The BBC

Well there are lots of ways to make money globally. BBC News is a trusted brand across the world and much more can be done, not just in the US, to monetize rolling news, apps, etc. Studios also owns UKTV which in turn owns Dave, Gold, intl streaming rights to natural history content etc. I won't pretend to understand it all but Tim Davie ran Studios for many years before taking this job so I expect this side of it he'll be taking a particular interest in.

As far as justifying the license fee goes you're right. It's a paradox. The audiences that are growing up without a BBC habit are by definition harder to reach, so how do you do that with a shrinking budget? There's a related structural paradox built into the BBC as well, in the form of the distribution policy, which requires full length programmes to only be available on platforms controlled by the BBC. It's sensible, insofar as if the BBC decided to put out programmes on Facebook, and then Facebook tweaked their algorithm, suddenly the service isn't 'universal', it's just reaching whoever Facebook has decided it ought to reach that week. But it means that the BBC has to try and drive young, diverse audiences to visit - and keep visiting - platforms that are universally old: live TV, iPlayer, Sounds - their audience profiles are all old. And do that with less money.

koogs here's the schedule to R1 Dance, it's just not linked anywhere on the web version of Sounds yet:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/schedules/p080kbtk#on-now

In terms of the new DG, even though he does have this Tory bullshit in his past, he is much more tuned into the the brass tacks of the marketplace than Lord Hall who felt like he was always just kind of floating by on a cloud of elite institutionalism. So I do think that's an improvement.

As soon as I heard that there was an opporunity to play Jimmy Savile I grabbed the opportunity with both hands. I'm well known for playing villians and playing Mr Saville, some would say the greatest villian of all, is not something I could pass up. So I called the producers at the BBC and told them [Eddie laughs] I think I told them if they didn't cast me I was going to kill my family and then myself. Thank good I got the role otherwise I probably would have gone through with it too.

the bizarre and horrible Eddie Marsan opens up his terribly formed thoughts about playing Savile, well he always was a strong Sure Start advocate!

He’s gross.

lol probably some twitter parody, but I can never tell the difference tbh. Being that he is so grossly beyond parody to start with!

xp to Tracer Hand

Well there are lots of ways to make money globally. BBC News is a trusted brand across the world and much more can be done, not just in the US, to monetize rolling news, apps, etc. Studios also owns UKTV which in turn owns Dave, Gold, intl streaming rights to natural history content etc. I won't pretend to understand it all but Tim Davie ran Studios for many years before taking this job so I expect this side of it he'll be taking a particular interest in.

yeah i've been wondering about this. the contractual arrangements between BBC Studios and the BBC are a *nightmare* (they have to be to maintain a commercial/public service chinese wall between the two). But yes, there's plenty of opportunities with BBC Studios - will it be enough to fund a public service broadcaster, without getting rid of its public service remit though? i doubt it and i doubt anyone at BBC Studios would want studios profit put into non-profit programmes designed to cater to the UK's diversity requirements.

I do also wonder about the digital space. I (wrongly) thought that Britbox would be a flop because it couldn't get new flagship productions, which more often than not these days are co produced with the likes of Netflix. In fact it's done wonders as a sort of vehicle of UK sentiment, which of course is a gold mine. it's quite easy to call it Brexit streaming, but that's a bit unfair - i watched Boys from the Blackstuff on it recently, and it's got lots of good stuff on; if you want brexit tv just watch the daytime linear stuff. But there's no doubt which demographic it's catering for.

agree with you on Tim Davie.

Finally got the Sounds app so I can listen to the radio in bed

i doubt anyone at BBC Studios would want studios profit put into non-profit programmes designed to cater to the UK's diversity requirements.

Well the whole set-up is designed to plow money back into the domestic coffers of the BBC. As you say there's a hard divide between commissioning and programme-making and Studios is essentially a mega-indie at this point. They could theoretically make zero programmes for the BBC and pursue big deals with i.e. Netflix and Spotify. The profits would flow back to the BBC though. IME staff are fine with that and even kind of proud of it.

But yes, there's plenty of opportunities with BBC Studios - will it be enough to fund a public service broadcaster, without getting rid of its public service remit though?

No, not even under the most optimistic scenarios. That said I do think there is a massive amount that can be done that's not currently being done. It's not just about what Studios produces, it's about exploitation of existing domestic titles. Why not sell all the dramas straight into the ex-UK Audible catalog for, say, 5 years? etc. Britbox is an interesting example. I also thought it would flop. In a way it's just the next iteration of https://store.bbc.com/ (another Tim Davie joint) - but with optimized delivery and a subscription model. But it seems to be doing okay.

NV if you're over 35 I hope you lied about your age when you signed up for Sounds. We have KPIs to hit.

lol i have no idea what it says on long-standing BBC sign-in, took me a couple of goes to remember the password

If you created your login more than, say, 3 years ago you didn't need to give an age. Ah well.

next tame i'm looking i'll make meself 17 again

Ta!

shocking news, my birth year is the one field it won't let me change :O

Starve the kids not a news story apparently! Basically nothing on the BBC news website about this ongoing controversy but there is some Pro gov anti migrant stuff.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-54642788 is on the politics page but yeah

I'm not surprised that someone has written a book defending the BBC from the political Right (while seemingly ignoring the critiques from the Left).

But I *am* surprised that it's Peter York.

https://www.penguin.co.uk/authors/74145/peter-york.html?tab=penguin-books

there were chunks of this in guardian review on saturday.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/oct/23/what-now-for-the-bbc

i'm not sure whether i'm allowed to have an opinion on this.

i'm not sure whether i'm allowed to have an opinion on this.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-54014210

The top priority would be to "renew our commitment to impartiality", he said.

...

He added: "If you want to be an opinionated columnist or a partisan campaigner on social media then that is a valid choice, but you should not be working at the BBC."

New social media guidelines for presenters and staff will be "rigorously enforced", he said.

(was mostly tongue in cheek. we are waiting on published guidelines and then we will see. a lot of staff rightly not happy about this.)

Assumption that he’s talking about on-air news presenters but “should not be working at the BBC” is wide enough to include like, HR staff and second oboist so yeah - need clarification there. Requiring that every employee be devoid of engagement and political conviction is not going to lead to better output

it's also unlikely to address most of the issues identifed with ooh just off the top of my head Laura K

Koogs: yes, I read that article last night, hence my raising York.

Am I the only person surprised to see York taking this stand? It really doesn't seem like him.

yes NV agreed

here is a news story about three horrific unjustifiable murders

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-54729957

here is a section of that story called What's the context?

Nice was the target of one of France's deadliest attacks in recent years, when a 31-year-old Tunisian drove a truck into crowds celebrating Bastille Day on 14 July 2016, killing 86 people.

Days later a priest, Father Jacques Hamel, had his throat cut during morning Mass at a church in Rouen.

Thursday's attack has echoes of another attack earlier this month near a school north-west of Paris. Samuel Paty, who was a teacher in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, was beheaded days after showing controversial cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad to some of his pupils.

The murder has heightened tensions in France and the government's attempt to crack down on radical Islam has angered Turkey and other countries.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for a boycott of French goods.

The situation worsened after a cartoon on Mr Erdogan appeared in the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.

as you can see, it details some of the previous brutal murders carried out by people acting in the name of Islam

here is a story about a brutal racist attack carried out on two women in Paris last week

https://metro.co.uk/2020/10/21/two-muslim-women-stabbed-under-eiffel-tower-by-white-women-shouting-dirty-arabs-13455196/

sorry for the Metro link, i can't find any coverage on the BBC site. including in the "context" section of today's report

i'm keeping this out of the main "terrorism in Europe" thread because i don't want to rerun some prior disagreements. i don't know what conclusions i can safely draw from these observations, but they worry me.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/editorialguidelines/guidance/individual-use-of-social-media#2rulesandexpectationsofsocialmediauseforallcolleaguesemployeescontractorsandfreelancers

h) Do not post anything that couldn’t be said on-air or on BBC platforms.

i) Do not sacrifice accuracy for speed. Second and right is always better than first and wrong – an inaccurate post is a problem for you, your colleagues and the BBC.

j) Do not break news on a personal account; if you have a story to break, the BBC platforms are your priority, even if it takes slightly longer.

I wonder who the drafter of those clauses had in mind

great, just in time! wouldn't want to say spread disinformation during an election!

I’d love to see this one in court tbh

Exclusive: BBC staff have been banned from attending LGBT pride events and told they could be suspended if they breach the new rules. David Jordan, the head of editorial policy and standards, took the decision on Wednesday. https://t.co/9ZNm7pJsrV

— Benjamin Butterworth (@benjaminbutter) October 29, 2020

this new system works GREAT

are they also forbidden from publicly disclosing their sexuality?

ban poppies also

The tl thinks this is so the bbc don’t have to take a view on trans rights.

just another day of feeling one's sense of personal safety eroded!

gradually and faintly, like shoreline erosion.

Are we really going to have to move back to our own cunt island

Also been told that staff have been told to 'not follow too many LGBT+ charities' and also follow groups who challenge and are against LGBTQ+ equality in favour of not being biased? This is MESSY

— Jamie Windust (@jamie_windust) October 29, 2020

more like this is farcical and evil

what could be more impartial than using the phrase "virtue signalling"?

Are we really going to have to move back to our own cunt island

― liberté, égalité, scampé (gyac), Thursday, 29 October 2020 19:48 (forty-two minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

got cruised by priests (up mount brandon) on most recent visit

so uh conflicted

How old were said priests

young priests. like phd student age.

not accidentally does the sermon twice age priests

fuck this appalling shit

Asked for clarity on confusion, BBC said pride is fine if it is seen as a “a celebration”, but if the “trans issue" (as it was described) is involved then it passes as a protest and news and current affairs staff should not attend.

— Benjamin Butterworth (@benjaminbutter) October 29, 2020

x 2

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-54756575

One of the most disgraceful articles I've ever seen on the site.

jfc

just a bbc reporter tagging in some far-right accounts for signal boosting pic.twitter.com/fdowoX6lMo

— allan saint-maximin fan account (@ChrisKPH) November 1, 2020