Driving Home for New Year

Well, for once the weather forecast was right. I'm home after driving pretty much the full length of the M1 motorway with most of it drenched in spray, hurling down with rain, strong and gusty winds and - through the Midlands - mist. Nice. So after 200 miles my shoulders are shot but the beer is poured, and the nibbles of French sausage, Turkish Delight and Mini Cheddars are going down a treat. There's candle light, because the fuse for the lights has gone and we don't have any spare, whilst musical accompainment is seaping through the wall from next door's party (wouldn't be so bad, but no taste whatsoever!!).

Have to say though that Radio Five Live did themselves proud with a pre-recorded programme this evening - the film review programme was a re-run from Christmas Day, but at least the intro and outro was re-recorded to reflect this, and apparently, the programme re-ran the same web-cam pictures. That's a very clever idea if that actually happened, but I was doing 45mph on the M1 in a monsoon at the time, so can't prove it.

So as the old year turns new, the news agenda keeps turning, so I'll leave you (on UK time) with this thought from Lost Remote on the Saddam-hanging material that's doing the rounds on the net courtesy of a mobile phone (and someone was taking still pictures, too, I note from this evening's news). I tend to agree with the posting, 2007 will be interesting.

Have a good one and see you next year :)

Oh dear... oh dear, oh dear...

Work over the past couple of days has been very quiet. It's a great time to get the naff jobs out of the way that I've put off the rest of the year. Although this year, a whinging colleague who should've been on holiday had it cancelled and turned up to tell everyone about it... and not just once, oh no... It hasn't been cheery.

Aside, I went to see The New Statesman at the Trafalgar Studios last night. I haven't laughed that hard in a long, long time. I've heard that the script has some additional material on hand depending upon the political news of the day. The thought of the US invading Norway and Alan B'stard's quest to take over Number 10 by kidnapping Tony Blair and bringing down the BBC was very, very funny. Excellently written and a superb performance from Rik Mayall, it definately brought back fond memories of the original series from the 1980s. Indeed, I noticed that amongst the programmes was a DVD of the first series. Fine stuff. Great theatre too, as the front row is actually on the floor level stage.

Westminster Council has been getting ready for the Trafalgar Square New Year's Eve (non) celebrations. I spotted this lunchtime teams of workmen brushing anti-climb paint on all the lamposts. And then tying signs to each one warning of the paint's presence. Why? Surely if you're drunk enough to have a go climbing a lamp post you're not really going to be reading signs.

Happy New Year! I've great plans for 2007.

The Best... and the worst

I love this time of year as it really brings out the two faces of the media.

On the one hand, the reviews of the year and pre-recorded specials in place of live broadcasting is a complete nause. I also can't abide programme presenters that proclaim they'll be with us on Christmas Day - in spirit alone as it's obviously pre-recorded - there's been a lot of that on Radio Five Live over the past few days. I've presented on Christmas Day morning, it was great fun and still got home before lunch.

On the other, there's been some good efforts. The BBC World Service 'Europe Today' programme ran Europe's Christmas food and festivities. Very interesting differences and similarities. The common message was the fear of commercialisation and 'cultural imperialism' from the USA.

On television, the Christmas Day special of Dr Who had its good and awful points (not for this posting, but I'll let them go by because I'm feeling charitable for once) but bleeding dry Strictly Come Dancing? Enough, please. That said, the Father Ted Christmas special in the lingerie department is still very, very funny (as was the 'Father Neil Hannon' quote). And since when was a BBC programme getting high ratings a news story and worthy of interactivity? Oh, every day if you're the BBC news website needing some filling...

I presume next come the New Year Resolutions? Food for thought... meanwhile, another beer methinks.

Wow, Chelsea have just scored an own goal... that's something you don't see very often!

Hic!

Greetings of the season!

Best wishes to you, be you in Australia, Canada or in the places in between.

After a fill of food and merriment, I'm sleeping it off, so some broadcasting musings tomorrow.

zzzz zzzz

My husband and i-pod

Probably the best thing about HM Queen's Christmas message this year being podcast is not that fact that it's being podcast at all, but the fact that Private Eye foretold the event in a cartoon earlier this month!

Tracking Father Christmas

I could witter on about the BBC telly tax story, or that it's still foggy in London and there's travel chaos.

But no, the biggest story of the day is this:

NORAD is tracking Santa!

Can't wait for the first piccies. I'm pretty sure that this was on-line last year, but according to the website they've been doing this for over 50 years. A small bell did start ringing when I saw this earlier, and I recall from my Cold War childhood a news story of NORAD not only looking out for missiles and impending doom, but also Santa.

Ahh.

Snow turns a white shade

Something really quite cool from the Channel 4 newsblog today.

Sadly, the audio is only in Windows...

Paying to prevent the digital divide

Here we go, don't say I didn't warn you with tales of woe from Europe.

I see today that the UK's Culture Secretary has said that the BBC will have to foot the bill to subsidise the vulnerable in upgrading receiving equipment when the UK goes digital. The bill? An estimated £600m. Ouch.

But it's not the BBC paying, but the taxpayer, because of the unique way in which the BBC is funded (i.e. a tax). Although the BBC is still awaiting its latest 'tax' settlement - a decision that the government makes - so all this is up in the air, so to speak. So it might come out of the BBC's pocket to the detriment of other budgetary priorities.

Herein lies the problem - whoever wants digital switchover to happen should pay for it. So that's the government, then? Another argument I've heard is that if the BBC doesn't lead the way, new technology - not just but including digital - won't happen. So they're a massive player.

The good news, if there is any, is that at least someone has thought about the potentially hundreds of thousands, if not more, people in the UK who won't be in a postition to afford the new, arguably basic, kit that digital demands (those who can afford it will go for the newer whiz kit, naturally). This isn't just the switch from black and white to colour TV, but something so big that hasn't happened in the history of UK broadcasting. I mean, there are people in Yorkshire who still can't get either Channel 5 (no great loss) OR digital radio... admittedly that's a TX problem, but the principle's there.

Until this sort of argument over who pays and blanket coverage is sorted out, I'm afraid by government intervention - and not regulators or broadcasters with their own vested interests - we may as well put off the analogue switch off until we're absolutely confident that the country's covered.

Like we saw in Holland...

No, it can't be...

Have I really just seen an ad on Channel 4 for 'Celeb Big Brother' starting January?

Great...

Two quick questions

Question 1. What is it with Radio 5 Live not podcasting the good stuff and podcasting the Daily-stoating-Mayo? Richard Bacon's hosting 'Fighting Talk - Any Other Business' just now, which is the normal Fighting Talk punditary thing, but talking about the week's news. A great premise, but is it being podcasted? What do you think?

(If anyone gives me the 'it's only a trial' BBC spin as they did after the Weekend Business posting a few weeks back, I'll scream)

Question 2. Now that channel 182 on Sky has changed its name to Russia Today and is taking news through the night, why hasn't it moved to sit alongside the other news channels? Arguably better quality than the French effort!

Belgian break-up uproar!

A news spoof in Belgium attracted a lot of attention earlier this week. None of it outside Belgium, though.

French-language RTBF broadcast on Wednesday night a report that Flanders had declared independence from Belgium, the country split and the King had done a runner. Unfair comparisons were made with the War of The Worlds broadcast in the US by some commentators.

Apparently, French-speaking Belgium wasn't impressed, and some in Flanders weren't too happy either. Later in the week, politicians were up in arms, right-wing Flanders separatists were excited and the RTBF journalists were being hauled in for meetings.

One thing springs to mind. Someone, somewhere within RTBF must have known this was going to be broadcast and must surely thought about what kind of reaction it would attract. So all this back-tracking sees no sympathy from me.

I would hate to think what the reaction would be if a similar item was run in the UK, say the border checks were being built at the M4 Severn crossing. Well, fact is, it wouldn't happen. There's too much political twitching about the UK split at present.

It would be very funny if someone tried, though...

Radio is alive and doing well

Something lovely from the Lost Remote blog on the US census. It makes very interesting reading and great ammunition for the next time someone tells you that no one's listening to radio any more...

Too much news!

A lot has already been said in the blogosphere and, dare I say, the mainstream media, about the perceived avalanche of news stories yesterday in the UK. Or, to be fair, the avalanche of news mainstream organisations thought was important enough to carry. This led to the age old row between the media and the government - the government buried their bad news by releasing it on the same day as major news stories from elsewhere.

Prime Minister Blair interviewed by police - police lead, surely
Investigation into sales of aircraft to Saudi Arabia dropped - government lead
Report published into the investigation of the death of Princess Diana - report authors lead
2,500 post offices across the UK to close (scandalous) - government lead
5 women dead in Suffolk - police lead
Christmas is coming - Santa lead

OK, I made the last one up. But was the agenda conspiracy or cock up? You decide, don't let me influence you.

Highlight of the day: I had to laugh out loud last night when one of my least favourite presenters on Radio Five Live asked 'has there been too much bad news today?'. Good grief, you're a 24 hour news station, are you seriously telling me there was too much news?

Today I've been at home writing my latest MA assignment - BTW, I passed my OU degree, I got my results last night and an undergrad diploma I forgot about. Hurrah! Al Jazeera English is on in the background. It's making a good change from the constant whoosh of breaking news on Sky (it's a clever trick, make a sound to get attention, put the breaking news caption on screen, then make the audience wait a few seconds for the actual news). Or, from the BBC, the 'waiting for the Queen to appear at Sandhurst' camera looking at a half empty parade ground. Yep, it seems they like the more sedate pace of hanging around for news rather than broadcasting it, then.

Right, another 1,500 words to go. I've covered the resurgent Cornish language, Yorkshire nationalism, BBC metropolitan bias, the Iranian revolution and Central American radio. Still to come, the English parliament on-line debate and France 24...

Another 48 hours

I've been to four parties in 48 hours (actually three in one day) and yesterday received an unexpected invitation to join boat owners on the Regents Canal in London in their annual carol singing. What a marvellous evening! The weather was great, the singers enthusiastic and the mulled wine well warmed. And considering this came after the works Christmas lunch and beer outing, we all did very well. It was actually very atmospheric standing on the tow path, lyrics in hand, attracting bemused looks from passers and yelling from angry cyclists (miserable that we were in their way. Scrooges).

But for all the greetings of the season, that's it, party season over. 48 hours of party-to-party and it's all over for another year. Quite a good thing, actually, because I'm shattered and I have an essay to write.

Big UK news to analyse today, so more tomorrow morning when I'm a little more with it.

An early warning on digital switchover

Back in November, I noted the story from Sweden that politicians were having second thoughts about the whole digital radio thing. Well, the Netherlands has travelled further down the digital road than anywhere else, and actually switched off analogue TV transmissions on Sunday (10th).

Here is the sorry tale about how it went. Badly, apparently. According to the "no picture" website, there's been hundreds of complaints sparked by poor reception. Quite large towns are without reception at all and this is despite a push from the digital operator to give users aerial adapters. Which it seems aren't doing the job. We're not talking about a large country or large population here, either.

Arguably, of course, you could say that hundreds of thousands, nay, millions of people didn't complain and / or have nothing to complain about. But the fact that the decision to actually switch off took place without absolute certainty of coverage is somewhat worrying.

So as we in the UK go hurtling towards a similar digital switch off, I really hope problems like those the Dutch suffered at the weekend are ironed out.

Listen up OFCOM, it could happen to you, too.

Funny then, still funny now

More 4 is running "The 30 Greatest Political Comedies" at 9pm tonight, hosted by Michael Howard and Charles Kennedy, which should be a laugh in itself!

Looking forward to the extracts from The New Statesman. Hilarious the first time around, and hopefully as good on the stage - I've booked tickets during its London run for an evening during that Christmas / New Year lull as a pick-me-up!

The bleak midwinter

A state of lethargy settled in the office today. I don't think it actually got light in London today because of the day's heavy rain, which engendered a feeling of misery amongst us. And I thought it was just me thinking "I'm shattered" all day. I also fear a cold is on it's way again, if I ever got rid of the last one (so much for vitamin C). I had great plans to crack on with some writing this evening but that's not going to happen. Early night with a book instead as later in the week, there's not one but three Christmas parties to get through.

Anyway, today I RSS'ed the Channel 4 Newsblog. Jon Snow's entries are rather good, then again he's a journalist I've always liked. There's the occasional "filler" posting by a non-entity called "Newsroom blogger", which is probably a collective identity for the duty editors or seomthing, but the named journalist entries are rather fine, and I get the impression that they are a lot less staged than the BBC ones.

Finally, Russia Today really has to sort out the scrolling text on Sky 182. The bottom's still missing and it's starting to annoy me.

Two signs that Christmas is nearly here...

The Famous Grouse ads are back! Hurrah!

And the Home Secretary says we must be on our guard for a terrorist attack. How times change, eh? I remember the same warnings 20 years ago. Different enemy, though. Merry Christmas, and don't forget to be scared about shopping in city centres.

Great, isn't it?

The final frontier

It's been a while since I've laughed out loud like just now.

This is an absolute gem of a You Tube mash-up posted on CMM News a few days back: Star Trek meets Monty Python.

Enjoy!

Hyper Music

I did a rare thing this evening. The other half was out, so ended up spending the evening listening to Muse (probably a tad loud, but the neighbours throw parties, so what the hell), surfing and reading. This is opposed to the usual thing of catching up with the things I've Sky +ed during the week or EPG surfing.

OK, confess, one episode of Torchwood because I'm so far behind, but that's all...
Detaching myself from reality like that was rather relaxing. Although, I have to say I was back to the news after 11.30 to catch the Sunday newspaper reviews! Sad.

My next set of study materials has arrived in the post. Grief, I'm glad I'm not a postman. This module is about analysing the media (that'll be my job, then) and convergance. Should be fun getting my head around all the academic terminology for the things I do every day.

Amongst the pack was a weighty book called 'Handbook on Radio and Television Audience Research" produced by the BBC World Service Training Trust and UNICEF. That on its own will be very useful indeed.

The beautiful game conquers politics

Congratulations to the Gibraltar Football Association in their associate membership to UEFA after seven years of trying. This is a triumph of sport over politics, as Spain has been attempting to block Gibraltar's membership on nothing but political terms (amongst other things, Spain argues that the Victoria Stadium, Gibraltar's footballing home, is on 'disputed territory').

So good for UEFA, actually after pressure from the Court of Arbitration for Sport who said there was no sporting reason for Gibraltar not to be accepted into UEFA. Good for the CAS. Come on, FIFA, you next.

Let's see whether Spain goes ahead with the threat not to take part in UEFA competition if Gibraltar fields a team. But just like the disruption to the Christmas Radio Times (see earlier posting), it won't happen, will it?

France 24 has first night nerves

Right, who's going to lay into the technical problems on opening night of France 24 then (as many did when AJE started)?

Maybe it was the weather that gave me a 'technical fault' blue screen of death on Sky Channel 515 with less than 25 minutes to launch. Now, after dipping back in at 2000 for the news, (pics come from the very start, I Sky +'ed it) there was 8 minutes of news, a ridiculously long weather forcecast (with its own credits - impressive) and then - mind the gap - black screen - oh, let's re-run the test film again. Although the give away that the channel was live was the ticker across the bottom. Have to say, though, that the picture quality was pretty ropey when you compare it to AJE.



Ok, the moan over. The lovely Francois Picard kicked things off standing up behind the desk. I think it's far too early to comment much on the news agenda, because it's been an odd day and the agenda has to settle to see any slants, but it didn't seem very different from the stuff I was seeing all day.



Indeed, commenting on both the Livinenko story and the north London tornado. Lots of references to things that were going on in France just to satisfy the remit.

So first night nerves out of the way, France is the latest to have its 'Al Jazeera', that is, a rolling news channel which isn't dominated by the US narrative. Seeing a different opinion is always a good thing, but I just hope all these japes into international news (Russia, AJE just the latest in the line) have longevity.

Life on Mars

Water has flowed recently on Mars, according to NASA. Wow! It's stuffed the news agenda on Sky News! Yep, life on Mars and leaving human space junk behind is more important than General Mike Jackson's comments regarding the MoD, the Iraq Study Group report or Gordon Brown's budget speech.

Makes a change from poisoned spies at least.

The US way is not the only way

Maybe it was the lack of sleep and a very early start this morning, but I nearly lost it this afternoon listening to a US academic telling us how blogging and 'citizen journalism' worked... with complete disregard for the blogging scene or academic discussion on the whole 'CitJ' thing outside the US. Said academic was so wide of the mark about the international arena it was embarrising. I'm sure mutturing with colleagues at the back of the hall was noticed and that was why I was totally ignored when it came to the Q&A. Still, I don't hold grudges and it's probably the egotistical nature of some strains of academia, but I wasn't chuffed to have such 'facts' spouted (women only blog about shopping, was one classic line I spluttered at).

I amuse myself with the fact that this lecturer knew nothing about the UK political blogging scene whatsoever, and I would've done anything to have seen a head-to-head with Guido or Iain Dale et al, let alone the female political blogging community. Shame I didn't know in advance that there was wireless connectivity in the hall, otherwise I would've live blogged the sorry tale.

That aside, my colleague and I ducked out early and went back to the station via the culture, politics and media sections in Blackwell's book shop. Deadly at the best of times, let alone in Oxford.

So to clear my head of such academic ramblings, I'm watching back episodes of The State Within (no brain required) with my cat.

And apologies to people around me on the tube this evening - I laughed out loud with irony to read that traces of Polonium 210 had been found at Arsenal's stadium (I jested to the other half that it would be very intereting if radiation was found at Chelsea...) and the British Embassy in Moscow. Grief, the plot thickens.

Two annoying pieces from BBC news

As I look at the world's media all day, I'm disheartened to return to UK media and be really annoyed by petty stuff. Sadly, two things this evening have got my stoat.

First, what's with this:



Powerpoint journalism!!

Is it just me or is this becoming more and more prevelent? Here's a journo stood in front of a graphics screen essentially giving a powerpoint presentation. Obviously it's a complicated story that needs explaining with slides. Look, I get these all day and the gag's wearing thin. Surely there's better ways to deliver the news.

Second, at the bottom of this story on the BBC website about the death of two firefighters at the weekend is this:

Books of condolence were opened at town halls and fire stations across the county and a memorial fund started to the two men who lost their lives.

The BBC has also set up an online book of condolence.

No, no and no! What public service is there in the BBC setting up an on-line book of condolence? It's just a new name for a message board, isn't it? And what is the BBC going to go with it afterwards? Hand over a disc to the fire brigade? I've no problems with a forum for thought, but something really irked me by calling it what they did and their intentions.

Whinge over. I'm in a bad mood after the batting collapse in the test match, and that fact that I'm getting up at 5.15am tomorrow to go to a conference. Nice!

The strike that won't affect output

Media Guardian reports that journalists at BBC Worldwide are going out on strike and that the strike will affect production of the 'bumper' Christmas / New Year edition of the Radio Times.

Yeah, right. Are you really telling me that the biggest selling edition of the BBC's listings rag will be affected? I'll believe it when I see it.

Incidentally, wise words from James Cridland: It's trendy to appear stupid

Randall speaks to Murdoch

One programme Radio Five Live doesn't podcast is 'Weekend Business' with Jeff Randall (yes, Daily Telegraph journo who broke the Grade story has a programme on the BBC. Oh, the irony). Shame really, as he's just spent the first half hour interviewing James Murdoch and it was worth a more active listen. He asked the standard fayre of questions - what of the ITV news this week, will Sky have 10million subscribers by 2010, will you be taking over the business - but overall, rather interesting.

Quote for me was from Murdoch, when asked about the BBC, he said they were doing great things with digital, but establishing a "BBC Google" was way beyond the BBC's public service remit. Quite right too.

A little bit naff having the BBC's media correspondent, Torin Douglas, straight off the back of the piece being an instant pundit as he didn't have anything new to say and merely filled a minute. Then again, apart from revealing that the Sky business is "carbon neutral", arguably nor did Murdoch...

An afternoon in Calais

I'm still amazed by the fact that I can get in the car, drive to Calais for the afternoon, do a spot of shopping at the supermarket and be back home before 9pm. Mind you, that was what I, and many, many others in SE England did yesterday. It was a mad idea, I know, to go to France on a December Saturday. Apart from the queues at self service check-in (caused by people who couldn't work the thing), and it was stupid going to the big Calais shopping centre... actually, it's still great.

I'll always listen to a podcast during the 35 minute Eurotunnel crossing. On the way out, it was Deutsche Welle's Inside Europe show - a classic piece of European broadcasting style with an American accented host, but quite informative (I never knew the French were making Mont St Michel an island again). It also prompted the following observation from my other half: "how do they get away with putting music in their podcast?" Different regulations, it seems.

Back to the UK, after a burst of the BBC World Service on MW and flicking through the FM dial whilst waiting to get through passport control, it was Iain Lee on LBC. I find the whole phone-in talk show a bit of a nause, as sub-groups of regular callers tend to dominant. Although I do dip in and out of LBC and quite like it. Perhaps because after a day of seriousness and downright misery of the world new agenda, I love something that doesn't make me think. Lovely stuff.

Anyway, top stoat tip: if you are going to do the beer run to foreign parts this festive season, definately do it, but on a weekday.

Good News...

A great website for stoats who, from time to time, get depressed analysing the bad news in the media all day. Happy reading!

Spy Plot Thickens

This story's now turning into rather a big thing. For starters, I've never seen Channel 4 News run a 'Breaking News' graphic during a bulletin. Yep, it's getting that bad.

It's also sparked a flurry of, frankly, half-arsed analysis by UK journalists surfing the net to report how the Russian media isn't covering the story. More 4 news had a brave attempt this evening at showing that, until the bloke had died, there was hardly a comment; things had changed. No, the Russian media are not ignoring the story. It just wasn't on their radar for a while (the UK media are guilty of that from time to time too, you know). I would presume that now an Italian academic who met Litvinenko in London has been found to be contaminated with polonium 210, the same analysis will be tagged to the Italian media. Bring on the stereotyping, me thinks.

Of course, the frantic speculation by health, science and security experts continues unabated in amongst graphic over-load. Desperate pleas for information are abound - were you on one of the aircraft? Did you eat in Itsu? Did you stay at the hotel? Tell us your story, send us your pictures.... Is it me, but I have't seen any response bar one bloke who spoke to daytime Radio Five Live. Maybe I'm just watching the wrong bulletins or being blinded by the breaking news graphics.

There's nothing much else in the UK news agenda at present, so the frenzy is likely to continue over the weekend.