Condé Nast are to launch a UK version of Wired magazine, due to hit the shelves in 2009.
This isn't the first attempt at localising Wired, and I hope they have better luck this time around. I have to say I actually rather like Wired as it is. Although it is focused on its US market there's actually a strong global feel to it which I enjoy.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
The Northern Echo - changes update.
Last week I blogged about changes at the Northern Echo, including plans to cut back from five editions to one.
Yesterday the paper confirmed they were actually going to be printing two editions as from July 7, with a North and South version of the paper.
This will serve local readers better than I originally thought, but I don't buy Peter Barron's view that the paper's "local, regional and national content will be consolidated into two better, value for money editions with more pages."
We'll have to wait and see.
There's also confirmation that four editorial positions at the Echo will be lost, although no redundancies are planned. There's no news on production roles, although last week's report suggested a further 14 jobs might be at risk.
Yesterday the paper confirmed they were actually going to be printing two editions as from July 7, with a North and South version of the paper.
This will serve local readers better than I originally thought, but I don't buy Peter Barron's view that the paper's "local, regional and national content will be consolidated into two better, value for money editions with more pages."
We'll have to wait and see.
There's also confirmation that four editorial positions at the Echo will be lost, although no redundancies are planned. There's no news on production roles, although last week's report suggested a further 14 jobs might be at risk.
Technorati Tags: newspaper, Northern Echo
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
One Golden Square - Common sense breaks out in commercial radio.
There are a huge amount of talented, bright people working within commercial radio who have been transformed into robotic drones, weathered down and browbeaten into repeating the same old mantras and formulae on music and programming, even though these are so obviously outdated and failing. The division between the BBC and commercial radio is getting to the stage where the former stands almost exclusively for quality and content, and the latter for low-rent background noise.
So says Geoff Lloyd on the One Golden Square blog.
His post is a rallying cry for people working in commercial radio and celebrates the talent that exists there. He also says that commercial radio should respond to the BBC's current success not by carping on about the advantages that the Beeb has, but by trying to beat them at their own game by offering creative, compelling and original content for their listeners.
Sounds like a good idea to me.
[Update] One Golden Square is very good reading for anyone who cares about radio.
So says Geoff Lloyd on the One Golden Square blog.
His post is a rallying cry for people working in commercial radio and celebrates the talent that exists there. He also says that commercial radio should respond to the BBC's current success not by carping on about the advantages that the Beeb has, but by trying to beat them at their own game by offering creative, compelling and original content for their listeners.
Sounds like a good idea to me.
[Update] One Golden Square is very good reading for anyone who cares about radio.
Technorati Tags: commercial radio, Geoff Lloyd, virgin radio
Ofcom rant.
The chairman of Ofcom, Lord Currie, will step down next year.
Ofcom doesn't need new leadership, it needs a new mandate from government.
As a regulator of the broadcast industry it has been useless.
Radio stations requesting format changes or relocations get the green light, ITV's plans to cut regional news programmes look likely to be rubber-stamped, and Channel 4 is being allowed to not quite get round to launching its digital radio service, 4radio.
The commercial sector is having a hard time, and the BBC is revelling in it. This is unhealthy. I think the BBC needs strong competition. Ofcom seems to be only focusing on the business side of commercial broadcasting without considering the value a strong, creative commercial sector adds to the market (I'm aware they need to make money - my wife works for a commercial broadcaster and her wages pay our mortgage). The BBC is a marvelous thing, but shouldn't be left as the sole supplier of PSB in the UK.
Ofcom doesn't need new leadership, it needs a new mandate from government.
As a regulator of the broadcast industry it has been useless.
Radio stations requesting format changes or relocations get the green light, ITV's plans to cut regional news programmes look likely to be rubber-stamped, and Channel 4 is being allowed to not quite get round to launching its digital radio service, 4radio.
The commercial sector is having a hard time, and the BBC is revelling in it. This is unhealthy. I think the BBC needs strong competition. Ofcom seems to be only focusing on the business side of commercial broadcasting without considering the value a strong, creative commercial sector adds to the market (I'm aware they need to make money - my wife works for a commercial broadcaster and her wages pay our mortgage). The BBC is a marvelous thing, but shouldn't be left as the sole supplier of PSB in the UK.
Technorati Tags: BBC, ITV, ofcom, public service, television
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Viewers of BBC TV let off steam.
It was interesting to watch Points of View tonight. In the end of series edition they recapped the three most common complaints they have from viewers of BBC Television programmes during the current run.
They were:
1: Credit squeezing, where the end credits are scrunched into a small box while an announcer previews what's coming up next on the channel you're watching and other BBC services. Helen Kellie the BBC's Head of TV Marketing told the programme they were reviewing credit squeezing and would be changing practices in response to viewers' feedback.
2: Loud backing music. I'm always telling my students about this one. Loads of complaints about the background music drowning out the narration or dialogue of a programme. Of course music is important in setting the tone and atmosphere of a programme, but the message is carried in the words, not the music. If viewers struggle to hear those words they'll switch off.
3: Creative production techniques. Lots of comments about steadicam use, camera angles, extras crossing in front of the camera during a scene and other stuff that bothers people. Some of this will come to be accepted as part of the grammar of telly in a few years, and creativity involves some risk taking and inevitably getting a few things wrong.
Jeremy Vine makes a strong advocate for the viewer, and encourages contributions that he says will be heard and, as with the credit squeezing, result in changes.
They were:
1: Credit squeezing, where the end credits are scrunched into a small box while an announcer previews what's coming up next on the channel you're watching and other BBC services. Helen Kellie the BBC's Head of TV Marketing told the programme they were reviewing credit squeezing and would be changing practices in response to viewers' feedback.
2: Loud backing music. I'm always telling my students about this one. Loads of complaints about the background music drowning out the narration or dialogue of a programme. Of course music is important in setting the tone and atmosphere of a programme, but the message is carried in the words, not the music. If viewers struggle to hear those words they'll switch off.
3: Creative production techniques. Lots of comments about steadicam use, camera angles, extras crossing in front of the camera during a scene and other stuff that bothers people. Some of this will come to be accepted as part of the grammar of telly in a few years, and creativity involves some risk taking and inevitably getting a few things wrong.
Jeremy Vine makes a strong advocate for the viewer, and encourages contributions that he says will be heard and, as with the credit squeezing, result in changes.
Technorati Tags: BBC, Points of View, television
Friday, June 20, 2008
At last, something to smile about at ITV
It's nice that there's some good news at last for ITV. They've had a difficult time recently, and this increase in online viewing at itv.com and ITV local must come as a big relief, especially after all the publicity that the BBC iPlayer has has.
The thing for ITV is to generate income from these online viewings. I wonder if they'll manage that?
The thing for ITV is to generate income from these online viewings. I wonder if they'll manage that?
Technorati Tags: itv, online, television
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Happy Copyright to You
Everyone in radio knows you can't sing "Happy Birthday to You" to a listener without logging the details and making sure that the PRS/MCPS Alliance are told about your infringement of someone's copyright.
As a youth helping out in the ops room at BBC Radio Lancashire I can remember being told that the beneficiary of all this would be a little old granny somewhere in New York.
Now it seems this may not be the case. Professor Robert Brauneis has been looking into this and he thinks that the song is now out of copyright.
The abstract to the paper says "The falsity of the standard story about the song demonstrates the dangers of relying on anecdotes without thorough research and analysis." How true.
(Seen on Boing Boing)
As a youth helping out in the ops room at BBC Radio Lancashire I can remember being told that the beneficiary of all this would be a little old granny somewhere in New York.
Now it seems this may not be the case. Professor Robert Brauneis has been looking into this and he thinks that the song is now out of copyright.
The abstract to the paper says "The falsity of the standard story about the song demonstrates the dangers of relying on anecdotes without thorough research and analysis." How true.
(Seen on Boing Boing)
Technorati Tags: copyright
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
The Northern Echo Cuts Back Output
Every morning the paperman pushes The Northern Echo through our letterbox. It's a good paper, with coverage of national and local stories. It covers a big patch, but up until now it has produced several geographic editions. We get the North Yorkshire one which includes lots of stories from close to home.
Hold The Front Page report that the Echo plans to cut back from five editions to one, which sounds like we'll be hearing more about what's going on to the north of Durham. The changes will take place at the end of June, and HTFP say that up to nineteen posts will close.
The paper is owned by Newsquest, and earlier today Roy Greenslade wrote in his Guardian blog about another Newsquest title, The South Wales Argus recruiting "citizen reporters."
Local journalism is under the cosh at the moment, with trends like this and ITV's plans to reduce the number of regional news programmes they make at six o'clock each evening.
Hold The Front Page report that the Echo plans to cut back from five editions to one, which sounds like we'll be hearing more about what's going on to the north of Durham. The changes will take place at the end of June, and HTFP say that up to nineteen posts will close.
The paper is owned by Newsquest, and earlier today Roy Greenslade wrote in his Guardian blog about another Newsquest title, The South Wales Argus recruiting "citizen reporters."
Local journalism is under the cosh at the moment, with trends like this and ITV's plans to reduce the number of regional news programmes they make at six o'clock each evening.
Technorati Tags: newspaper, Northern Echo
New Broom
I wouldn't go as far as to call this a relaunch, but this blog has been a bit, well, quiet recently.
This is an attempt to revitalise it.
But I'm making no promises about how long the effort will last.
This is an attempt to revitalise it.
But I'm making no promises about how long the effort will last.
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