BBC

Is the BBC pushing Hearts and Minds onto the brink of extinction?

| Readers 19

Last Thursday Eamonn noted on Twitter that he hoped BBCNI’s flagship current affairs programme Hearts and Minds would not fall foul of the cutters axe in the latest round of BBC cuts. Right across the UK, regions are being seriously hit, with savings being made by merging traditional regions, into larger less coherent entities. Slugger’s understanding is that Northern Ireland will not be taking as large a hit as elsewhere, but that nonetheless savings are almost certainly in the pipeline, …

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Rebels take Tripoli; Dale apologises…

| Readers 6

I keep an eye on Twitter rather than live ‘there’. It can be a pretty febrile place, even when discussing less important matters than a bona fide Arab revolution. At one stage last night, one Syrian broadcast journalist had Gadaffi dead; shot near Rixos Hotel where many of the world’s journalists reporting from the government side of the Libyan conflict were stationed. It turned out to be mistaken identity. There was much discussion of how the Beeb had been caught …

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“That’s the sort of “local” that these TV stations will be.”

| Readers 4

Having scrapped plans for a syndicated Local TV network, last week the UK Culture Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, announced a list of 65 areas across the UK identified by Ofcom as suitable for local TV services – including Belfast [and Lisburn], Londonderry, and Limavady [including parts of Ballymoney and Coleraine].  The list is expected to be further “narrowed down to about 20 contenders for the first set of licences before the end of the year.”  The local stations’ set-up costs will be subsidised from …

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In July 1981 people were rioting in Toxteth, Liverpool … can we learn, or do better?

| Readers 144

Doing the dishes and listening to a Radio 4 podcast of this week’s Thinking Allowed, I heard a discussion about the riots in Liverpool more than 30 years on. July 1981 was the first time the UK police used CS gas outside Northern Ireland. Wikipedia sums up the scale of the rioting that lasted nine days: one person died after being struck by a police vehicle trying to clear crowds, 468 police officers were injured, 500 people were arrested, and …

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Gamma-Ray Bursts explained

| Readers 11

I have, from time to time, mentioned the potentially lethal, if spectacular, phenomenon known as a Gamma-Ray Burst in my occasional science posts.  By coincidence, the BBC have online digestible clips of past Horizon programmes.  Including this informative clip from 2001 explaining Gamma-Ray Bursts in stellar nurseries, with a suitably ominous narration.  Enjoy!  And, let’s be careful out there… Pete Baker

“Jedward will now represent Ireland…”

| Readers 8

You were warned…  RTÉ reports the people’s verdict on their chosen shortlist of candidates for the Eurovision Song Contest 2011.  The Irish Times explains how it came to pass… Although the voting was originally supposed to have been an equal split between regional juries and a public vote, this was changed after a 30-second clip of the song was inadvertently leaked on the internet due to an administrative error by Universal Records, the twin’s record company. As a result the voting …

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Jeremy Paxman: “This is an ex-email”

| Readers 6

BBC Newsnight’s Jeremy Paxman has had fun signing off on the last ever Newsnight daily email.  Here is the text Good morning. And good afternoon. Or possibly, good evening. Welcome to positively the last Newsnight daily email. The time has come to put this exercise in fatuousness out of its misery. It gives me no pleasure to say that it should have happened years ago. Actually, I lie. There is more joy in heaven, etc, etc. The reason for killing …

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Aerial footage of White Belfast

| Readers 6

Just a quick signpost over to the BBC site where (if you haven’t already seen it) there’s a gorgeous video of Belfast from the air. (h/t Phil O’Kane) Paul EvansLiving in London, working as a trade union official in the film and TV industry (opinions my own). Author of “Save Democracy, Abolish Voting” (published by Demsoc in November 2017). Personal website with link to other writing here. On twitter as @paul0evans1 nevertrustahippy.blogspot.com

S4C – The only place to watch the Rugby

| Readers 18

Astonishing – Murray v Nadal? THE BBC was forced to apologise yesterday after it was heavily criticised for not showing the opening seven minutes of Saturday’s match between Wales and the All Blacks. The broadcaster’s decision to stick with Andy Murray’s tennis match against Rafael Nadal on BBC2 meant many fans did not get to see Stephen Jones’ kick which took Wales into the lead in the first minute. The decision was condemned by politicians and Wales-based BBC staff are …

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What a smashing guy

| Readers 2

Pete noted Nick Robinson won the Comment Awards (from Editorial Intelligence no less) blogger of the year gong. I can’t help but think he’d be more of a must read/watch if he put just a little of his off the clock personality into his paid work. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6Ye06r2_n8&feature=player_embedded Blank

And the winner is…

| Readers 3

The BBC’s Nick Robinson, apparently.  According to the [ei] Comment Awards he’s the “Best Blogger” of 2010…  At the Telegraph blogs, Toby Young suggests that “Asking Robinson to blog is like inviting a eunuch to an orgy and expecting him to participate”.  Nevermind, Toby.  Maybe next year…  But, perhaps, that’s who [his BBC colleague] Andrew Marr had in mind? A lot of bloggers seem to be socially inadequate, pimpled, single, slightly seedy, bald, cauliflower-nosed, young men sitting in their mother’s basements …

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