Belly flop? Another Tory MP heads for reality TV
Tory backbencher Penny Mordaunt is to become the latest politician to venture into the perilous world of reality TV.
The Political Week Online: Dorries in the jungle, Qatada on the streets
The public voted for Dorries to eat balls but not for their PCC
Retribution begins for ‘paedophile list’ stunt
Philip Schofield has been ‘disciplined’ by ITV for showing David Cameron a list of alleged paedophiles during a live television interview. The news comes after the arrest of Radio 1 DJ David Lee Travis under Operation Yewtree. He’s the latest to be arrested in the Jimmy Savile sexual abuse row, after Gary Glitter and Freddie Starr.
‘A dark day for public service’ as ITV sheds jobs
By politics.co.uk staff ITV has announced it is to cut 600 jobs after revealing writedowns worth £2.7 billion, leading politicians to describe events as “a dark day in public service broadcasting”. The commercial broadcaster said the job cuts were part of a series of cost-saving schemes including the suspension of dividend payments to shareholders. ITV […]
Ofcom: Set ITV free
By politics.co.uk staff ITV and Channel 5 could be ‘set free’ to pursue commercial programming without a public service remit, under an Ofcom report released today. In September the regulator suggested ITV could drop some of its public service remit, with cuts to regional programming, including news. That programme now looks set to expand, with […]
Grade departure ‘will not delay BBC licence deal’
The resignation of BBC chairman Michael Grade will not affect the negotiations over the corporation’s licence fee, culture secretary Tessa Jowell has argued. She admitted the news had “come as a great surprise to everyone” but said the BBC was “bigger than any one person, even a chairman as successful and dominant as Michael”. Mr […]
MoD blocks ITN ’embedded’ reporters
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has blocked ITN reporters from being “embedded” with British troops in a row over the broadcaster’s coverage of wounded soldiers. It claims ITV News reports last week about the way injured soldiers coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan were treated contained inaccuracies and identified individuals without asking their permission. In […]
Osborne: BBC must be reined in
The BBC must not be allowed to crowd out independent media companies as it expands its services, George Osborne warned today. The shadow chancellor cited the corporation’s plan to launch more local programmes as a one example, saying it could have a “ruinous” effect on local newspapers and radio. Mr Osborne also pointed to the […]
