Birmingham radio presenter Tom Binns has been sacked from radio station BRMB for cutting short the station’s broadcast of the Queen’s Christmas message, telling listeners it was “boring”.
The radio station sacked Binns after a number of complaints were made by listeners after he dumped the Queen’s traditional Christmas message… Continue Reading >>
Celebrities / Personalities, International Media, Radio December 31st 2009 — 9:34 am
Protracted negotiations between US cableco Time Warner and News Corporation could see the new year start for Time Warner subscribers without access to FOX programming as the two try to come to a deal for carriage of a number of FOX branded services, including their free-to-air stations.
At the heart… Continue Reading >>
International Media December 30th 2009 — 12:56 pm
The producers of Britain’s Big Brother are under fire after it was revealed that they have been approaching soldiers who have lost limbs in Iraq and Afghanistan, trying to convince them to appear on the series.
Britain’s Daily Mail reports today that representatives of Endemol, which produces Big Brother for… Continue Reading >>
International Media, Television, Television Programmes December 26th 2009 — 7:54 pm
The Nine Network have been found by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to have breached the captioning provisions of the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 for 27 programs broadcast on GO! from the channel’s launch on August 9th to August 11th.
According to ACMA, each of the programs broadcast… Continue Reading >>
Digital Television, Industry December 26th 2009 — 3:06 pm
With analogue television signals being progressively switched off around Australia from 30 June 2010, a spokesperson for Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has today confirmed that mobile telephone companies, emergency services and the music industry will all be able to bid for the spectrum that will be freed up by the… Continue Reading >>
Digital Television, Industry December 23rd 2009 — 2:52 pm
The BBC Trust confirmed last night that it has given approval for Project Canvas, a joint internet TV venture involving the BBC and other broadcasters to supply video-on-demand in the UK.
Project Canvas centres on the creation of a uniform technical standard and platform, allowing consumers to gain access to… Continue Reading >>
Digital Television, International Media, Television December 23rd 2009 — 11:56 am
America’s PBS will finally sign up to the television ratings system on a full-time basis, ending the public broadcaster’s decades-long recipiency of monthly reports from ratings provider Nielsen Company.
By purchasing full-time ratings from Nielsen, PBS – a non-profit network of 354 member stations across America – will now be able to… Continue Reading >>
International Media, Television December 21st 2009 — 10:48 pm
Prime Television have today announced that the 7Two multichannel will commence broadcasting from 9am on Wednesday and will be called 7Two on Prime.
Prime’s CEO Doug Edwards in a press statement today confirmed the launch:
“We have signed an exclusive affiliation agreement with the Seven Network to deliver 7TWO on… Continue Reading >>
Digital Television December 21st 2009 — 4:10 pm
The digital switchover in the North West region of England has resulted in many of the 7.2 million viewers watching programming in Welsh rather then their local programming due to overlapping signals from a nearby transmitter.
According to Digital UK, the body managing the switchover, the problem is caused by… Continue Reading >>
Digital Television, International Media December 19th 2009 — 12:07 pm
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has today registered a new code of practice for the commercial television industry, including provisions allowing the networks more flexibility in programming and advertising on digital multi-channels and allowing more exemptions in the amount of non-program content.
Under the new code, to take… Continue Reading >>
Digital Television, Industry, Journalism, Television December 18th 2009 — 11:39 pm
The BBC has issued an apology after initiating a discussion forum on its website with the headline: “Should homosexuals face execution?”
The online discussion, part of the BBC World Service radio programme Africa Have Your Say, was triggered by “anti-homosexuality” legislation being considered in Uganda. The bill has attracted widespread… Continue Reading >>
International Media, New Media, Online December 18th 2009 — 11:27 am
Nielsen have released the eighth and final metropolitan radio ratings for 2009.
In Sydney, 2GB has maintained its stranglehold, recording a 1.2% increase on last survey to be #1 with a 14.9% share, ahead of 2DAY FM on 11.1%, 702 ABC on 10.7% and Nova 96.9 on 8.7%. The top… Continue Reading >>
Media Spy, Radio, Ratings, The Spy Report December 15th 2009 — 12:07 pm
A public row has broken out between the prominent American newspapers The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, after the former accused the latter of “tilting rightward” under the ownership of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation.
In an opinion piece yesterday Times journalist David Carr described the Journal, the largest-circulation newspaper… Continue Reading >>
International Media, Journalism, Print December 15th 2009 — 11:05 am
Home and Away star Todd Lasance has been charged with possessing cocaine, ABC News reports.
The 24-year-old actor, who recently announced he was quitting Seven’s long-running soapie, was arrested in Sydney’s Kings Cross on the weekend, the network reported.
Lasance won this year’s Silver Logie for Most Popular Actor.
Celebrities / Personalities December 14th 2009 — 4:33 pm
Television presenter and producer Simon Cowell has floated the possibility of producing a political version of his franchise The X Factor, saying that it would be a way of encouraging more engagement with politics.
According to Cowell, who has judged and produced shows like The X Factor, Britain’s Got Talent and… Continue Reading >>
Celebrities / Personalities, International Media, Television December 14th 2009 — 12:18 pm