Turning-point for the BBC? - the new DG

[handsomefortune]

Might this herald a reconsideration of the tendency towards patronising, infantilised 'drivel' that has spoiled so much of the BBC's output, including Radio 3?

and your other post about 'betraying our trust' (and the corp's trust) .... just part and parcel of the demolition exercise of the beeb, as far as i can see unfortunately. imo it doesn't signal 'a turning point' in any positive sense, for viewers, or listeners.


instead, it does make me wonder just what the beeb management requires of their employees, and what role the trust plays?

aren't employees allegedly non biased, and non political ...

yet the demolition exercise is implied to be 'stateist' or left leaning, by the likes of boris, and other beeb critics. as though gaffs are automatically left leaning, and any real triumphs 'naturally capitalist', or right leaning.

i don't think the alleged jubilee coverage had 'mistakes' exactly, it was all carefully choreographed. even the fact that it left plenty of room for gaffs, coverage was 'excessive', spanning four days. curalach's post, relating to a brief public show of dignity, appropriate to the occasion sufficing, is spot on imo. it seems distinctly odd, especially in an economic recession, not to consult a few history books, and employ a couple of experts? instead, the coverage alienated royalists, and historians respectively, as well as tv viewers hoping to be entertained.

potentially more like a death knell, than a 'turning point' unfortunately!

lastly, fancy airing the excuses of hideously unsympathetic mr damazer... just to put the icing on the cake - gr8!

[Serial_Apologist]

My own interpretation of Caliban's OP, fwiw, is that the "disease" of poor pre-planning of events and broadcasts, the mounting resort to Vox Populi - here as equally on R3's morning schedule - now seems to have infected throughout both the radio and TV networks, if Sunday's charade is to go by. What is so embarrassing, in the case of politicians interviewed, is how prepared and together in presenting their side of the story they always are. This morning's non-challenging interview of the PM by Evan Davis, complete with fumbles, bumbles (such as asking a leading question but appending it with a get out for Cameron to ignore the first part in his reply to) and nervous giggles was absolutely typical. It is this wholesale infestation of puerility that I would see as constituting the turning point,.

[handsomefortune]

poor pre-planning of events and broadcasts,

my point is that this is the beeb strategy chosen - nothing to to do with 'poor planning', or 'mistakes'.....unfortunately.

[Paul Sherratt]

Tim Davie was one of managers steering the bbc approach to the event.
Pepsi on the rocks, anyone ?

[Crowcatcher]

To reiterate: when DOES the DG step down?

You may be interested in a letter in the most recent BBC Pension Sceme's news letter ('Prospero')

"Back to the Front
In the light of the speculation on the replacement for Mark Thompson, surely we should be looking back as well as to the front. It does make one think, when looking at the current senior management, where are the Bill Cottons, Huw Weldons, Michael Grades, Hugh Greenes, and Paul Foxs, to name but a few, today? Will the new incumbent, who will take a significant pay cut over his predecessor Mark for a start, be worthy of the accolades of his predecessors for doing a good job and not for boosting his salary?

Of the present so-called team, Peter Salmon, Director BBC North, refuses to move to Salford and is apparently on the way out. Tim Davie, Director of Audio, was formerly flogging Pepsi-Cola, no broadcast experience. Caroline Thomson, Chief Operating Officer, has had no programme-making experience in the last 12 years. So, could it be `Come back Greg Dyke, all is forgiven'?

Another interesting snippet - the contract for Question Time is up for renewal. For the past 14 years it has been produced by Mentorn, but there is a strong challenge from Lion Television. This company is part of the A113Media group. Rumours are that they could shortly be bought by Shine, owned by Elisabeth Murdoch and ultimately owner by daddy's News Corporation. So the BBC's prime current affairs discussion programme could be run by the Dirty Digger or are we really in for a change?"


As a retired BBC engineer, I look back at the present BBC and feel ashamed that I ever worked for it. As an astute manager of mine said in the 1970s - "The trouble with the BBC is that it's been taken over by journalists" (the DG who was a broadcaster was Charles Curran) - of course, now, it's accountants, the archetypal 'men in grey suits'

[Serial_Apologist]

poor pre-planning of events and broadcasts,

my point is that this is the beeb strategy chosen - nothing to to do with 'poor planning', or 'mistakes'.....unfortunately.

I don't think the two points are mutually exclusive, HSF

[Wallace]

We caught the end of the Nielsen and the start of the Haydn Mass driving home earlier yesterday afternoon. What a joy to hear John Shea quietly give the informative announcements and introduction. It really was like another station, and a breath of cool, fresh air.

Why can't it always be like this?

I wish to be associated with these remarks. It is indeed a joy to hear John Shea presenting Afternoon on 3. I do hope he is a permanent fixture in this slot and not just covering for someone's holiday. His style is everything which Radio 3 should be, and which it was before the rot set in. More power to his microphone!

[Lateralthinking1]

I look at the present BBC and feel ashamed that I ever worked for it.

Perhaps it is a 2012 thing. That is exactly how I feel about the Civil Service.

[MrGongGong]

Perhaps it is a 2012 thing. That is exactly how I feel about the Civil Service.

as I do about the YTS

[Caliban]

My own interpretation of Caliban's OP, fwiw, is that the "disease" of poor pre-planning of events and broadcasts, the mounting resort to Vox Populi - here as equally on R3's morning schedule - now seems to have infected throughout both the radio and TV networks, if Sunday's charade is to go by. What is so embarrassing, in the case of politicians interviewed, is how prepared and together in presenting their side of the story they always are. This morning's non-challenging interview of the PM by Evan Davis, complete with fumbles, bumbles (such as asking a leading question but appending it with a get out for Cameron to ignore the first part in his reply to) and nervous giggles was absolutely typical. It is this wholesale infestation of puerility that I would see as constituting the turning point,.

I actually meant that the dumbed-down charade of the BBC's River Pageant coverage was so egregious and so widely witnessed and condemned, that I wondered hopefully whether it might lead to a change in attitude and a realisation at the BBC that this infantilised approach to interesting subject matter (akin to the phone-in/shed/mystery voice nonsense on R3 Breakfast) is not the way to go....