What we don't see on TV

Although there are a lot of TV channels available to UK viewers there are a number of programmes that we don't see or that get less coverage than they should.

TV's Prix Europa is a showcase for some of the best TV and this week I went to a London RTS presentation that gave excerpts from some of the prime material.

The content was varied including German women footballers playing their Iranian counterparts (Football under cover) , a Rabbit's eye view on the wall between East and West Germany.

What was most surprising was the programme that raised questions over coverage of African famines.
The famine scam has not had the coverage it war ants and the issue of BBC editorial control is central to the exposé although I'm sure other broadcasters are guilty of similar practice the BBC does not come out odf the story well.
You can find out more and view here

Ministers concern over threat that Tories pose to BBC

I suppose I’m getting to the stage in my life where I might be considered cynical certainly when the subject of politicians comes up but I must say I thought Ben Bradshaw MP and Minister of State with respect to the DCMS gave a pretty good performance in front of the VOLaV last week.


Brasdshaw made clear that he thought the BBC was far safer with Labour in power than with what appears to be the likely outcome of next years Elections – answering questions he also made no bone about his backing of product placement on UK tv.

I fear the minister is right about the threat to the BBC that a Murdoch backed Tory government may pose but am less sanguine over the advance of product placement than the Exeter MP.

Was there a golden age of TV news?

Wednesday evening and I went to the former LWT building on London's South Bank to learn about how Sky News covered the Afghan elections - those explaining' in a somewhat Dead Donkey Stylee were Tim Marshall apparently the Sky News Foreign Affairs Editor and someone called Bevan Gibson who labours under the fantastic title of Head of Future Technology- Sky News.

Seems that their coverage relies on the Inmarsat BGANS and store and forward type arrangements.

Inmarsat BGAN is a neat little uplink about the size of a laptop PC that permits Satellite access from practically anywhere on the globe which just about copes with a 'moving head' live TV feed and can be used to trickle full bandwidth video over a link.

Personally I think 24 hour news has provided little benefit to the viewer and thought the questioning of the value of 'live' spots from Downing street and the like showed how little respect is given to the audience.

Sky News will be HD by the time of the next UK election - think this will favour Cameron and Clegg over the dour Scotsman.

This is significant - almost Google for TV

Now I've been away from some time but this particular story caught my eye.
Lots of hot air has been generated by UGC and more lately 3D - this sort of targetting could be the saviour of commercial TV (or not).
Interesting that Sky are the ones running with it.

Adverts that are relevant have been touted for some time and it seems that the UK will be geting them from 2011
Here's the story