Latest Television reveals Local TV bid

Posted by Press Gazette on 9 March 2011 at 11:13
Tags: Broadcast, Media Business, Radio, Television

Latest Television has become the latest company to publicly announce that it has bid for the right to run the ‘spine’ channel at the heart of Jeremy Hunt’s Local TV plan.

Bill Smith, founder of the Brighton-based business, told Press Gazette that around “12 or 13” bids are competing to run the channel which will broadcast national networked programming into which shows from regional stations will be interspersed. (more…)

BBC retains BBC Hindi news as alternative funding explored

Posted by Press Gazette on 7 March 2011 at 11:43
Tags: BBC, Broadcast, Radio

The BBC said today that it intended to retain a part of the Hindi news service it had originally earmarked for closure while it explores the possibility of transferring the service to a commercial organisation.

The BBC Hindi radio was one of five separate services scheduled for closure as part of the outcome of the corporation’s Spending Review 2010 settlement. (more…)

ITV News’ Tom Bradby hits out at BBC paying Andrew Marr £600k

Posted by Press Gazette on 22 February 2011 at 09:29
Tags: BBC, Broadcast, People, Radio, Television

Tom Bradby, political editor of ITV News who bagged the first interview with Prince William and Kate Middleton after their engagement was made public, has criticised the inflated salaries of senior journalistic staff at the BBC.

Responding to revelations made over the weekend that Andrew Marr was paid £600,000 annually by the BBC; Bradby used a series of Twitter updates to lay into BBC bosses for paying such exorbitant fees.

He accused the BBC of outpacing its commercial rivals in terms of salaries to senior journalistic staff, saying things had got out of control and that the corporation had created “its own internal market”. (more…)

Medical Journalists’ Association unveils award winners

Posted by Press Gazette on 11 February 2011 at 12:19
Tags: Broadcast, Journalism, Radio, Television, awards

A film about euthanasia by Ray Tostevin for Panorama scooped broadcast TV award at the Medical Journalists’ Association Winter Awards earlier this week. (more…)

CPJ reports 141 attacks on journalists in Egypt since end of Jan

Posted by Press Gazette on 10 February 2011 at 11:27
Tags: Broadcast, People, Radio, press freedom

The Committee to Protect Journalists claims to have recorded at least 141 direct attacks on journalists and news facilities in Egypt since the end of January.

The New York-based charity, which has documented reported attacks on its websites, said it is investigating numerous other reports of violence and hostility against reporters as protests continue against the rule of President Hosni Mubarak. (more…)

Talksport signs Richard Keys and Andy Gray for new daily show

Posted by Press Gazette on 8 February 2011 at 14:52
Tags: Broadcast, People, Radio

Sexism row ex-Sky Sports presenters Richard Keys and Andy Gray are back - after being signed up by Talksport for a new daily 10am-1pm show.

Listening numbers for Talksport are currently booming, as revealed by last week’s Rajar figures.

Here’s the Talksport press release:

(more…)

Michael Atherton eyes unique double as SJA unveils broadcast awards shortlist

Posted by Press Gazette on 4 February 2011 at 08:54
Tags: BBC, Broadcast, Journalism, Radio, Television, awards

Times cricket correspondent Michael Atherton is in line for a unique double after being named as one of six nominees up for the Sports Journalists Association broadcaster of the year prize.

Former England cricket captain Atherton, who was named 2009 SJA British Sports Writer of the Year, could add to that accolade after being included on this year’s broadcast shortlist for his work on Sky Sport’s Test cricket coverage. (more…)

NUJ members condemn BBC Online and World Service cuts

Posted by Press Gazette on 27 January 2011 at 16:25
Tags: BBC, Broadcast, National Union of Journalists, New Media, Radio, Television

Members of the National Union of Journalists have reacted angrily to the proposed cuts to the BBC World Service and the corporation’s online operation.

This afternoon’s meeting of the London BBC branch of the NUJ unanimously passed a motion condemning the scale of the cuts. (more…)

Peter Horrocks: World Service will lose 30m from audience

Posted by Press Gazette on 27 January 2011 at 10:37
Tags: BBC, Broadcast, Radio, Television

BBC Global News director Peter Horrocks said yesterday the cuts imposed on the World Service would lead to an immediate drop of more than 30m in its audience.

Horrocks warning came after reports that around 650 jobs would be cut from the World Service workforce of 2,400.

In a bid to save £46 million a year, the BBC is to close five World Service language services. (more…)

David Cohen named reporter of the year at WorkWorld Media Awards

Posted by Press Gazette on 19 January 2011 at 14:23
Tags: Journalism, Newspapers, Radio, Television, awards

London Evening Standard’s David Cohen was named reporter of the year at the 24th WorkWorld Media Awards last night.

The awards, which are organised by the Work Foundation, celebrate coverage of work across national and regional newspapers, radio, TV and trade titles. (more…)

Labour’s Tom Baldwin ruffles feathers with plea to use phrase ‘Tory-led Government’

Posted by Dominic Ponsford on 19 January 2011 at 09:49
Tags: Broadcast, Radio, Television

Former Times journalist Tom Baldwin has ruffled the feathers of a few of his former colleagues in the press in his new job as director of communications for Labour leader Ed Milliband.

He has written to broadcasting executives including BBC director general Mark Thompson and BSkyB chief executive Jeremy Darroch to suggest “Tory-led Government” should be house-style for the current Government, rather than the Coalition.

In his letter, quoted by Joe Murphy in the Evening Standard, he says: (more…)

Justin Webb: Newsreader Peter Woods was my dad

Posted by Dominic Ponsford on 18 January 2011 at 08:41
Tags: Broadcast, Magazines, People, Radio

Radio 4 Today presenter uses an interview in today’s Radio Times to reveal that his father was Peter Woods - the famous BBC newsreader.

He reveals that Woods became close to Webb’s mother Gloria Crocombe when he was a reporter on the Daily Mirror and she was a newsdesk secretary. The RT reports that she was sacked for becoming pregnant.

Webb said: “After I was born he had visited my mum and me once, when I was six months old. I think he might also have paid money for some years - a decent, and in those days legally unnecessary, thing to do. I also suspect that their split when I was born might have come as much from my mother as from him: I do not believe she was abandoned.”

Peter Woods died in 1995.

SJA adds sports newspaper of the year prize category to annual awards

Posted by Press Gazette on 6 January 2011 at 16:38
Tags: Broadcast, Journalism, Newspapers, People, Radio, Television

The Sports Journalists Association has added a new sports newspaper of the year award to its annual prize-giving.

The new category will feature alongside the 17 prizes currently given out each year to celebrate the industry’s leading sports writers, photographers and broadcasters. (more…)

BBC spends £16m in three years on senior manager redundancy payouts

Posted by Alex Sharp on 6 January 2011 at 12:27
Tags: BBC, Broadcast, Freedom of Information, Journalism, Radio, Television

In the past three years the BBC has spent more than £16m making redundancy payments to 115 senior managers, a report this morning revealed.

The Daily Telegraph revealed the figures this morning after submitting a Freedom of Information request to the corporation. The highest payout was in the region of £600,000.

A BBC spokesman defended the payouts, tellling The Telegraph: “These redundancies are an essential part of our £2bn savings drive.”

This morning’s story follows reports that the BBC paid out over £600,000 dealing with employment tribunal claims last year.

Littlejohn: ‘I would have been just as offensive about an able-bodied protestor’

Posted by Sam Francis on 17 December 2010 at 16:27
Tags: Broadcast, Journalism, Law, National Newspapers, New Media, Online, Radio

Daily Mail columnist Richard Littlejohn today defended his article lampooning disabled student protester Jody McIntyre, saying he is an “equal opportunities abuser.”

Speaking on the “Parry & Graham” show on talkSPORT at 12.15pm Littlejohn said: “What we subsequently discovered [about Jody McIntyre] is that he’s not quite as disabled as everybody thinks. (more…)

Martyn Lewis slams national coverage of voluntary sector

Posted by Sam Francis on 16 December 2010 at 10:57
Tags: BBC, Broadcast, Journalism, Media Business, Newspapers, Radio, Regional Newspapers, Television

Former ITN and BBC broadcaster Martyn Lewis has criticised the UK media for its lack of coverage of the voluntary sector, the Civil Society website reported.

Speaking at the National Council for Voluntary Organisations‘ Parliamentary Dinner on Tuesday, Lewis complained that while regional media outlets were paying attention to the Big Society initiative, it had been largely ignored in the national media. (more…)

Huw Edwards to lead BBC’s Royal Wedding coverage

Posted by Sam Francis on 13 December 2010 at 11:54
Tags: BBC, Broadcast, Journalism, People, Radio, Television

Huw Edwards is to anchor next year’s royal wedding coverage for the BBC.

Edwards will anchor the BBC’s coverage of the royal wedding at Westminster Abbeyon 29 April after being chosen above David Dimbleby, the voice of state occasions for several decades, the Daily Telegraph reports.

Dimbleby commentated at the funeral of Princess Diana and of the Queen Mother and he also anchored the Queen’s Golden Jubilee celebrations. (more…)

BBC wins six Mental Health Media Awards

Posted by Press Gazette on 23 November 2010 at 13:02
Tags: BBC, Broadcast, New Media, Online, Radio, Television, awards

The BBC collected six awards at last night’s Mind Mental Health Media Awards 2010 including the news and current affairs, documentary and radio prizes.

BBC World Service took the news and current affairs prize for a programme which explored the impact of mental health issues across the globe.

Radio 4’s Anatomy of a Mental Illness claiming the speech radio title for following the story of Angela Barnes, who was detained under the Mental Health Act after a psychotic episode in 2005.

The documentary prize was collected by BBC Four’s Sectioned which followed the journey of three individuals through the mental health system. (more…)

Somali pirates, the kidnapped Chandlers and the super injunction

Posted by Press Gazette on 15 November 2010 at 11:19
Tags: BBC, Broadcast, People, Radio, Television, press freedom

The family of Paul and Rachel Chandler, the couple freed over the weekend after being held by Somali pirates for more than a year, took out a super injunction creating a news blackout around the release of their loved ones, the BBC has revealed.

With echoes of the order which kept Prince Harry’s deployment in Afghanistan secret for several months, BBC World News editor Jon Williams blogged yesterday about how, some months ago, the Chandler family sought a “super-injunction”, prohibiting the media from reporting any developments in their case. (more…)

Mark Thompson: Audience is the big loser in the BBC strike

Posted by Press Gazette on 5 November 2010 at 13:26
Tags: BBC, Broadcast, National Union of Journalists, People, Radio, Television

BBC director general Mark Thompson said this morning that the 48-hour strike action taken by the corporation’s 4,000 journalists would impact licence fee payers worst.

Writing on his blog this morning, Thompson said that much of the BBC’s scheduled programming would be unaffected by the strike, however, he conceded that some programmes would be disrupted. (more…)