hostile views of a soap actress. And for good measure, they interviewed the President of the Eisteddfod Court on the merits of banning people with criminal records from competing. 

It was, as we say in the trade, a full-on monstering."

In parenthesis:

"The Newyddion team should thank me for this post. More people will read this — and learn of their existence — than will watch a typical edition of their programme."

Huw then monsters Ashok Ahir, who was President/Chair of the Eisteddfod when they ditched Huw from the Gorsedd of Bards: 

"We had ‘enjoyed’ a rather tricky relationship when he was, in my view, a distinctly unimpressive manager at BBC Wales. Formal letters of Gorsedd ‘cancellation’ were sent in Ashok’s name to my elderly mother’s home — while I was being treated in a secure psychiatric unit. Those letters, which added to my mother’s distress, were not seen by me until my discharge months later."

Still $10bn

The Florida court that allowed Donald Trump to 'reframe' his claim against the BBC has now been presented with a new 40-page schedule, seeking damages which still add up to $10bn. His lawyers have used their time to back up their claim of consistent deliberate malice on the part of the BBC, using quotes from Liz Truss and Kemi Badenoch, post-Panorama. 

Disclosure of documents has given Trump's team the initial contract with October Films to make the programme... 

"Brief details: Date: 4' April 2024

Attendees: Neil Breakwell / Leo Telling

The principles of fairness and due impartiality will apply when reporting on a foreign election. We will be mindful of the effects of our reporting that could be seen in territories where the vote could be affected. We will consult with the BBC’s editorial policy advisor for politics Ric Bailey on any potential issues." 

Disclosed documents also include emails from Megan Towey, former CBS producer, freelancing for the Panorama special, giving US contributors and interested parties links to watch the programme in the States:

"As it is difficult to access the BBC iPlayer in the US, we can send you a link to the film after it airs. Just please let us know if you/Rick would like us to send that along. If you do want to watch the premiere, you would need a VPN to watch in the United States. "

Future

It seems all BBC staff are after a selfie with new DG Matt Brittin... 

Manon is leading a department within BBC R&D he's called 'Forward'. It was originally to be 'Propositions', but Manon ditched that, and now modestly calls himself "Head of Future World Design". 

In previous roles, he's worked in tech start-ups and music production, becoming chums with top pop technocrat Will I Am through 'beats', and working on 'tunes' with Snoop Dogg, Idris Elba, Che Lingo and A R Rahman.  He went to Reed's School, Cobham, and has a BSc (Hons) Computing with Business Management from Kingston University, and spent a year with the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford on artificial intelligence. 

Since joining the BBC a year ago, he's made a new way of looking at tennis matches through data, "Signals". 

Portugueser

 

Who's this, making with the selfies at New Broadcasting House ?

Why, it's BBC Director General Matt Brittin with former colleague Pedro Pina, buff Vice President of YouTube in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. 

Well said

Some clear thinking from former BBC correspondent Humphrey Hawkesley: 

"If the BBC wants the public to pay willingly for its services, it needs a modern system built on clarity, convenience and persuasion. A future licence fee should be attached to individuals and their devices, not bricks and mortar."

Howay, man

 

BBC DG Matt Brittin travelled to Holy Island this week, visiting the set of an episode of Northumbria Mysteries, a new crime series, featuring Jerome Robson as Jack Ruby, an ex-con and gambler who turns to detective work. Right is Lesley Douglas, co-founder of Lonesome Pine Productions, who are making the series for the BBC. Lesley was Controller Radio 2 until she resigned over the prank calls broadcast on the Russell Brand show. 

Jason's Voyage

The BBC, like many other parts of the media, embraced Jason Arday when he became the youngest black professor at Cambridge. 

He also previously made some Radio 4 appearances when an Associate Professor at Durham University; Salford religion and ethics producer Dan Tierney used him in an edition of The Moral Maze on racial justice in 2020, and produced a Lent Talk in 2021 in which "Dr Jason Arday reflects on the health and social barriers he has faced and overcome throughout his life with a positive and grateful outlook."

Over at Liverpool John Moores University, their website seems to have been cleared of pictures of Jason with his Ph D supervisor, Professor Phil Vickerman. That doctorate transformed the future for a boy who left school with GSCEs in PE and textiles, and was guided from PE teacher to sociologist. 

Another media connection comes with Jason's ghostwriter, Eve Claxton, credited co-author of Great and Unfortunate Things, coming out from Simon & Schuster this month. Eve, from Manchester, now lives and works in Brooklyn, and has produced "StoryCorps", a weekly oral history project for NPR, a bit like Radio 4's Listening Project.  

Steady-ish

No enormous swings, up or down, in the latest quarterly radio listening figures.  And if you're judging performance year on year, please note that the RAJAR monitors have adjusted their figures of the UK population over the age of 15 up to 59.047m, a 1.4% increase on last year. So, to stand still, you have to do better than that... 

All BBC Radio together fell 1.3% in weekly reach year on year, though listeners that remained were listening slightly longer - an average of 14.3 hours per week.   Matt Deegan reminds us that, whilst Radio 2 remains the biggest single station in the country, their weekly reach of 12.6m is their lowest figure for 20 years. Interim breakfast host Gary Davies can be very pleased with figures up 3% on Scott Mills in 2025.

At Radio 3, Sam Jackson's breakfast banker, Tom McKinney is up 10% year on year, and getting back to Petroc Trelawny's levels. A quiet mention for Aaron Paul, the football commentator doing a straightforward news job on Radio London breakfast - up 79% year on year. At Times Radio, breakfast reach is up 18% year on year; though at Talk, where are lot less effort is put into a Jeremy Kyle simulcast, he's up 28%.