djdave

Let's not forget the role of government in all this.

First point is the size of the TV companies nowadays. This is something HMG has allowed to happen: Granada-Carlton seem to dominate everything. This is bound to affect the quality of news and current affairs, not least because there is less competition around. The old-style regional companies may have been quaint - I remember Anglia's revolving galleon - but at least they reported on local news.

The second point is how the legislation regarding factual programming and proper journalism have been relaxed. ITV companies were required to produce a certain amount of "public interest" programming: this has been watered down considerably.

Read Private Eye for some depressing reports of how dumbed down we've become.

BUT THERE IS STILL SOME QUALITY AMOUNGST THE DROSS

One or two people have touched upon the BBC. Despite the ravages imposed by senior management over the last decade or so - again, read Private Eye - the Corporation still has many dedicated journalists, editors and producers who are committed to reporting the truth.

I often go on the BBC News website. It's interesting - and heartwarming - to read comments by Americans who look to the BBC to get proper news.

This country can still be proud of the Beeb: it's a shame ITV has lost the plot.

Steve Crook

Ah yes, seaweed, or a pine cone - very useful for weather forcasters.
They hang them up outside.
If they're wet - it's raining
If they've turned white - it's snowing
If they're moving around - it's windy
If they can't see them - it's foggy

Anything else is just guesswork.
They do seem to spend a lot of time telling you what the weather was like in various places.

Most people watch the weather forecast, and then forget it all 5 minutes later.
But that's the good think about weather in this country. We don't have a climate, we have Weather! And lots of it. If you don't like one lot there'll probably be a different lot coming along in a few minutes anyway.

Steve

David Brent

Sky Channel have been delivering some of their news and sport bulletins in the same way.
The morning news presenters are forever walking to different areas of the studio to deliver the news. The two (or three now) news presenters usually read the headlines together standing up then disperse to different sectors of the studio to read their own part of the news, still standing up. Very strange way to present the news.
I suppose a full shot of the newsreaders standing at least stops the practice some in the past had of wearing shorts or casual gear beneath the newsdesk. Or hide a bottle of alcohol, like the once famous newsreader Reginald Bousenquet.

Also, if you have two or three presenters reading the news why on earth do you still need a different person to come on and talk about the weather?

Dave.

JamesM

Watching Brass Eye no longer has any impact.

Marky B

I must admit,I have a soft spot for Nina Hossain [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wub.gif[/img] and Katie Derham must have the most animated - but gorgeous - mouth on television. As newsreaders,I prefer them to Miss Showbiz on the BBC news,Natalie Komorovskie [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbdown.gif[/img]
Ta Ta
Marky B [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsup.gif[/img]

I once shot an elephant in my pyjamas - how he got in my pyjamas,I'll never know

MrDrakesDuck

ITV news is tabloid newspapers in TV form.

If I had a pound for everytime they introduced a story with the word 'shocking'.

"I thought I had to shoot Germans, not chew 'em"

Freddy

I'd like to give a pat on the back here for the regional news programme Look North West, it is never flashy or driven by computer graphics. The male and female newsreaders are shown separately or when they are together there is no fawning look of amazement or shock etc.

What is my main gripe about outside broadcasts are the pathetic publicity seeking morons who with one hand wave at the camera and with the other are on their mobile phones telling their friends they are on TV.
I saw this happen twice, both at funerals involving the Royal family. Andy Warhol said everybody should be famous for fifteen minutes well those people will also be prats for the rest of their lives. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/angry.gif[/img]

Freddy

"What I owe you Colonel Lawrence, is beyond evaluation."

haldane4

You are all lucky - you don't have to live in Northern Ireland where the local ITV news is presented by a husband and wife team who treat the studio like it is their bedroom and the news like it is their pillow talk.

Johnny Rico

Just as a tangent , if the chap that fronts the Channel4 Lunchtime News gets any more pleased with himself he might just go pop! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/shocking.gif[/img]

Couldn't You just try acting , Old Boy...It's so much easier

Johnny Rico

I thought I was watching Brass Eye tonight - it turned out to be the BBC 6 O Clock News.

Opening shot - Natasha Kaplinsky stands at 45 degrees to camera looking pensive. Slightly behind and to the right of her stands Dermot Mernaghan - he looks pensive too.

It's beyond parody and belittles the news . For the rest of the News they stand as if they are in the queue for the Bogs - it's extremely distracting.
[img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/no.gif[/img] [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/no.gif[/img] [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/no.gif[/img]

Couldn't You just try acting , Old Boy...It's so much easier

Marky B

I'm already missing the authoritive charm of Anna Ford - that small,but welcoming smile she would give at the opening if the bulletin,that husky voice...but alas,as she said,television has no room for older women.
Ta Ta
Marky B

I once shot an elephant in my pyjamas - how he got in my pyjamas,I'll never know