In what pass for GB News schedules, it seems almost certain that Simon McCoy and Kirsty Gallacher will host the fledging station's breakfast show from Monday.
This pits Simon, who has a competitive edge and a perennial interest in audience figures, against Kay Burley, of Sky News. They last presented together at Sky twenty years ago.
Matthew Engel is pretty angry about The Hundred in The Guardian, with a serious sideswipe at the BBC...
"....the rotting hulk of the degraded BBC sports department..."
Read the whole piece - it's not long.
The BBC's publicist for Sounds, like her masters, wishes you to think the app is a groovy runaway success with the under-35s. So in the latest press release about popular items on Sounds between April and June, it's all Peter Crouch, etc. This, however, is the Top Ten of On Demand Programme Plays, featuring, at number 10, Paul Temple, a 2006 re-creation of the old crime serial, trying to sound like it was made in the 1940s.
No BBC social media guidelines for Blake Callaway, in this Twitter exchange with a Republican Congressman from Texas. Blake is in charge of BBC America for AMC Networks...
Record stock market, 6.5% GDP Growth, oil prices high ( good for your district) STFU AUGGIE trump stooge
— blake callaway (@blakerr) July 29, 2021
Being Newsnight’s UK Editor has allowed me to try & get under the skin of the nation. (It’s not like much has been happening..) It’s thrilling I can continue that in my exciting new role at a time when culture has never been more entwined with politics, tech, economics & more
— Katie Razzall (@katierazz) July 29, 2021
Katie, 50, went to Westminster School and has a BA in French and Philosophy from Pembroke College, Oxford.
Times Diarist Patrick Kidd says BBC bosses, unable to persuade many to return to working at Broadcasting House, have been asking candidates for top jobs for demonstrations of how to do it.
One applicant being interviewed for a senior job in news was presented with an actor halfway through, ready to play the part of a colleague who wanted to continue working from home. "For 20 minutes, rather than answering questions on policy and current affairs the applicant had to show via this role play how to cajole someone into braving the Tube."
Dominic Raab admits to Today on Radio 4 that France is on the special amber-plus list, because of Covid infections on the French island départment of Réunion, in the Indian Ocean between Madagascar and Mauritius. The current Foreign Office travel list places Réunion on the simple amber list, alongside Madagascar and Mauritius.
Radio producer and thinker Matt Deegan thinks our current crop of radio presenters is dull. "There doesn’t seem to be many hosts that could, or are given the chance, to create striking radio."
His full piece is well worth a read.
GB News, having finally confirmed that John McAndrew has left the building, is now advertising for a Chief of Staff, to work to CEO Angelos Frangopoulos and COO Marc Schipper.
The task is to aid communication (i.e. hand down instructions) from the CEO and COO to the Senior Leadership team. Top requirement: you'll be a disruptor and an innovator, with experience working in a busy start-up, a high-profile consultancy or a venture capital or private equity firm.
Meanwhile the churn in regional journalists continues. There's a vacancy in the South West, where Duncan Sleightholme was appointed only last month, and in the East Midlands, where Hanishi Sethi has restored 'freelance' to her Twitter handle.
The BBC have finally decided to use Ron Chakraborty, Lead Executive Major Events, to explain Auntie's rights to live Olympic coverage.
Ron, 50 (Truro School, BA Radio Film & Television, Christ Church College Canterbury) started out as news and sport sub and reporter for the Slough & Windsor Observer, joining the BBC as an assistant producer in 1998.
"There’s been lots of noise around our perceived lack of coverage for the Tokyo Games. Whilst we’d love to still have 24 live streams and our ‘never miss a moment’ offer from London and Rio in 2016, our new rights deal simply doesn’t allow it.....we’re allowed two live streams - one on BBC One and one that is available to play out on BBC iPlayer, red button and the BBC Sport website."
"We’ll need to be agile and will often have to make difficult decisions about which sports to show and when to leave one sport to join another. Priorities will shift as we follow the stories of our Team GB athletes and we might need to jump in and out of sports to ensure we bring as many of the big moments as possible. We know this can be frustrating but with 350 hours of live sport across BBC One and BBC Two, plus the second stream on iPlayer we hope we can bring the magic of the Olympic Games to as many people as possible."
Ron probably decided not mention that you can buy a monthly subscription to Discovery +, their entertainment and sport package, for £6.99. Or there's a special offer of a year for £29.99, which reverts to £59.99. You won't miss the BBC til it's gone.
The annual Ofcom News Consumption survey produces some pleasing results for the BBC. BBC1 is the most news-used news source on any platforms, reaching 62% - the same as last year. Second place ITV (including all regional variants) drops from 49% to 46%, while third-place Facebook falls from 40% to 36%. The BBC's suite of news offerings across tv, radio and online combines for a reach of 83%.
Cost-cutters may note that BBC Parliament's news reach rose from 10% to 13% over the year.
BBC1 & BBC2 are the most-used news source amongst 12 to 15-year-olds, reaching 35%, down from 41% in 2020.
Alan Yentob has now turned magazine interviewer, with a sit-down with Sir Simon Rattle in the Radio Times, featuring probing questions on the Proms.
"I never conducted the Last Night, always avoided it a bit. I've been uneasy about some of the jingoistic elements ever since the Falklands in 1982".
The BBC1 regional bulletin for the South East came to an abrupt end last night - no question of the studio having just a flashing light rather than an audible alarm, so loud it clearly discomforted presenter Amanda Akass....
As many BBC London-based hacks head off for their hols uncertain about what they'll be working on, or where, when they return, it's probably not comforting to look at the latest jobs on the public-facing BBC recruitment site.
In order, they're based in Sydney, Kyiv, Jerusalem, Salford, Salford, Bristol, Glasgow, Nairobi, Sao Paulo and Jakarta.
It looks like the BBC has blocked listeners trying to pick up its local stations digitally from abroad, for the duration of the Olympics. The BBC's rights to live commentary don't stretch beyond our borders, and I suppose there's a small risk an ex-pat might catch more than a minute of an event.
It's another consequence of the Discovery deal that the Express will undoubtedly blame on the BBC. Come on, Tim, I know the licence fee negotiations are live, but it's really not the BBC's fault.
GB News seem a little coquettish about sharing their viewing figures. They've given these overnight averages to Guido Fawkes, for the first week of "Farage":
There may be something I'm missing, but the PR decision not to provide a BBC spokesperson at some level to Radio 4's Today this morning, on the restrictions on Olympic rights, is very puzzling. It would be bizarre to allow a growing narrative that this is someway the BBC's fault - let's hope there's a re-think later in the day.
One in, one out at GB News. This morning Arlene Foster announced she would henceforward be a regular contributor to the show called Political Correction, hosted by Nigel Farage. Meanwhile Northern Ireland reporter Conchur Dowds has called it a day.
Today is my last day with GB News.
— Conchúr Dowds (@ConchurDowds) July 25, 2021
I want to express my gratitude to those who offered me the opportunity but I’ve decided it just wasn’t right for me.
Wishing the team the best of luck going ahead but also looking forward to wherever the next chapter takes me. pic.twitter.com/0yqSqzK32l
This season's casual wear, as promoted by influencer Alan Yentob, is shorts. Here he is at the restored Theatre Royal Drury Lane for a party hosted by Sir Cameron Mackintosh.
The BBC has started handing back awards won by Martin Bashir’s Panorama interview with Diana, Princess of Wales.
It fell, oddly, to Leigh Tavaziva, new Chief Operating Officer at the BBC, to write to the Broadcasting Press Guild to return the award for best single documentary, given jointly with the Channel 4 film Secret Asia: The Dying Rooms. “I am writing to all the awarding bodies from which the BBC received an accolade for the interview to formally renounce the win. I would be grateful if you would therefore update your records to reflect this.”
The BPG's executive committee has also decided to remove the award given to Bashir for television journalist of the year.
Discovery likes to present itself as a tv force for good, a semi-public service broadcaster. This morning, sports fans have realised that the company, Olympic rights holders for Europe, is not prepared to invest as much as the BBC in Games coverage.
Discovery bought the tournament rights back in 2016, and graciously allowed the BBC to show two sports, live, simultaneously. Everthing else is available from Discovery's Eurosport - but, unlike the BBC offering during the Olympics, without commentary. Contrast this with Eurosport CEO Peter Hutton's claim, at the time of the deal: "We want to be seen as someone who genuinely helps the sports industry and is positive to sports fans. You don’t want to be associated with [negative] stories that make the sports viewing experience worse."
Discovery is an investor in GB News.
Closing date to become a contestant is August 6th.
The World's Greatest Living Foreign Correspondent goofs on breakfast tv.
Not John Simpson yelling 'wanker' before 7am on GMB pic.twitter.com/D7GcJNWJTg
— Chris Rickett (@chrisrickett) July 23, 2021
Radio 5 Live has hired Hayley Hassall to cover 0100-0500 weekends. Hayley, from Crewe, is perhaps best known for Newsround presentation, where she was selected to bring the news of the death of the Duke of Edinburgh to the younger generation, confused as to where their telly had gone. She's overcome a stammer, appeared as the Good Fairy in panto at Preston, volunteers with the Samaritans, and helps with soup runs. Ideal for Up All Night.
Martha Brass is joining BBC Studios as Chief Operating Officer of the Production side. Born in Pennsylvania in 1963, she went to Wyomissing Area Senior High School, before collecting a BSc from Cornell, then an MBA from Insead. Her world of work started with management consultants William Kent International, followed by Fremantle Media, Simon Fuller's 19 Entertainment, and, til 2017, Endemol Shine.
She has a range of non-exec roles, including with the European Golf Tour and England Golf, as well as CountryLine, an app for country music fans backed by Elton John.
Former Beeboid Peter Horrocks is to chair Learna, offering online qualifications from its hq in Llanishen, Cardiff "The company combines two of my personal passions - innovation in pedagogy with delivering widespread human benefit, through supporting medical specialists around the globe."
You too can have an Online Executive MBA awarded by the University of Gibraltar, for £7,500. Or perhaps a Acute Medicine Postgraduate Diploma, "conducted entirely online through self-directed distance learning", awarded by the University of South Wales, for £4,980. Or a two-year MSc in Dermatology in Clinical Practice, awarded by the University of Buckingham, for £10,440.
The Speaker of the Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, is the current Chancellor of the University of Gibraltar, established in 2015.
Emily Maitlis has re-lit the fire about the Newsnight show which included the opening remarks "“Dominic Cummings broke the rules. The country can see that, and it’s shocked the government cannot.”
"The call from Downing Street came in, and within a four-hour window an apology was given", she tells Press Gazette. "It hasn’t ever been explained to me what was journalistically inaccurate about that." She also the complaint wasn't from Cummings: "He sent me a very funny text separately which was supportive."
“It’s funny to see something like [the Cummings apology statement] happen so quickly when a corporation can take up to three decades to investigate serious journalistic malfeasance and critical management failings in the Bashir investigation. So I think it’s all a question of priority, really, isn’t it?”
BBC World unveiled a new look for Newsday overnight. In the pandemic, most 'brands' within the World schedule disappeared, replaced by more generic presentation styles and graphic packages. Now this show, previously presented from London and Singapore, comes from just Singapore. Not ideally placed for coverage of the odd overnight earth tremor from Stoke; the BBC largely cedes UK breaking coverage to Sky News overnight.
In the graphics, why is the D red ? Does it mean anything ? It certainly distracts this blogger, as does the Mishal Husein voice-over, the presenter jabbing her fingers at me, and the poor use of 'historic' in the lead headline. Otherwise, a triumph.
Former BBC HR Supremo Valerie Hughes D'Aeth is gradually adding to her portfolio career. She's now a non-executive on the board of the Department for Work and Pensions, advising Thérèse Coffey (who had a spell in BBC Finance). One presumes the appointment process was as rigorous as that applied to Gina Coladangelo.
Valerie is now also chair of the trustees of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
Gary Smith, Head of News and Current Affairs for BBC Scotland, told MSPs yesterday that The Nine was doing really well, for news on a digital channel, with an average nightly audience of 20,000.
According to The Times of February 2020, the average audience for The Nine "has been at an average of 35,000 a night over the past year".
A little late for the morning meeting, but I would enjoy some follow-up interviews with the "We" that Dominic Cummings identified to the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg as the group that delivered a Brexit referendum win, selected Boris Johnson as a Conservative leadership candidate, came to the aid of Boris Johnson as PM, and immediately began considering who should replace him.
How often does this "Vote Leave lot" meet, communicate, agree next steps ? Who are their preferred candidates to replace Boris ? Have they agreed a selection of misleading statements and half-truths to use as slogans ?
GB News have dispensed with diversity in peak-time presentation, with the announcement that Nana Akua is moving from Tonight Live, at 9pm, to be replaced by TalkRadio's face-mask cutting comedian Mark Dolan from Friday, who will fill the week with Dan Wootton.
I wonder if his new employers know that Mark, 47 (University College School, Hampstead and MA Politics, Edinburgh) wrote for HuffPost before his recent stints with TalkRadio.
A green-screen union jack background welcomed Nigel Farage at 7pm last night, who assumed the Royal 'We' in describing how the channel was putting right the wrongs of its first five weeks: "and, yes, there was a part-time presenter who made a political gesture that wouldn't have been allowed on any tv channel in the United Kingdom, and he's gone". It's almost as if he's reported the station to Ofcom.
As the Government said the workers of England could come back to the office, broadcasting Titan, the normally ubiquitous Alan "Do you know who I am ?" Yentob, currently living entirely on repeat fees, a BBC pension and a BBC salary as presenter/editor, was spotted yesterday outside a hostelry not far from Broadcasting House. Observers said he was wearing red braces, nursed a pint of lager for about an hour, and was largely engaged with his mobile phone. Presumably there's new product from the world of Arts in the air...
From today, he can drink more privately, with the re-opening of the BBC Club on the ground floor of Wogan (nee Western) House.
Just wondering. In this new world of McCarthyism, do Guido Fawkes, Sir Robbie Gibb, Charles Moore and various Telegraph writers zoom, hang round in wine bars, or just swarm ?
It looks like GB News have avoided wider scrutiny of their viewing figures, at least those usually made public by BARB, for the week beginning 5th July: "This dashboard will only display viewing data for any channel if its broadcaster has submitted complete transmission logs for the week reported. Channels with incomplete logs will have no data shown."
David Shukman leaves as BBC Science Editor later this year, swerving a move to the proposed BBC News Climate & Science Centre Of Excellence in Cardiff.
David, 63 (Eton and BA Geography, Hatfield, Durham) was the first in the role, appointed in 2012 against a field thought to include Newsnight science editor Susan Watts, then BBC environment correspondent Richard Black, BBC medical correspondent Fergus Walsh and producer and presenter Michael Mosley. He joined the BBC as a News Trainee in 1983, from the Coventry Evening Telegraph.
We are at the halfway point of the BBC's review of editorial policies and governance, commissioned at the end of May by Director General Tim Davie and due to report in September. It's led by Sir Nick Serota, the BBC’s Senior Independent, Director, and supported by non-executive Ian Hargreaves and Sir Robbie Gibb, the man with no idea how to behave as a non-executive. Some legwork is being done by Chris Banatvala, seven years with Ofcom, and Caroline Daniel, former FT weekend editor, belatedly added when Tim remembered his diversity responsibilities.
Their looming problem is that BBC News is committed to attempting to change engines in the middle of a Formula 1 race, without coming into the pits. BBC News boss Fran Unsworth has told staff that she expects to have a completely new way of working, under the banner "Modernising News", finalised in September. A new Managing Editor is to be based in Salford, but working across the whole of News, alongside a new Business Operations Director. There's to be a new "Across The UK Project Director"; we're not told where she will be based.
Other baffling new news titles include Senior News Editor Formats; Executive Digital Editor; and a new World Story Team.
This is simply going too fast. The cause of the problem: the point blank refusal of former Director of News James Harding to make necessary cuts from his arrival in 2013, almost until his departure in 2018 He didn't even start acknowledging the problem til he was given a good kicking by finance chief and Deputy Director General Anne Bulford.
Guto Harri's confirmed that he's left GB News.
“Before I took the knee on air I discussed it with my producer, director, co-presenters and head of newsroom. After I did it, GB News captured the moment and proactively cascaded it on social media.
“Two days later you told me you wanted me to take a break for the summer. You did not say you were briefing papers and issuing a statement that accused me of breaching your editorial standards.
“I asked you to change that on the night – pointing out it was defamatory. You ignored my texts and refused to take my calls. I now see that you’ve hired Nigel Farage who immediately declared in public that he will not be taking the knee. Please explain how that does not breach editorial standards but I did.”
Meanwhile the ailing channel got some free publicity in last night's 'Baptiste' on BBC1, with 'GB News' on the only microphone at the Ambassador's news conference.
The last published minutes of the BBC Board's Nominations sub-committee are from November last year. Then BBC Chairman Sir David Clementi gave the meeting this assurance...
"The Committee noted that Ashley Steel’s appointment concluded on 1 December 2020 and her departure would leave a vacancy on the Audit Committee until the new Director England was appointed. The Chairman confirmed that he was a member of the interview panel being led by DCMS and would be looking for a candidate with a similar financial and commercial skillset."
That hunt for a "financial and commercial skillset" led to the appointment of Sir Robbie Gibb.
I wonder who took part in the GB News meeting that decided to put Nigel Farage on air Monday to Thursday for an hour from 7pm. I wonder when it happened. It may have been more important in the departures of John McAndrew and Gill Penlington than the 'row' over Guto Harri taking the knee.
Farage, never one to doubt his own abilities, will provide a hearty gammon and egg supper as an alternative to the quinoa and feta salad offered by Channel 4 News. His arrival in the weekday schedule also cuts by half the live on-air torture of Michelle Dewberry.
There are hints of a 're-launch' in September, which may see some Love Island-style enforced coupling, to get more compatible sets of daytime presenters. Those who have been hired as reporters around the country await their fate; producers have tried leaving them in one spot for a day, reading out stories from around their patch, and most recently, making them conduct 'donuts', interviewing low quality guests from one venue all day. Both strategies have so far provided a sort of balance of excruciation, occasionally making the studio presentation look semi-professional.
"Our journalists will be drawn from many diverse backgrounds – we will not do ‘group think’. Part of the editorial charter of GB News.
Dandy, unless, of course there's a journalist who thinks 'taking a knee' on air is a good idea. Thus departed weekend presenter and weekday stand-in Guto Harri, apparently dismissed with a Tweet "On Tuesday a contributing presenter took the knee live on air and this was an unacceptable breach of our standards."
Later it seemed he might have been suspended. Behind the scenes the row clearly rumbled on, and today Director of Programmes of GB News John McAndrew has resigned - or been fired by the Aussie-from-Sky Angelos Frangopoulos. It's widely believed "senior executive producer" Gill Penlington, with experience from Sky, the BBC and CNN, left earlier this week - her Linkedin profile ends her time with GB News as "July 2021".
Company chair and iconic presenter Andrew Neil is in the South of France; Alistair Stewart is off air with a broken hip, after being knocked over by a horse. Let's hope he didn't have to take a knee to get up.
Oi, Moggster, here's another one, fresh from the pen of BBC News boss Fran Unsworth...
"We have appointed Richard Moynihan as Senior News Editor, Formats, based in London. Richard is joining us from the Daily Telegraph where he has been Head of Digital Journalism (Visual & Interactive) for the past four years and will report into Nathalie Malinarich, Digital Development Editor."
Maybe we can help Jacob Rees-Mogg ?
Sarah Sands, once editor of Today on Radio 4, previously editor of The Sunday Telegraph, and consultant editor at The Daily Mail.
Kamal Ahmed, once Editorial Director of BBC News, previously Business Editor of The Sunday Telegraph
Emma Barnett, of Woman's Hour and Newsnight - 5 years with The Telegraph.
Robert Peston - recruited from City Editor at the Telegraph to BBC Business Editor
A simple search across Linkedin produces a strong handful of BBC people with The Telegraph in their cvs, whom I won't subject to wider scrutiny. I'm sure readers can add to this list.
Perhaps its only the Moggster than can get incensed about a cv that shows 3 years 5 months with Question Time, 4 years 7 months with ITN, 3 years 10 months with Newsnight, and 3 years 3 months with HuffPost....
The latest of the access show "Call Rees-Mogg" featured more of the Old Etonian merchant banker's searing insights on the media.
Ian Mearns (Labour) Gateshead...
"As Chair of the Backbench Business Committee, may I express my concern at the proposals to cut by a third the number of staff working in the BBC Regional Political Unit, based at Millbank? The unit is the eyes and ears of the BBC English regions in Westminster, co-ordinating political news gathering for the BBC’s early evening regional TV news programmes, as well as the regional breakfast, lunchtime and late evening TV bulletins, the Sunday political programmes and all the local radio output. It is an important resource for our national and local democracy and should not be facing such a threat from BBC management.
The cuts will have a detrimental impact on Back-Bench MPs across the House, who get airtime on their regional BBC TV and radio outlets and regional coverage due to their activities in the House being covered by that unit. Will the Leader of the House and his Cabinet colleagues ask the BBC to rethink that proposal, which is detrimental to our democracy?"
The Moggster replied: "It would be wrong of me to tell the BBC how to run its commercial operations, but I will say this. In Somerset, we are lucky enough to have “Points West”, and I remember being told by it that its early evening programme is better watched, proportionally for the region, than “Eastenders”, which I understand is a popular soap opera that some people enjoy watching. It seems to me that if there is a really popular, well-watched programme, it is quite wise and commercially sensible to invest resources in it, but as I say, it is not for me to give the BBC advice on how to run itself."
Then a question from Bob Blackman, Conservative member for Harrow East...
"Millions of people across the United Kingdom depend on the BBC for impartial news being pumped into their living rooms. Indeed, people across the world depend on the BBC and trust it to be truly impartial. I have regularly received complaints about the lack of impartiality, about BBC News and about the bias that seems to be held in particular ways, but there is clear concern about the potential appointment of the ex-Huffington Post editor Jess Brammer as news editor for the BBC. Could the Leader of the House arrange for a debate in Government time on the requirement for BBC News to be impartial, and to reflect the news rather than the opinions of those who preside over it?"
Moggster: "My hon. Friend is right to raise that issue. I think the message to the BBC is that Caesar’s wife must be above suspicion. It is crucial that the BBC is not only impartial but seen to be impartial. The BBC must ask itself, if it is going to make an appointment from the Huffington Post, whether it would make an appointment from the Guido Fawkes website, a similar news outlet, except a rather more accurate one, on the right rather than on the left. I think the BBC would be astonished by my suggestion. Would it make an appointment from Conservative Home or from The Daily Telegraph? It seems unlikely, and therefore it is problematic when the BBC looks at left-wing outlets and thinks that that is impartiality.
"I also think that it is more serious than that, because the BBC has a number of dedicated, really good quality journalists, who are genuinely important—the Laura Kuenssbergs, the Martha Kearneys and the James Landales of this world. One has no idea of their political opinions at all, and rightly so. That is the model of the BBC. That is the best of the BBC, and people like that are undermined if Caesar’s wife is seen to be suspect."
Conservative MPs from North Wales have been telling BBC Director-General, Tim Davie, what's what.
The Rhyl, Prestatyn and Abergele Journal reports that James Davies (Vale of Clwyd), David Jones (Clwyd West), Sarah Atherton (Wrexham), Simon Baynes (Clwyd South), Virginia Crosbie (Ynys Môn), and Robin Millar (Aberconwy) used an online meeting that BBC Wales News was too oriented to South Wales, and Cardiff in particular.
Mr Davies reported “We were very pleased by the attention Mr Davie paid to our concerns. He told us he fully understood that more needed to be done. Another frustration that many in North Wales feel is that, unlike many other parts of the UK, we do not have a BBC local radio station of our own. BBC Radio Wales has low audience numbers in our region and I am convinced that a more localised service would be incredibly popular. I was pleased that Sir [sic]Tim Davie was receptive on this point."
A 70 page document from Ofcom takes many words to deliver its key component. Public Service Broadcasting should be renamed Public Service Media, and, whaddya know ?, Ofcom should issue licences. This is very close to attempting to regulate the internet.
Its second recommendation is to give prominence on device and app listings to UK Public Service content providers - without taking a moment to suggest how that might be achieved. 5/10.
An uncomfortable start to retirement for former BBC Scotland boss Donalda MacKinnon. Husband, chef and restaurant owner Seumas MacInnes had to put Gandolfi Fish in Glasgow into receivership and sell the family home to keep his other businesses going. Two sons are also in the family operation.
Cafe Gandolfi, the parent restaurant, is now back entertaining customers.
The National Gallery has opted for the New York practice headed by German architect Annabelle Selldorf for a £25-30m revamp. The selection panel including Lord Hall of Birkenhead, who has since resigned as Chair of the Trustees - they rejected five London-based firms.
I know I'm a little late for the morning meeting, but can we have some Covid stats from elsewhere on tonight's output ? France on Bastille Day ? The Netherlands ? Isrsael making the wearing of masks compulsory indoors, and quaranting all arrivals in the country ?
The FT, having a good run of BBC stories, says big cuts are coming at BBC Parliament. It claims the channel will lose all original programming, drop daily summaries of parliamentary proceedings, end live coverage of party conferences, and cut production staff to single figures, in a bid to reduce the annual content budget of £2m.
In the last Annual Report, BBC Parliament was costed at 5p per user hour, BBC1 at 6p per user hour, BBC Scotland at 29p per user hour. Content spend on BBC Alba was upped from £8m to £9m. Content spend on Radio 3 in Wales was £2m.
Peter Knowles, Controller of BBC Parliament, left in May, after 20 years minding the channel.
Leader of the House Jacob Rees-Mogg voluntarily wades into the BBC/Sir Robbie Gibb/Jess Brammar row via the Moggcast, a fortnightly podcast interview (starts at 22.42) on Conservative Home. "The BBC management goes off and starts suggesting it should hire somebody from a left wing outlet and that damages the whole perception of independence and impartiality in the BBC - and they really do damage themselves, and they don't see this, because, I think, well, the conclusion's obvious".
The interviewer was Harry Phibbs, former bad boy of the Federation of Conservative Students. Paul Goodman, who runs Conservative Home was a contemporary, as was Sir Robbie Gibb.
TV producer Diederick Santer, who's spend much of the last year helping out at BBC Drama, has been rewarded with a gig as Chief Creative Officer at Britbox International.
Diederick, 52 (Brighton Danes, Hammersmith and BA, Psychology Leeds) helped mind the delivery of Time and The Pursuit of Love. Previous gigs included producing Cutting It in 2002, running EastEnders from 2006 to 2010, and bringing Granchester to the tv via indie Kudos.
From The Times, it's clear Sir Robbie Gibb has offered an explanation of what's going on over the appointment of Jess Brammar as Editor of BBC tv news channels directly to No 10 - not, of course, directly to licence-fee payers. The paper's headline: No 10 supports Robbie Gibb over claims he blocked BBC appointment of Jess Brammar, with quotes from 'a senior government source'.
“Robbie wasn’t acting on his own,” the source said. “He had consulted with other members. Labour can push for him to go all they like, he’s not going to. Appointments are a matter for the BBC but that includes the board of the BBC.”
If Boris Johnson and Bob Shennan can't tempt Beeboids back to Broadcasting House, perhaps a little fresh fish will do the trick.
The old Picture Restaurant on Great Portland Street has been replaced by RAW, with a menu featuring oysters, Red Prawn carpaccio, Miso Cornish monkfish and Yuzu Mousse. Cocktails include Squid Ink Martini, Kombu Seaweed Martini and Nori Pisco Sour. Table bookings get a 50% discount on food til 31st July.
The Top 15 shows on GB News for the week 28th June are all down from the previous week. At the top of the table, Monday's Andrew Neil Show, with Colin Brazier in the chair, averaged 74,600 (compared with 103,200 for the previous chart topper). At number 15, we have the Tuesday edition of Dan Wootton Live, on 35,200. You needed 47k to make Number 15 the previous week.
Their target, Sky News saw Saturday Breakfast leading their top 15, on 163,336. Four editions of Kay Burley's Breakfast Show made the cut, the lowest at number 15, with an average 112,437.
Sky News Breakfast host Kay Burley, who has told Twitter followers that she'll be back at work on "Freedom Day", has delivered a cascade of football-related tweets this weekend, though during the previous days, her account was largely promoting the interviews of her stand-in, Niall Paterson.
Observers of Twitter handles have noted a change in La Burley's mini-Twitter profile, which used to start "More live TV than anyone else, yes, really." and now begins "Seasoned broadcaster".
Sir Robbie Gibb was appointed BBC non-executive director with responsibility for England for a three year term at the end of April. The role is one of four directly appointed by the Government, via the DCMS; the BBC recruits five other non-executives.
Political columnists have suggested that his candidacy was promoted by Dougie Smith, husband of Number 10 adviser Munira Mirza. One aide told The Sunday Times "He kept putting Robbie’s name on the list and Boris kept taking it off.” In the mid-1980s Dougie was an officer of the Federation of Conservative Students, as was Robbie Gibb; the Federation was closed down by Norman Tebbit for being too right wing.
Many see Dougie as the tactician of Culture Wars, stiffening Oliver Dowden's (and others) resolve in putting right thinkers in key positions. Others have claimed he's identified equalities minister Kemi Badenoch as a rising star in this field - Dougie thinks she might be a good replacement for Gavin Williamson at Education.
In January Badenoch took on the website Huffpo, then edited in the UK by Jess Brammar, in a Twitter row over the conduct of reporter Nadine White. Brammar, now a candidate for a BBC News job deemed unappointable by Sir Robbie, demanded an apology. The Cabinet Office eventually said none was necessary. Two months ago, Brammar gave her side of the story to a podcast, Truth To Power. The relevant section starts at 5.42.
It's a living, breathing case study in minor crisis management, not yet over. International Grandmaster of Reputation Polishing Sir Robbie Gibb, currently available through the household name of Kekst CNC, is on Day 3 of his attempt to show he's an entirely appropriate, responsible appointment as a non-executive director of the BBC.
It started on Friday with the FT reporting that Sir Robbie had texted Director of News Fran Unsworth, to tell her she could not appoint emerging candidate Jess Brammar to mind the BBC 24-hour news channel. Later that day, the BBC Press Office, presumably with the knowledge of chairman Richard Sharp and DG Tim Davie, and driven by spinner Robbie, tweeted that all principles had been adhered to (apart from the one about not ending a sentence with a preposition).
Today, Atticus in The Sunday Times, written by Gabriel Pogrund, hears from "allies of Gibb". These suggest that unsuccessful internal candidates for the job raised questions about the impending appointment, and thus Gibb reached for his oar. Why "allies of Gibb" think this is a satisfactory excuse for a non-executive texting an instruction to an executive (who used to be three pay grades above him) is not made clear.
Sir Robbie's other current jobs include protecting the integrity of The Jewish Chronicle. Ms Brammar is between jobs after taking redundancy from the HuffPo website, sitting at home in Peckham with her one-year-old child. The task ahead for whoever gets the News Channel job is not to bring down the government, but produce a reasonable quality service with an ever-smaller budget for a management who act as if they wish they'd never started it.
I have readers who will be anxious about a new BBC role for the The World's Greatest Living Foreign Correspondent, John Simpson.
In puffing his latest novel, he tells The Telegraph he's got "a new on-screen role just agreed with a BBC News management team".
‘I can’t go into the plans,’ he enthuses, ‘but I am about to enter a new exciting phase with the BBC. It’s about foreign affairs but in a more structured form.’
If the details are vague, his commitment is plainly stated. ‘If I can do it, I should like to stay with the BBC until 2026, when I will have been working for it for 60 years.’
On 18 May, the vacancy for an Executive Editor, BBC News Channels, closed. The FT has more than blown the doors off the process, with reports that BBC non-executive director Sir Robbie Gibb sent a text to the Director of News, Fran Unsworth about the preferred candidate, Jess Brammar, saying Fran 'cannot make this appointment' because the government's 'fragile trust in the BBC will be shattered'.
Three quality hacks are involved in the FT's story, but clearly all sorts of levers are being pulled in the news becoming public - and the next step in the appointment process becomes a show trial of the independence of chairman Richard Sharp.
The central BBC Press Office response is odd.
BBC statement on recruitment: pic.twitter.com/u6vN0Yyums
— BBC Press Office (@bbcpress) July 9, 2021
They seem to be defending the right of Sir Robbie to chat to Fran Unsworth, perhaps even as far as asking "Any interesting appointments coming up that I should know about ?" The correct answer to the question, if it was asked, is "None of your business".
It took quite a package to ease Shane Allen out of BBC Comedy commissioning, so plenty is riding on Content supremo Charlotte Moore's new appointment. I suspect Jon Petrie will shortly amend his brief Twitter bio, which currently starts "Clammy handed telly wanker".
Since August, Petrie has been working for Charlie Brooker's production company Broke & Bones, which has substantial Netflix funding. Before that he was a commissioner at Channel 4, hired by Ian Katz, having joined from Roughcut Television, where he produced People Just Do Nothing.
Jon, 38 (BA Hons, Advertising, Bournemouth University) is married to comedienne Holly Walsh; his brother is former CBBC presenter Ed Petrie.
Former Beeboid James Purnell, begetter of BBC Sounds, BBC Ideas, and a BBC Religion Editor, has turned to the BBC for a Chief Digital Officer at the University of the Arts, London.
Chris Condron, 49, (BA Geophysics, Imperial) is Director of Digital Products at the BBC, responsible for the product strategy, development and delivery of six of the BBC’s eight digital services - News, Sport, Education, BBC Home, Children’s, Weather (and yes, BBC Ideas.) His most recent salary: £200k +.
Who will be the token Italian to join Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Rio Ferdinand on the Wembley balcony on Sunday ?
For the semi-final, they had an extended session with Alessandro Del Piero - but he was not in the UK.
Of Italian players not in the Euro squad, perhaps the best choice might be Angelo Ogbonna, formerly of Juventus, now with West Ham. ITV are presumably in touch with Gino D'Acampo.
None of the 17-strong Strategy and Performance group at the BBC come from a "Working Class/Low Socio-Economic" or "Intermediate" background. Bob Shennan's Managing Director Group has the most, at 26.7% "Low" and 12.7% "Intermediate".
No-one in Strategy and Performance had free school meals. The next lowest department is News & Current Affairs, where just 6% enjoyed free meals.
BBC Studios has the highest perecentage of staff who went to independent or fee-payiong schools, at 15.9%; Corporate Affairs come second, on 15.7%, and News and Current Affairs share third place with the Chief Customer Officer Group, on 14.5%.
BBC Nations has the lowest number of employees from independent/fee-paying schools, at 8.6%. According to the Independent Schools Council, the independent sector educates around 6.5% of the total number of school children in the UK (and over 7% of the total number of school children in England).
We have the first 'official' BARB listings for the top 15 programmes on GB News, over the week of 21-27 June.
The Wednesday edition of Andrew Neil tops the chart, at 103,200. At No 15 is the Friday edition of Dewbs & Co, 47,400.
This compares with their target, Sky News, whose chart is topped by the Saturday night Press Preview, at 202,425, and, at No 15, Saturday Breakfast, at 113,824.
John Humphrys, now almost fully ensconced as a Daily Mail curmudgeon (was he always in plain hiding?), is unhelpful about BBC 'talent' salaries.
"The BBC is getting it in the neck for paying its talent silly salaries. Or some of them."
He suggests the BBC should be taking a cut from presenters' side earnings: "After all, we only get asked because we're a bit famous. And who made us famous?" One presumes he'd have been prepared to disclose his Mail earnings, before the BBC tried to end the practice. Or, perhaps, in the spirit of transparency, how much he's earning now, from the Mail and Classic FM ?
John admits he was overpaid (though is clearly upset that Gary Lineker was much more overpaid). But there were, weren't there, times when commercial companies came calling with more on the table ?
The BBC Annual Report features new mugshots of board members, this time against a slightly beige background, rather than the previous grey. Chairman Richard Sharp offers a dark blue shirt matched with a lighter blue jacket - and no tie. DG Tim Davie matches a collarless black t-shirt with a dark blue jacket. Even straight-laced Sir Robbie Gibb, newly installed as non-executive and King of England, is tie-less. Surely this is all worse than there being NO Union flags in the document.
Meanwhile, from the updated website, we learn that it has taken a salary of £400,000 to prise Leigh Tavaziva away from Centrica, to assume the role of Chief Operating Officer. That puts her just behind Chief Content Officer Charlotte Moore, at £402k, and the DG himself, on £429k.
The latest six months of BBC managers' expense are very light - as you might expect during lockdown. Director of Engineering Operations Andy Baker clearly had to make a number of duty visits to the BBC's emergency facilities at Wood Norton. No creaking bunk bed alongside the transmitters, though, for our Andy, but overnights at the private Wood Norton Hotel & Restaurant, at £308.32 a pop.
This year's BBC talent pay disclosures put Stephen Nolan at Number 6 (and rising) and Vanessa Feltz at Number 8 (down a tad).
There will be those working in regional and local programming at the BBC who will remain slightly puzzled by this. 7½ hours of Stephen's airtime is on Radio Ulster (most recent weekly reach for the whole station - 516,000); 15 hours of Vanessa's busy week is on Radio London (most recent weekly reach for the whole station - 425,000).
The cost of getting people out of the door at the BBC went up substantially in the last financial year. £102m went on 'restructuring costs', compared with £37m the previous year. And yet, the average headcount across the group fell by just 530, to 22,219. A further 1,067 equivalent full-timers were employed on casual contracts.
Spend on severance payments is capped at £150k, but 218 left over the year with deals at over £100k, compared with 85 the previous year.
Remembering that the BBC only reveals the talent salaries of those paid directly from the licence fee, I note a pleasing cluster this year, at the sort of estate-agent-fixing level of £295k. Jeremy Vine and Nicky Campbell, whose salaries have come down, and Dan Walker, whose salary has gone up.
There's another engaging quartet on £170k - Ben Brown, Victoria Derbyshire, Annie Mac and James Naughtie.
The BBC has now had a full year of June Sarpong as Director of Creative Diversity. Her remuneration for the 12 months is £267k. She is part-time. It would be instructive to know what the full-time equivalent salary would be. She declares paid work from Harper Collins, Burberry, and M & C Saatchi Merlin. June does not currently claim expenses or accept gifts and hospitality related to her work at the BBC.
The BBC Annual Report is out later today, but, as ever, there have been briefings to newspapers as to exactly how brilliant executives have been in reducing 'talent' pay.
I would beg to point out that this disclosure only covers 'talent' who get their some or all of their pay cheques directly from the BBC, and not its commercial subsidiary, BBC Studios, or the independent production companies that are largely vehicles for single entertainers.
Thus it doesn't include Graham Norton, Danny Dyer, Alex Jones, Tess Daly, Michael McIntyre and many more. The list has become an uncomfortable spotlight on continuing high salaries at Radio 2 (The Terry Wogan Legacy) and BBC News. By the way, while we're tracking transparency, anyone seen the updated register of external events ? Not yet available....
It feels slightly odd that Kay Burley has taken a fortnight off, just four weeks after her return to Sky News Breakfast following suspension. I suppose it adds extra excitement to the titanic struggle for supremacy over the Great British Breakfast at GB News.
Couple of weeks away. See you for Freedom Day 😊 pic.twitter.com/Xt2BC8TRIs
— Kay Burley (@KayBurley) July 5, 2021
Algorithm or the human touch ? I was intrigued to hear a trail for BBC iPlayer offerings "The Battle for Britney" and "Cristiano Ronaldo - Impossible to Ignore" on Radio 3 at noon today, sandwiched between Felix Mendelssohn Piano Concerto No. 2 in D minor, Op. 40 at the end of Sarah Walker's show, and Private Passions, kicking off with Johann Sebastian Bach Prelude (Cello Suite no.1 in G major).
People who follow these things think the BBC is in for a branding change. They say the building bricks that make up B B C will change in line with the version now used by BBC Select, a streaming option aimed at posh people in the USA.
A minor change, visually, but one suspects the consequential spending will be as much as if they'd changed it to, for example, BeBeSee. As ever, the question will be asked by those who monitor licence fee spending, what's the point ?
The Mail Online is certainly respecting the request from Mr and Mrs Gove for some privacy as they finalise their divorce; the news is below several 'folds', still beaten in the running order by Sue Perkins' Friday separation from her girlfriend.
Mr Gove, whose myriad responsibilities include pacifying Scotland, has been in Stornoway. It's thought he's the first minister to join a Cabinet meeting by Zoom from the Western Isles. Prior to that, he spent two days out and about in his Surrey Heath constituency.
Will Mrs Gove contribute her regular column to this week's Mail on Sunday ? Last week she mused on the break-up of Matt Hancock's marriage. "The problem with the wife who has known you since way before you were king of the world is that she sees through your facade."
Sarah Vine is demanding privacy and to be left alone in the light of her divorce from the law-breaking, Michael Gove. I’ll just leave this video here and you can make up your own minds…. pic.twitter.com/5FQxr4fYxF
— Rob Rogers (@lbob15) July 3, 2021
Long after the bidding war between BBC and ITV for Dallas, the BBC seems to have embarked on a new line of US acquistions. The latest is the back catalogue of six series of Gossip Girl, from 2007 to 2012, as well as rights to the current remake series, due to premiere in the States on HBO later this month.
Dan McGolpin, Director, BBC iPlayer and Channels says: “The BBC has a rich track record of acquiring some of the best content from around the world to complement our original commissions and we are delighted to be reacquainting existing fans and introducing new viewers to the iconic world of Gossip Girl on BBC iPlayer. The original series defined an era and we cannot wait for everyone to see the new series with its exciting new generation.”
Gossip Girl is about the lives of posh girls in a private school in the Upper East Side of New York. The tv series started in America with average audiences of 3.5m, and finished on 0.9m.
Recent episodes of "Stay Connected", the smash hit internal communications pandemic show at the BBC, hosted by Tim "Smashy" Davie and Bob "Nicey" Shennan have become a little edgy.
Atttendance in person at some BBC buildings has naturally been controlled, but there are are still a range of sites where the numbers of reception, security and cleaning staff outstrips those turning up for other tasks. In his generous way, Tim has asked staff how they would like to work in the future.
There lies the increased tension. Many have said they quite like this working at home lark, can see no change in the quality of their output (cf "We're still on the air, aren't we ?") and would like a rota where they pop in once a month for a new sheaf of printer paper, and perhaps a local union liaison meeting. Tim's view - most people should be 'in' two or three days a week, once restrictions are removed.
Some staff would like an extended dialogue on this topic. But the booster-ish format of "Stay Connected" steamrollers on, with a feature revealing the shock news that tennis is popular on the BBC, demonstrated by a Zoom interview with Clare Balding in a taxi on her way to Wimbledon.
Here's a slightly different approach to presenter recruitment, from new-ish BBC Breakfast editor, Richard Frediani. An advert.
BBC Breakfast is seeking a Chief presenter to work with Dan Walker, Naga Munchetty and Charlie Stayt on the UK’s most watched morning show. With 6 million viewers every morning, the flagship Breakfast show combines news, sport, business and entertainment with real life stories. The key role is to inform and entertain viewers with everything they need for the day ahead.
The normal working pattern will be based around 3 days a week (normally Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday) with some flexibility to work other days on the programme if needed. Working hours include prep time, pre records, travel and location work (outside broadcasts) when needed.
You have to upload a showreel, a cv, and complete a "tailored questionnaire". Can't see Piers Morgan going through all that.
It's not often BBC executives are frank about bad news in front of the BBC Board. Director of Content Charlotte Moore told the March meeting that "radio stations had been affected by the change in peoples’ habits during the pandemic." This may explain why Radio 4 feels the need to create trails for the Today programme (which, one naively assumes, most Radio 4 listeners will have tried).
In meatier business discussed in March, it seems that the financial travails of EastEnders, already burdened with a delayed and very expensive new set, continue. Part of the minutes are redacted for commercial confidentiality, but there is reference to 'an investment proposal', which usually means borrowing, and a clear suggestion of hardballing between Content and BBC Studios over price: "The Board agreed the proposed negotiating mandate for the commission of one series of EastEnders for 2021-22."
It would be interesting to see how Eastenders has done through reliance on iPlayer during the Euros.
Nick Grimshaw, 36, is moving on from Radio 1 in September. He didn't 'save' breakfast at the station, and we have no idea what his figures are currently like at drivetime. He's perhaps now more famous as a double act with niece Liv on Celebrity Gogglebox - and it wouldn't be surprising if the pair ended up with a commercial radio slot.
In come Vick Hope and Jordan North. And behind them, a promotion for singer/DJ Victoria Jane. She has a new single out, which samples Henry Mancini's 1959 tune Luja/Slow Hot Wind.
