Goodbye Channel 4?

[Deckerd]

^Me neither. It looks like it's heavily stereotyped and written by people who have never actually worked in IT.

You know what I'm going to say now, don't you? It still amazes me that people do this. "I've never watched it but I know it's shite". What's that all about?

 

[Hermiod]

^Me neither. It looks like it's heavily stereotyped and written by people who have never actually worked in IT.

You know what I'm going to say now, don't you? It still amazes me that people do this. "I've never watched it but I know it's shite". What's that all about?

In this case I'm not saying it's a bad show, I'm saying that I choose not to watch it.

Please do not try the usual lines about not knowing until you've watched it. I cannot watch everything just to see how good it is.

 

[cultcross]

Channel 4 used to be one of my favourite channels, they took risks, showed controversial things and had interesting documentaries. But lately they seem to have devolved in to "Freak show" documentaries, cooking and renovation shows. They still have the occasional interesting documentary and one or two interesting shows but looking at this idea, I don't think it bodes well for any real improvement to Channel 4, adding a profit motive to a not for profit corperation seems like it will add more commercial pressure to C4, not less. What do other Brits thing to the idea?

I agree with your thoughts on this Bob. Channel 4 has gone very far downhill since the heyday of the 90s, and in some fields Five has actually surpassed them. Channel 4 has become obsessed with gimicky shows and puerile documentaries of the 'look how weird' genre.
Once a stalwart of treating imported shows with respect, it has joined the BBC in relegating them to stupid timeslots, randomly cancelling them for mediocre but British filler, and then pointing to their resulting poor ratings as reason to ditch them entirely.
A shame. Something needs to be shaken up at Channel 4, to restore the channel that once was.

Having said that, the channels other output, E4, More4 and Film4, are all channels I enjoy, and I would be sorry to see them go.

 

[Deckerd]

Please do not try the usual lines about not knowing until you've watched it. I cannot watch everything just to see how good it is.

I didn't say that.

What part of "It looks like it's heavily stereotyped and written by people who have never actually worked in IT." is saying it's not a bad show?

Your watching is prodigious. Anyone who frequents this board cannot possibly escape this fact.

 

[Servo]

I haven't watched the IT Crowd simply because I'm never around when it's on, and between all the other shows I watch, plus work, plus a social life, plus the internet, plus gaming... I don't have time to hunt it down and catch up on what I've missed.

 

[Hermiod]

What part of "It looks like it's heavily stereotyped and written by people who have never actually worked in IT." is saying it's not a bad show?

Looks like != Is.

Your watching is prodigious. Anyone who frequents this board cannot possibly escape this fact.

Huh ? I watch a lot less than others here. I couldn't even fill up a top ten shows list when asked to in a thread a few weeks back. I'm not even planning to replace the shows I do watch when they inevitably end.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Ah channel 4 I remember rushing home from work on a Tuesday to see the latest episode of Babylon 5.

£150 million a year shortfall how about closing down either e4 or more4 and film4 and also the +1 versions.

The plus 1s bring them extra money for very little investment, the budgets of E4, More 4 and Film4 combined wouldn't cover a shortfall that big.

 

[Lonemagpie]

Basically, my opinion on losing Channel 4 would be "Good fucking riddance". With the sole exception of The Simpsons, everything they show is pure garbage. .

Yep - if that's what it takes to kill off Big fucking Brother then I'm all for it

 

[TheMasterOfOrion]

CH4 sounds familiar!? Are they those rat bastards who broadcast Burka-ed Chirstmas messages and spent most of their British tax money on documentaries bashing Hindus and Jews?
Big fucking Brother - they created reality tv!? good f-ing riddance to them!

 

[Bob The Skutter]

CH4 sounds familiar!? Are they those rat bastards who broadcast Burka-ed Chirstmas messages and spent most of their British tax money on documentaries bashing Hindus and Jews?

Channel 4 don't get tax money.
Yes they broadcast the Alternative Christmas message from a woman in a Burqa and this Christmas from President Ahmadinejad. I don't know which docu's you're talking about though.
They have a remit to push the boundaries, so I'd say they're at least doing their job in some areas.

 

[Ethros]

I like what Stewart Lee had to say in his recent stand up DVD about Channel 4
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=26WClS5yAZ8
Skip to 2:20 mins in

 

[Bob The Skutter]

I like what Stewart Lee had to say in his recent stand up DVD about Channel 4
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=26WClS5yAZ8
Skip to 2:20 mins in

Whenever I hear/see his name I just hear Richard Herring go "Stew, Stew, Stew" in my head... like he used to on Fist of Fun.

 

[Pingfah]

The day Channel 4 started broadcasting Big Brother is the day they deserved to go out of business. The only good thing to come out of that show was Dead Set.

 

[Ethros]

I like what Stewart Lee had to say in his recent stand up DVD about Channel 4
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=26WClS5yAZ8
Skip to 2:20 mins in

Whenever I hear/see his name I just hear Lee Herring go "Stew, Stew, Stew" in my head... like he used to on Fist of Fun.

A few weeks ago I found the entire second series of This Morning With Richard Not Judy on Youtube, which I hadn't seen since it first aired in 1999. Really took me back, such a hilarious, brilliant show, and some very adult humour for a Sunday morning BBC2 show!
Sadly it looks like its been taken down now

As for Big Brother, I think to be fair when it first started it was actually an interesting experiment on how 10 strangers get on living/trapped together. Apart from the whole "Nasty Nick" thing there were no stupid gimmicks at all in it, which now make up the entire show.
It was by Series 5 where it really downhill, aimed purely at the crass stupid thick as pigshit demographic

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Well it looks like it's official.

From Digital Spy
Ofcom: C4 to be absorbed into new entity

Ofcom has recommended that Channel 4 become part of a larger entity better able to compete with the BBC in the provision of key public service broadcasting aims.

The regulator, which published its blueprint for the future of Britain's public service broadcasting system today, fully rejected funding Channel 4 or any other public service broadcaster by "top slicing" the TV licence fee but said that a "financially robust alternative" to the BBC needed to be created "with Channel 4 at its heart".

Outlining four main aims, Ofcom said that the BBC should remain "the heart of the public service system" with funding adequate for the universal delivery of its programmes and services in the digital age. It added, however, that "a second institution with clear public purpose goals and a sustainable economic model" was needed to compete with the BBC and "help to ensure wide availability of public service content", and that the best solution would be for Channel 4 to embark on "a structural relationship with another organisation", such as BBC Worldwide, and for government to give the new entity "a new remit and a new governance and accountability framework".

Ofcom said that ITV and Five should be "freed up" to become "strong sustainable commercial networks" capable of delivering "key aspects of public service content... based on their mass reach and delivery of popular entertaining programmes". The regulator confirmed it would proceed with its September plans to permit Channel 3 licencees to cut the number of hours of non-news regional programming, daytime regional news programmes and the number of regional newsgathering centres, and added that from 2014, Channel 3 should become a single commercial network "with modest but important regulatory obligations delivering a sustainable public service commitment to national and international news and origination" and with the 6am-9:25am franchise, currently held by GMTV, reintegrated into ITV.

For regional news as a whole, Ofcom said that "independently funded news consortia" could be developed "to ensure the supply of a choice of high quality news alongside the BBC in the devolved nations and English regions", especially in light of plans for ITV to produce its regional news output in partnership with the BBC.

If anyone is interested in reading the OFCOM report, here's a link
Looks like Channel 4 are pursuing partnership with BBC Worldwide over anyone else.

From BBC News

Channel 4, "with its strong track record", should be at the heart of that service but, because of its funding shortfall, change was needed, Mr Richards added.



"Our preference is to try to secure that through partnerships, joint ventures or even a merger," he told BBC News.
Channel 4 chief executive Andy Duncan said a partnership with BBC Worldwide, the corporation's commercial arm, was "the preferred option".



"We're in discussions with BBC Worldwide at the moment and they're really very exciting.
"Where you have got an alignment of interests in two companies, BBC Worldwide and Channel 4, both generate income commercially to put back into content for the benefit of the public," he told BBC News.



But a merger with Five, which is part of a German-owned media conglomerate, would be "like mixing oil and water", he said.
"We are there for public purpose, Five is owned by RTL to maximise profits for their shareholders."

 

[Jim Steele]

According to the newspaper, the report - led by former Ofcom chairman Lord Carter - says that Channel 4 is no longer viable and would not be even with extra funding from top-slicing the licence fee or other sources, and can therefore no longer provide competition for the BBC in the provision of public service broadcasting.

Forgive me for being ignorant and thick as pigshit, but is this a pang of good news for the beeb? Or am I just being pig ignorant and thickshit?

^Me neither. It looks like it's heavily stereotyped and written by people who have never actually worked in IT.

It is and it isn't.

It's very clever, very silly and very funny. And it's actually written by someone who would appear to know a thing or two about IT.

Basically think the first series of Black Books, with sprinkles of knowing internet meta-humour and better acting.

 

[Deckerd]

Auntie needs some kind of competition in public service broadcasting. In the past C4 has outclassed Channel 1 (which wouldn't be difficult) and Channel 2, which it was set up to be 'in competition' with. The problem is, it hasn't reached those lofty heights for a long time and even then it became sporadic.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

According to the newspaper, the report - led by former Ofcom chairman Lord Carter - says that Channel 4 is no longer viable and would not be even with extra funding from top-slicing the licence fee or other sources, and can therefore no longer provide competition for the BBC in the provision of public service broadcasting.

Forgive me for being ignorant and thick as pigshit, but is this a pang of good news for the beeb? Or am I just being pig ignorant and thickshit?

That is if the government listen to the recommendations, but yeah it could be a good thing for the Beeb, and even us because they're saying there may be a lower licence fee once switch over is done, because there's a surplus in the reserves for helping under-privileged.

 

[Jim Steele]

Auntie needs some kind of competition in public service broadcasting. In the past C4 has outclassed Channel 1 (which wouldn't be difficult) and Channel 2, which it was set up to be 'in competition' with. The problem is, it hasn't reached those lofty heights for a long time and even then it became sporadic.

Sure, but I was thinking perhaps in the short term they could find themselves with extra cash in the meantime.

 

[Captain Shaw]

Does the money from BBC Worldwide at the moment go to the BBC?
and if so by giving it to ch4 does this mean the BBC will have to make even more cuts?