Britannia Radio

Biased BBC

Thursday, December 11, 2008 David Vance # QUESTION TIME LIVE! So tonight is the night when Biased BBC goes live with real-time coverage of Question Time. Have a look at the panel, and weep. Or laugh. We have the ludicrous Jim Knight, the appalling Lembit Opik, Mr Smug himself Will Self, Jungle Bunny Ester Rantzen, and conservative Nadine Dorres. 5:1, I think is the ratio, so it's important that WE are all on air to offer a little balance! Hope you can join me at 10.30pm when the we shall go live, should be a fun experiment and I will be ready and waiting.....bear with me if there any technical problems, this is a first at my end as well!! Comments: 14 (unread) - Biased BBC Home David Vance # DRACONIAN KEYNSIANISM It takes a German to call it like it is. I refer to the comments made by Germany's finance minister's on the government's plans to combat the economic downturn. Peer Steinbruck had criticised the UK's decision to cut VAT and raise the national debt to record levels. He said Britain's switch from financial prudence to heavy borrowing was both "crass" and "breathtaking". The BBC was quick off the proverbial (Deutsch) mark to question the basis for any German politician daring to question Brown's judgement (Hello Number 10 rebuttal squad!) with Pesto wheeled on to Today to offer sympathy and excuses to the Great Leader. Draconian Keynsianism is about the best description I have heard of what Brown and the comrades are up to - either that or cloaked communism or stealth socialism. Comments: 6 (unread) - Biased BBC Home David Vance # ALWAYS THE TORIES. You know what angers me? The way in which the BBC seems institutionally incapable of reporting on current Labour woes without referencing things back to the period when the Conservatives were in power. We saw it yesterday when Gordon told us that he had "saved the world". Bang on cue a clip of Mrs Thatcher declaring "We are a grandmother." Today we seek the Pound sink to an alarmingly low rate against the Euro as the financial markets cast judgement on our future economic prospects and yet the BBC manages to push the line that the weakness of sterling is actually great news for exporters and that the Pound was weaker against the Deutschmark in 1995 (under the Tories). WHY is is so hard for the BBC to report a story on the state of our economy without trying to ameliorate the state it is in by pointless historical references? I know they want to Save Gordon, their socialists comrade, but it makes the value of their reporting even more worthless than our national currency has become under the Great Leader. Comments: 9 (unread) - Biased BBC Home Wednesday, December 10, 2008 ed thomas # General BBC-related comment thread! Please use this thread for comments about the BBC's current programming and activities. This post will remain at or near the top of the blog - scroll down for new topic-specific posts. N.B. This is not an invitation for general off-topic comments, rants or chit-chat. Thoughtful comments are encouraged. Comments may also be moderated. Any suggestions for stories that you might like covered would be appreciated! It's your space, use it wisely. Comments: 131 (unread) - Biased BBC Home David Vance # A GREEK HERO Looks like the BBC has found itself a new political hero in the unlikely shape of George Papakonstantinou, who speaks for opposition party the Panhellenic Socialist Movement. George was given a generous airing on PM last night and he is back again on Today this morning. I'm sure you notice how gently the BBC treats those such as George who advocate the ongoing ..ahem .."peaceful resistance" to the government, along with its subsequent removal, of course. Comments: 20 (unread) - Biased BBC Home Laban # Is it just me ... ? Imagine it's December 2000, and that Texas Republicans stand accused ofauctioning off newly elected President George Bush's recently-vacated governorship to the highest bidder. I can't help thinking that would be the number one BBC news story for days if not weeks. There's no way it would be squeezed out of the headlines by more euthanasia plugs or the government's latest series of welfare reforms. Of course, during the campaign, BBC correspondents would have shone a spotlight on the institutionalised corruption of the Republican heartland, with itslong and dishonourable history. How exactly, they would ask, did George W Bush rise to the top of the most corrupt political machine in the United States ? Wouldn't they ? Comments: 27 (unread) - Biased BBC Home Tuesday, December 09, 2008 Laban # "crud is always crud" The Head of Acquisitions at the BBC outlined the Corporation's policy in a recent radio programme. She told us: "The children of today are more used to the up-market, faster-moving things" and that "in today's hugely competitive schedule we are up against about another twelve to fourteen children's channels and we have got to stand out." As a policy that is, in my considered view, almost criminally preposterous. Some accuse the BBC of being institutionally biased against markets. That may have some truth when it comes to news and current affairs, but that's not howthe late and much-mourned Oliver Postgate sees them when it comes to childen's programming. Markets - and merchandise - are all. " ... the BBC let us know that in future all "programming" was to be judged by what they called its "audience ratings". Furthermore, we were told, some U.S. researchers had established that in order to retain its audience (and its share of the burgeoning merchandising market) every children's programme had to have a 'hook', ie, a startling incident to hold the attention, every few seconds. As our films did not fit this category they were deemed not fit to be shown by the BBC any more. End of story - not only for Peter and me - we had had a very good innings - but also for many of the shoe-string companies that had been providing scrumptious programmes for what is now seen as 'the golden age of children's television'..." "Now, today, burdened with the search for the millions of pounds which they have to find to fund their glossy products, the entrepreneurs have to lead a very different sort of life. They must hurtle from country to country seeking subscriptions from the TV stations to fund the enormous cost of the films. Each of these stations will often require the format of the proposed film to be adapted to suit its own largest and dumbest market. They have to do this because, for them, children are no longer children, they are a market." To be fair to the BBC, there are still a few small areas of programming targeted at children where production values and solid scenery can go hang, because it's all about the story. Like Eastenders. Trouble was, you were never going to be able to get much incest or domestic violence into Pogles Wood. (If you want to see the "educational" BBC at its worst, take a look at its mealy-mouthed CBBC Remembrance Day page. Among the missing are the words "us" and "our") Comments: 29 (unread) - Biased BBC Home