Sunday, January 31, 2010
Window closing ?
Meanwhile, the title "strategic" review is gone; everyone's trying to get "creative" back there - which might be difficult, if the cuts are of the scale predicted in The Times.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
JT central defender
There's speculation about the role of John Terry's management company in trying to keep a lid on things. Elite Management offer a range of services, including "creating meaningful brands". John Terry's endorsement reads "‘Elite are very aware of the needs of a modern day sportsman and have a unique awareness of the needs of a high profile individual."
Friday, January 29, 2010
Time changes everything

Friday music - 29 January 2010
Top bolero by probably the greatest Cuban singer, Beny More. And his big band. He couldn't read music, but sang the notes he wanted to his arrangers. (Ry Cooder and Ibrahim Ferrer pulled out this arrangement for the Buenavista Social Club version). The song was written by Ernesto Duarte Brito.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
It was meant to be
His other choice was Sir Brian Pitman, chairman of Lloyds TSB Group, who "runs a fantastic company".
Come outside
6 events in 2008 were scrutinised; Radio 1's Big Weekend came in 5% over-budget. Glastonbury (2009) was 1% over-budget. Wimbledon was less than 1% over-budget. The Proms and Euro 2008 were both 1% under forecast, and the Beijing Olympics 4% under. But, as the NAO says, the budgets were largely set on "what happened last time", rather than re-drawn bottom up.
Sleeping in the kitchen
The athletes, it's hoped, will eat in communal dining halls, and there will be some vending machines. I reckon shops selling toasters, kettles and microwaves in Stratford will do storming business in week 1.
"I am a trusted guide !"
Rapper's Delight
Filling A Blank Canvas
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Eating habits
Trust Director Nicholas Kroll seems to like doing business over coffee as well as lunch - 13 claims for some Java, one reaching over £16 at Le Pain Quotidienne.
Night vision
Found via MediaCityUK Blog.
The price of a wall
Booked
In the spirit of balance, here's a link to the "Force Conservative MP Jeremy Hunt To Resign" group.
Hold on, you Spurs

CABE's report says the stadium element is ok, but the housing proposals are “eccentric and counterintuitive” and an overdevelopment of the site, while the supermarket is “not sufficiently ambitious”. And “The public open space around the stadium has the feeling of left over space… rather than positively moulded public realm.” Pic and full story in Building Design.
Who lives in a house like this ?

Good question, Loyd.
Tinky Winky ? La La ? Po ? Dipsy ? Gary ?
Gary would like to. It's Manchester United's Gary Neville, who's commissioned Make Architects to design this semi-submerged carbon-neutral eco-home (pic from Building Design). He's asking Bolton Council to let him build on a piece of green belt, because the scheme is "truly outstanding and ground-breaking". Gary's previous piece of ground-breaking architecture is below - a 12-bedroom mansion on the same piece of land (he demolished the Top O'th Knotts farmstead, on the moors between Bolton and Bury). Architects AEW Manchester.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010
News maker
He's done his time - here's a photo of Andy at work in the World Service Newsroom in 1988, on the left, keeping his head down...
(photo from the excellent Bushlog archive, maintained by Ian Richardson)

Apple bing-o

That was Charmin
Making Bacon
This was in response to a comment from Vinnie Jones on Celebrity Big Brother. At one stage, Bacon was thought to be a possible inmate - but Vinnie felt he wouldn't have added to the "quality" of the show; despite Bacon's adulation of Vinnie, the hard man in return finds him "irritating".
Certainly Mr Bacon loves talking about himself; he's one of the UK's most followed-twitterers, with 1.3m+ hanging on his tweets. And reading the tweets of the past day or so, it's almost as if Richard knew the "irritating" word was coming.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Office competition
Cereal killers
Identity crisis
Meanwhile Design Week believes that the contract to deliver a new London "identity", paid for by the GLA, has gone to Saffron Brand Consultants, and its boss Wally Olins. Gawd knows what the brief is, but you can bet even BoJo won't be as pithy and to-the-point as Klaus. Who needs consultants when you've got a phrase-maker like Herr Wowereit ?
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Magazines for sale ?
Click on Crick
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Sharing out
Friday, January 22, 2010
Creole for Haiti
"Dave" David Abraham
At UKTV he went re-branding mad; after setting up Dave, we now have Alibi, Blighty, Yesterday, Really, Eden, etc.
Channel 4 will shortly become known as Two Plus Two, or perhaps Lefty, or perhaps Public, or perhaps Davina, or Horseferry. You can almost hear the brainstorm.
28 days
On the strategic review, The Guardian has been reporting leaks as if it were still underway. It's more than likely done and dusted, with discussions between the Trust and the Executive underway on how (and what) to release (and when). It's possible that the BBC will risk a few "flyers" in the report - hoping that the audience and MPs say "That's a step too far". But it's certain that the strategists will be trying to do something to win favour with David Cameron, still the most likely person to determine the next licence fee. So there'll be pain beyond chopping off some of the long tail of BBC websites.
The success of Radio 1 and Radio 2 remains a problem with the Tories, so there might be something cute to be done there; the poor listening trends of the BBC local radio audience put that spend under the spotlight; and, in television, somebody's got to re-balance daytime scheduling of repeats against the current preference for cheap fillers about house buying/animals/policemen etc. Plus, if the theme of the review is to be a "laser sharp focus on quality", money will have to shift internally - so even the big beasts of Vision, News, and Radio 4 will face another set of year-by-year job cuts.
And someone's going to have to try to put a positive spin on it.
Friday music - 22 January
This proves older men can groove. Ok, it looks long, but you only have to listen to the first 5.30. The rest is funny, and explains why Eddie Harris plays funky sax in a positively immobile fashion. If you can get hold of Ray Charles' version, you have a dance floor classic.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Oh, Kay !
Meanwhile, the Wigan Observer continues to promote Kay's career opportunities.
On the road again
Meanwhile a "senior source" has told the Guardian that BBC3 and BBC4 are safe. There was. they say, discussion about merging BBC2 and BBC4.
BBC3 has probably been saved by the unlikely figure of David Davies, recommending that Ashes tests here should be free-to-air "Crown Jewels". No current controller really fancies it...
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Capability
Shouldn't that read "Twitter - Under capacity" ?
Topsy
It's a pilot, isn't it ? Ofcom (and ideally the viewers) should see a pilot from each team, rather than engaging in "detailed dialogue" about each group's credentials to make a decision about a winner.
Howard's End
I worked with Howard at both Newsbeat and 5Live, and we still meet up for a light refreshment - increasingly lighter as age takes its toll. Howard's place in radio history ought to be confirmed as the longest-serving editor of Up All Night on 5Live, which he's leaving at the end of March. It's a job he's done with his own style and enthusiasm, with a diminishing budget, but true invention, built round the talents of the estimable Rhod Sharp (is a legend). On the way, he's recruited an eclectic bunch of staff prepared to face the difficult shifts, many of whom have gone on to find success in other, more lauded parts of BBC News. And on shoe-string funds, his teams have broadcast on a combination of lap-tops, broadband and hope, on some of the most important news stories of the decade - producing fresh insights and perspectives rare in the rest of radio news and current affairs. Give the show a try while he's still there. Or some of its bits, like Pods and Blogs.
From April, Howard will be devoting more time here. It takes all sorts.
More reviews
The numbers in the department seems odd, by the Guardian's analysis. Tim Davie joined in 2005, when a department of 480 staff was trying to make savings of 25% over the years ahead. Now the department is a mere 496-strong.
Easy, Tiger (Bay)
This is a project that has been a long time in gestation, and has evolved along the way. In October 2008, the Western Mail reported that Roath Basin was among "options" for a new headquarters for BBC Wales. Headquarters changed to "drama village" with a planning application in December 2009 - but I suspect the BBC Taffia management will also move in. Uncannily, they'll end up with waterside offices, like BBC Scotland at Pacific Quay and BBC North at Salford Quays.
BBC Wales will house production for Casualty, Dr Who and its spin offs, Pobol Y Cwm, at Roath, pointing to a commitment to double drama production in the principality by 2016. Let's hope that Mark Thompson's strategic review sticks to that, and that productions currently made in leased warehouses and old schools don't lose their sparkle when brought back into studios.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Another advert...

...and while were at it, can someone open a wine bar here ? Please ? Just off the Highbury Corner roundabout, started as a Gill Wing Cafe, vaguely ran as an Italian restaurant/jazz venue called Osso until closing last year. A mere £45k a year for 2200 sq feet...
Advert
- see currell.com.
Moths
Expect to see more of this.

Correction fluid
Rod and Andrew seem relaxed about it; nothing yet in their blogs.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Dry run
Side order
Papers
The Mail on Sunday says Mark Thompson is resigned to selling a minority stake in BBC Worldwide, as part of the current strategy review about the size of the BBC in general. And I suspect he'd prefer that stake to go to a Channel 4 that still had a public service remit; maybe a Channel 4 led by his own current COO, Caroline Thomson, if the interviews progress....
The Mirror says Christine Bleakley wants to move on from The One Show this year.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Banking advice
RMJM say they hope he'll help them with work abroad - there's no set contract; he'll advise as and when required. I sort of know the feeling...
Friday, January 15, 2010
Friday music -15 January 2010
Produced by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, for their label Philadelphia International in 1975. Written by Gene McFadden, John Whitehead and keyboard player Victor Carstarphen (former Temptations' MD). Vocal - the late Teddy Pendergrass, who died this week.
McFadden and Whitehead wrote "Backstabbers" for the O'Jays, and went on to have their own hit with "Ain't No Stopping Us Now". Both are dead - Whitehead was shot working a car in Philadelphia in 2004. McFadden died from cancer in 2006. Can't track down Victor - anyone else help ?
Food at work
Take this article, on the dirtiest and cleanest cafeterias in media organisations, ranked by "violation points" issued during kitchen inspections, pulled together by Daily Finance.
Still on catering, the boss of BBC Radio Scotland has breached procurement rules at the Beeb, and I trust that rigour will be applied. He has to go, or the catering contract must be reviewed. Inaction is unacceptable.
Market news
Meanwhile Jeremy Hunt MP (Tory media guru) is still waiting to see what impact his "concern" will have on a proposed Tesco Express in Milford, near Godalming.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Karaoke Kev
Rigour 2
The BBC's editorial complaints unit, in response to the commercial radio pressure group, The Radio Centre, says guidelines were broken in the coverage given to U2's album launch at Broadcasting House. It said the use of the slogan U2=BBC "gave an inappropriate impression of endorsement", and said a reference to the BBC being "part of launching this new album", in an interview between Zane Lowe and Bono, was inappropriate.
Follow-up action ? The complaints unit said its findings had been discussed at the Radio 1 and sister station 1Xtra editorial meetings. "In addition, the Radio 1 leadership team have reminded executive producers and presenters about the issues to be considered in relation to judgments about undue prominence, and the distinction between the reporting of new artistic work and commercial promotion".
"The management of BBC marketing, communication and audiences (the division responsible for the U2=BBC graphic) has reminded all staff of the need to consult the editorial policy team in a timely manner for advice when potentially sensitive issues such as commercial interests are involved. A session on working with third parties will be included in marketing, communication and audiences monthly editorial issues training programme."
"We acknowledge the findings and have taken note for the future," a BBC spokesman told the Guardian.
Meanwhile another BBC internal watchdog, The Fair Trading Committee, will now return to the U2 issue. A range of issues brought by the Radio Centre are being investigated by the Controller of Fair Trading.
Rigour 1
You can see Steve (under the name Echo) in action 1 min 30 seconds into this video from the Birmingham Mail.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
News and anger
The whole thing is worth a read.
Promo code
Mr Penk notes appearances by Evans on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, The One Show and The Andrew Marr Show. “I was half expecting to see him on Songs of Praise.” Reported by How Do.
Over to you, Michael
This may be the director general's "duck house" moment (Report, 9 January). To blithely compare his own worth to that of a county council chief executive, whose average pay is much less, is crass and insensitive. He is right that the BBC is not a county council: it does not provide key social services and schools that affect millions of lives every day. Is he seriously suggesting the BBC's director of audio and music deserves to be paid more than double the salary of my local council chief executive? The BBC needs to be led by a man with a firmer grip on the current economic reality, with rising unemployment and pay freezes. Perhaps Mr Thompson has provided a public service by highlighting the issue again; maybe he will follow some of his colleagues to the higher salaries and job security of ITV.
G Routledge
Tickhill, South Yorkshire
It's worth noting here previous career of Sir Michael Lyons, chair of the BBC Trust, and the man who believes, as audience champion, he keeps Thommo on the straight and narrow. Let's hope, as a previous chief executive of Wolverhampton Borough Council, Nottinghamshire County Council, and Birmingham City Council, someone gets his views soon on comparative pay levels in public service...
Google and China
It'll be interesting to see how quickly the Chinese might be able to pull the plug on Google. Let's hope action is not taken against Google employees there.
It's also worth highlighting that the trigger for this was not (just ?) frustration at censorship but a clear belief that Chinese authorities were hacking Gmail accounts around the world of anyone they thought might be campaigning on human rights. Worth reading the full Google Blog post by David Drummond, titled, in a rather understated way "A New Approach to China".
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
It's not just Cameron
The Education section of the news website is to be renamed Education and Family, writes editor Steve Herrman.
The Asian Network is moving Sonia Deol to weekday mornings. Andy Parfitt tells the BBC Press Office: "These changes are part of our long-term strategy for the Asian Network to re-focus the station on a broader family audience."
Kirsty Young presents The British Family on BBC2
BBC News' Sunday preview of the Chris Evans Breakfast show on Radio 2 "Referring to Sir Terry's loyal band of listeners, Evans said it would be a "family show for everyone""
Even Jonathan Ross left for the sake of his family, according to The Times.
Films looking cheaper
Fits with Blizzard Entertainment - a games website - hitting the top of the Nielsen Ratings as "stickiest" brand in the USA. 2.5m unique users in November 2009, with average time on site standing at an extraordinary 22 hours 30 minutes. Reported by ClickZ.
Fox and football
(Can't be related to Fox signing Sarah Palin as a political pundit, and chasing Conan O'Brien as a host - can it ?)
T-t-t-twitter
Monday, January 11, 2010
Fingered

The short tail
It's all here. Apart from the fact that these cuts will come this year, with other elements of the "strategic review" signposted for after full digital switchover in 2012, in the hope that the political and media landscape changes in the BBC's favour by then.
Tempo
The first show was just too fast (shades of Timmy Mallett), which also infected Johnny Saunders and Lynn Bowles, with the odd oasis of calm around Moira Stewart. The elderly will flee unless someone persuades our hero to ease up.
It will take the pressure off other new shows starting today - Gabby Logan's weekday slot on 5Live, and the new Manchester late-night on the same network with Tony Livesey. If you fancy a job working alongside them in Salford Quays from 2011, there's a glossy new website launched today.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Jay walking
Haggling
MediaCity is still looking for major commercial tenants - the Rugby Football League are reported to be considering moving some staff from Leeds in 2011, but they'll hardly be big earners for Peel.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Politicking
Tom Bradby ITN
Gary Gibbon Channel 4
Adam Boulton Sky News
Robert Peston BBC
Ben Wright BBC
James Landale BBC
Huw Edwards BBC
Andrew Porter Daily Telegraph
Rita Chakrabarti BBC
Martha Kearney BBC
Carole Walker BBC
Andy Bell Five News
Michael Crick BBC
Eddie Mair BBC
Joey Jones Sky News
Mark Mardell BBC
John Pienaar BBC
Laura Kuenssberg BBC
Jon Craig Sky News
Mr Dale's exercise is just a poll, but if we look at recent incumbents, we could shorten a betting list. Since John Cole, ex-Observer, BBC Political Editors have come in from "outside". Robin Oakley from The Times, Andrew Marr, The Indie as editor, then columnist for the Observer - even Nick Robinson had been away at ITN. And they all were already "editors", with presumably a special and existing level of access to top sources. Applying those principles, the list drops to..
Tom Bradby ITN
Gary Gibbon Channel 4
Adam Boulton Sky News
Andrew Porter Daily Telegraph
Andy Bell Five News
That's probably too short, because they'd have to consider Robert Peston if he wanted it (outside experience and top political sources). But it feels like we're missing others. Suggestions welcome..
Doodling
Allows more effects than the Cogapps tool.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Dull
The Guardian reports that Richard Hooper (ex BBC, BT, Radio Authority and Ofcom) will chair the panel selecting from the various consortia that have bid to run pilot regional tv services on ITV for Wales, Scotland, and the North East of England. Alongside will be Val Atkinson, former deputy head of news and current affairs at BBC Scotland; Fru Hazlitt, former chief executive of GCap, and Virgin Media and Yahoo executive; Glyn Mathias, former ITN political editor and member of Ofcom's advisory committee for Wales; William Perrin, of the community website talkaboutlocal and a former adviser to Tony Blair; and Marc Reeves, former editor of the Birmingham Post.
On hand with advice: Stewart Purvis, the Ofcom partner for content and standards, former ITN chief executive, and architect of the regional news consortiums plan.
This process looks old fashioned. It cries out for an X-Factor treatment. Sion Simon as Simon Cowell, etc - and a public vote, please.
Friday music - 8 January 2010
Just had my guitars "set-up" for 2010, and by around 2060, I'll be as good as Cornell Dupree was in 1989, with Jon Hammond on Hammond and Bernard "Pretty" Purdie on drums.
As you were...
Stokey
Mother to infant on bus "Another rice cracker, Phoebe ?"
First question
The Guardian says the job-seekers are Lorraine Heggessey, Caroline Thomson, Kevin Lygo, Alex Graham and David Abraham, with decision-maker Lord Burns flanked by a rather large panel - Luke Johnson, Lord Puttnam, Tony Hall and Martha Lane Fox.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Woss loss
So it looks like Graham Norton (who has signed a reduced deal) will get the Friday Night BBC1 slot; Mark Kermode, at some stage, will get Film 2010 (or 2011). And at Radio 2, Mr Shennan should have someone lined up by the summer.
And now will Charles Moore pay his licence fee ?
Smaller sofas
'Andrew Castle, 46, John Stapleton, 63, Kate Garraway, 42, Ben Shephard, 35, and Penny Smith, 51, are said to be “anxious beyond belief”.'
If it's money to be saved, the salaries apparently run at...
Stapleton £220,000
Garraway £200,000
Shephard £200,000
Castle £200,000
Smith £175,000
(Crosby £160,000)
Final call is probably with Alison Sharman. If the Mirror is right about Penny Smith's age (notoriously difficult), she could be eligible for shifts at the BBC News channel.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Unscientific
I'm not convinced the Trust's postbag is stuffed with complaints about the BBC's science coverage (second to none in the broadcasting world, asserted without the need for stats), except those driven by those with a different agenda - such as Biased BBC, and a range of Tory bloggers - who will try to drive the review to scrutinise the work of Roger Harrabin, David Shukman and Richard Black.
Let's hope the result of the 2010 election, if nothing else, cuts out this layer of quasi-academic, quasi-judicial scrutiny, and allows BBC editors to edit again. The science review is due to report in 2011.
Snow on the uptake
In the recent recurrence of the white stuff, his/her tweets have been a mixture of useful links to more efficient and updated sources of news about transport running/or not, and other, more barbed offerings.....
Stuck in the city centre? Feel free to snowball our office, Piccadilly Gardens #Manchester, i'll be dressed as a penguin #uksnow
We've let everyone down in #Manchester with a lack of info early today. Just as well you didn't vote for the congestion charge
The GMPTE office is now officially out of biscuits, panic stations !
Manchester media site How Do followed up, and got this statement from the real GMPTE: “People should not regard this unverified account as a means of obtaining official travel information; it has nothing to do with GMPTE and we have contacted Twitter accordingly. We are currently reviewing our new media strategy, including Twitter, to ensure we are providing the best level of service possible to our customers.”
Still the wrong answer - get an account and get on with !
P.S. If you're in the Manchester area, baby Kai Wayne (Rooney ?) is enjoying the snow nearly as much as his dad.
Points of View
Tropical in Chester

Chester Zoo, fondly remembered by me for school trips in the late fifties, is going high-tech with plans for a bio-dome bigger than the Eden Project. "The Heart of Africa" will house gorillas, chimpanzees, reptiles and insects under a full jungle canopy, in over 16,000m2. It goes for detailed planning this week, says Building Design, and could open in 2014. Architects are Proctor and Matthews, whose other work includes 'Lions of the Serengeti' at Whipsnade, and Gorilla Kingdom at London Zoo.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
No view

Architects Dexter Moren have made something of a speciality of mid-price hotels around London - the nicest exterior being provided for the new Novotel at Paddington. The facade of the Trocadero, however, will be retained. It's likely that flats with get the windows on the upper floors.
Mmmmm
The Tribune survey of menus in Illinois' 10 largest districts found some changes - but to UK eyes, they look too little too late. "Several districts serve only fruit for dessert four days of the week; some restrict nachos entrees to once a week; one has done away with breakfast Pop-Tarts; and some offer daily cold bars full of sliced fruits and vegetables".
Mmm, nachos entrees.....
It's a concept

Monday, January 4, 2010
Moving on
The show goes on
The San Francisco Chronicle says this year's event, opening on Thursday, will see a continuing decline in attendance, but a rise in the number of new exhibitors. The hot products are e-readers, tablets, 3-D displays, internet-connected cars, netbooks than work like smartphones, and smartphones that work like netbooks.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
The creative urge
An exponential growth in the number of competing devices means the "think of a new name" department in most technology companies is struggling. Nexus has already been bagged by the Tyne & Wear Passenger Transport Executive (amongst others). Then again, they did call their train system Metro, which was hardly a first...
And, according to her Twitter posts, creative genius Mariah Carey is scratching around a little for new pet names. The latest dog will be called Dolomite. Presumably after the rock, rather than the Triumph Dolomite.
Any suggestion that I'm scratching around for post topics so early in 2010 is utterly refuted.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Eye ball
Then I found that American footballer Tim Tebow was using his eye black to spread the word.

Over the rainbow
"The company was founded in 2007 by a group of kids living together in a loft near Wall Street in New York City. In addition, the company has a “rock star” list of advisors and active directors from companies like About.com, AOL, Microsoft, Yahoo, Time Inc, and Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal + Partners. Its mission is to spark a new paradigm in discovery and place the tools for that discovery in the fabric of everyday life".