Thursday, October 26, 2006

The BIG Brother Bid...


Channel 4 could be asked to pay £70m - nearly double what it currently pays - for future series of Big Brother, according to sources within the broadcaster.

Channel 4 and Endemol are understood to be gearing up for negotiations over the next Big Brother deal once the current two-year agreement - which covers next year's round of Big Brother programmes - comes to an end.

Endemol is thought to have taken a hard line over its demands. It is understood that the company is preparing to demand that the current fee of about £40m a year be increased to about £70m a year in the wake of the continuing popularity of the show, which also generates lucrative revenue from public voting.

This lump sum paid by Channel 4 to Endemol would, as has happened in the past, cover the rights and production costs of all Big Brother programming, including the main series, the E4 spin-off Big Brother's Little Brother, and the celebrity edition of the show, which airs around January.

But Endemol is thought to be keen to capitalise on the fact that the show has been identified as a potential target for Channel 4's rival broadcaster ITV.

ITV1 experienced a disastrous ratings performance last summer, largely due to the continuing popularity of Big Brother.

ITV has also had particularly frosty relationship with Channel 4 since ITV's former chief executive, Charles Allen, targeted Channel 4 in his recent MacTaggart Lecture at the MediaGuardian Edinburgh International TV Festival.

One Channel 4 source said that informal preliminary negotiations with Endemol over the next deal had begun, adding: "ITV has been trying and failing for years to get an answer to Big Brother, so it's not surprising that they would want it for themselves.

"But there is also a lot of confidence here at Channel 4 that it will remain our programme."

If Channel 4 does win a possible bidding war, future Big Brother runs will be no longer than last year's 13 weeks, following comments at the recent Edinburgh TV festival by the Channel 4 director of programmes, Kevin Lygo.

He said that the 13-week run on Channel 4 was the maximum that would be considered. The first series in 2000 lasted nine weeks, and last year's lasted 11.

At the festival session in August, Mr Lygo also said that ITV wanted to "steal" most of his channel's best and most popular output.

It is also understood that Endemol is looking at the possibility of creating its own "Big Brother channel" - airing the footage over the internet.

Spokesmen for both Channel 4 and Endemol declined to comment on claims about the negotiations, with both saying that the discussions were "confidential".


Ben Dowell



There’s no harm in a little competition but I generally think that Channel 4 should continue with their annual broadcast of Big Brother as audiences are content with this. People may feel confused if this was all of a sudden moved to ITV, home of X-Factor and Pop Idol, therefore to avoid a moral panic emerging, I urge Channel 4 to just pay the £70m offer and leave the general public with one less thing to worry about.

http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,,1931380,00.html

Not ‘My Space’ but ‘My Sun’...

The Sun has launched its much-anticipated social networking venture, My Sun, which allows readers to post content on its Sun Online website.

"We want to make the Sun readers the next editors of Sun Online," the Sun Online editor, Pete Picton, said.

Readers will be able to post pictures and profiles, review films and football matches, comment on breaking news, and interact with other readers using community webchats and blogs.
"We have not been able to offer them a community on the site before," said Mr Picton.
The Sun has had a limited webchat facility on its Sun Bingo site that allows players to chat while they play.


My Sun has some similarities to News Corporation's social networking site, MySpace, which was bought for $580m in July 2005. However, the Sun's website is not linked up with MySpace.
Readers who register on the site can create their own blogs and profiles, and get Sun content that interests them emailed to their profile page.


"The Sun has always been about its readers, and now we want YOU to write for the Sun online," the website says. "Our new My Sun service allows you to publish your rants, reviews and pictures on the site - for our world of readers to see!

"You are the new editors of the Sun."

Sun Online relaunched in September with more video content, including a video version of agony aunt Deidre Saunders' photo casebook.

Earlier this year, Sun Online hired Danny Dagan from Wanadoo, now known as Orange Broadband, to be its communities editor and to supervise My Sun.

Stephen Brook

I believe this will encourage readers of ‘The Sun’ to become more involved with every day issues and debates as they can edit and publish their own opinions through articles which they produce on ‘Sun Online’. It will also be a fantastic opportunity to all those inspiring to become Journalists later on in life, as they will gain experience into what audiences of today want to read about.


http://media.guardian.co.uk/newmedia/story/0,,1931197,00.html

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

ITV & BBC in race to launch Digital Media Players...


This article is on how ITV and BBC are in competition with one another to be the first to launch and promote their new digital media players.

ITV has teamed up with US digital agency Schematic design a next-generation video-on-demand ITV.com website as well as its own digital media player. Both ITV and BBC are planning to bring out their new products by the end of March next year. Channel 4 also aims to be launching their video-on-demand service by the end of this year.

Schematic, which is based in Los Angeles, counts among its client’s broadcasters including ABC, MTV, CNN and Turner.

BBC was originally scheduled to release their product, iPlayers, by January 19th, however due to some ramifications, the BBC and Ofcom has delayed this by three months.

ITV is aiming to launch its new web "portal" sometime in the first quarter next year.

The broadband-enabled, on-demand service will enable viewers to watch simulcasts of live ITV shows as well as operating a "catch-up" option to see missed programmes.

ITV also intends to offer exclusive web-only content and a wide range of archive material.

"Broadband is the next mass-market platform for delivery of both television to viewers and services to advertisers," said Jane Marshall, the commercial development director of ITV Consumer.

"With some of the UK's most popular content we are confident ITV has an incredibly strong consumer proposition online."


I think the idea of having a Digital Media Player for institutions such as BBC and ITV, will rake in huge amounts of money. This is due to the ‘catch up’ shows that they will be broadcasting and also audiences may expand as live shows will be also put on for viewers. However, this could also lead to failure for the institutions as the product must be affordable, and meet the standards of the viewer.

http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,,1896738,00.html

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

RelateD MediA InstitutionS...

The following are the media institutions which best link with DreamWorks SKG...


http://ramneet-ramneet.blogspot.com/
Paramount

This is the new holder of DreamWorks SKG as Paramount bought ownership from them in 2006 for $1.6 billion.



http://media-issues-debates.blogspot.com/
Disney

Similarly to DreamWorks animation SKG, Disney produces CGI movies such as Toy Story, whereas DreamWorks Animation made Shrek.



http://www.balindermed6.blogspot.com/
Warner Bros

This institution caters for a worldwide cinema similar to DreamWorks SKG. There main source of output is through film making and once again also produces animated characters for younger viewers.

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

GlobalisatioN...


What is Globalisation?

Globalisation centres on the increased mobility of goods, services, labour, technology and capital worldwide.

Media organizations are able to reach in creasing audiences.

Organizations have resources to expand globally and become ‘global players’

AOL Time Warner and Vivendi Universal are among the largest institutions in the world.

National and international cultural traditions are merging into a global culture, and new media and genres are developing as a result of this.

The Digital Revolution

New technology allows people to socialise differently, bank and shop online and view a huge range of television programs.

Nowadays people’s lives are reshaped by this entire new media as they are able to shop globally and even send video e-mails abroad.


Technological convergence

Technology continues to evolve so media organizations are converging. This is allowing all our media to be accessed using a single device, creating new forms of interaction across and among media.

New generations of mobile phones, PDA’s, television and computer access new media.

We are adept at using one medium to another.

Cultural Convergence

Media organizations are supplying progressively more of the media we consume.

Globalization termed the ‘McDonaldisation’ of the globe.

Cultural homogenization refers to our cultural perceptions being constructed by the media so we in return receive them values and ideologies they establish.


Cultural Imperialism

Critics of the cultural dominance refer to it as ‘cultural imperialism’ which refers back to the time when the British Empire enforced its values and ideologies upon the developing world.

US media amounts to cultural imperialism as it forces US culture on us through our media consumption.

This is damaging for national media organizations and small independent organizations.


The Global Village

Marshall Mcluhan, a Canadian media critic, stated in the 1960’s that the world has become a ‘global village.’

We can view events live as they happen and many people around the world can share the same moment, e.g. World Cup.

Media reflect and create the social and cultural world we live in because media producers construct our views of the global events, therefore construct our values and ideologies.

Reception theory contradicts this by saying the audience are active in this process therefore the media producers only
create material which reflects the values and ideologies of the perceived audience.

Media is now an essential part of many people’s everyday life.

Sunday, October 01, 2006

MediA StudieS DegreE?


Bad press, good practice Media studies gets a lot of flak. Do graduates in the subject think any of it is justified? Mira Katbamna reports Monday August 21, 2006The Guardian

Media studies took over from sociology a few years ago as the course most likely to be scoffed at by smart people at dinner parties. Some of those scoffers even worked in the media, but had perhaps entered their chosen profession via PPE at Oxbridge and thanks to work placements arranged by friends of their parents. Why do media studies - and journalism and TV production - courses have a bad name, when often they provide valuable practical experience? And what do graduates think?

Jim AdamsonMD of SpeakEasy Productions. Media studies, Stirling 1988

I wanted to be an academic originally, so it was just by chance that I made a short film. I loved it, so I then did a postgrad at Dundee and spent a year just making programmes. I won a major student prize, BP Expo 1990, and from there I started my own company.
Doing media studies has helped me. What I got from it was not so much the ability to structure programmes per se, but how to structure communication. Most of the people we take on here are more interested in how to create communication - I take it as read that they will be programme-makers.
I wouldn't necessarily recommend media studies. At Stirling, media studies was extraordinarily intellectual stuff, which I loved, but there are some really crap courses out there as well. More and more I find I'm interested in people who are rounded and highly intelligent. So long as they have been assiduous about it and have come out with a really stonking degree, it doesn't matter whether or not it's media studies.

Ewan MacLeodMD of Golden Square Media. Media and communication studies, Southampton 1992

I always wanted to be behind the camera so I couldn't see the point of doing a non-vocational course. It was quite intensive - 9 to 5.30 every day. For me it was all about shooting in the studio and editing the work - the law part was taxing, though of course it's important to understand it.
I loved all the hands-on stuff, but the best thing about the course was meeting people who all felt like I did - we were very keen to get on, worked all day and all night and gave up everything to reach that first level - and we're all still friends now.
I'd definitely recommend media studies. I think that there's always the flipside that everyone has to start at the bottom anyway, but what college gave me was a real insight into the whole business.

Georgie ThompsonSky Sports presenter, Broadcast journalism, Leeds 1999

I knew I wanted to be a journalist but I was sceptical about media studies to start with. I went for it in the end because the course had a good balance between theory and practice - you want to get your hands on a camera and get on with it, but if you don't understand the history of what's gone before, then it's difficult to do anything that's any good.
And the other thing was that people who were still in the industry taught the course, and we could use BBC facilities.
I think it's given me a big advantage. It gives you confidence so that when you're working as a runner on live telly, as I did at GMTV, and everything is collapsing, you know what to do without having to ask stupid questions that nobody wants to answer.
I have nothing but praise for my tutors at university. I think they were very realistic and told us that we were not going to come out and immediately become reporters. You still face criticism about media studies but when I came out I didn't have to do a postgrad degree - so I think if you're sure that you want to be a journalist, then go for it.

Clare MacleanPost-production supervisorMedia and communication studies, Southampton 1991

Maclean was the post-production supervisor on Layer Cake, Young Adam and 24 Hour Party People

Our course gave us an overview of the whole of the media, from television to marketing, and gave me the confidence to get my first job and move into film. I really don't think I would be where I am now without it. But I think the most important aspect was meeting the people on the course, all moving to London, and then working our way up together. It's great networking now that everyone is doing extremely well, but it has also been incredibly supportive.
Getting on is about luck and who you know, so doing work experience and getting the names and then hounding people is really important. Yes, do media studies, but get all the experience that you can. And if you want to work in film, sign yourself up as an extra so that you can get on set and see what it's really like.

Mark DalyBBC journalist. Film and media studies, Stirling 1997

Daly was RTS journalist of the year for The Boys Who Killed Stephen Lawrence

Media studies was very new when I was choosing what to do, and it just stood out from everything else. I'd always fancied journalism, and the course was quite cutting edge - we got to play with real cameras, editing machines, make our own documentaries and it was great. Even now, when I'm in an editing suite some of the basic rules I was taught at Stirling still come in handy.
I would definitely recommend media studies as your first degree. When you're 18 you probably don't know that much about media issues, you probably don't read a newspaper. I know I didn't - my head was full of mince at that age. So it gets you interested and gives you a nice gentle grounding. Nothing can prepare you for life as a journalist like six weeks at a newspaper will, but it gives you some good, solid basics. And yes, there was always a bit of banter from the guys doing English and history, but I guess we've had the last laugh now.

Mark CousinsDirector, writer, film historian. Film and media studies, Stirling 1987

Cousins runs production company 4Way Pictures with Antonia Bird, Robert Carlyle and Irvine Welsh, and was director of the Edinburgh Film Festival 1991-96.

The main thing Stirling did for me was give me intellectual confidence. I didn't learn how to use equipment - I don't think I touched a video camera while I was there - and yet I started making documentaries for television soon after I left.
It gave me time to think and learn about film, so I had confidence in my own opinions. I knew nothing about the buttons on cameras, but when I walked into the offices of Channel 4 or interviewed for the directorship of the Edinburgh Film Festival I wasn't scared, because I knew I'd read hundreds of books on film and that I'd seen hundreds of films. It offends me very much that so many people in the media and film world are Oxbridge, but in the end the main thing is having confidence in your own ideas, and that confidence can come from studying English or media. For me, media is more important - we need to equip the next generation with the visual reading skills they need in order to make sense of the screen-dominated world in which we live.
Bill Hobbins RDF executive producer. Media and communication studies, Southampton 1991
Hobbins was executive producer on Robot Wars and Scrap Heap Challenge
I left school with appalling results and got rejected from everywhere, but luckily managed to talk my way on to the media course. It was very practical and the TV stuff just caught my imagination.
In a way, your degree doesn't matter. Even if you've got a first from Oxford, you'll still start off as a runner. My first job was to switch the red recording light on and sweep the studio once everyone left. But having said that, getting work experience in the first place is very hard, so making contacts through the college is very important.
All experience and knowledge are valuable - it may be theory and not practice, but if you want to work in the industry, you'll find the degree course exciting - and at the end of it you'll know how it all works and can get out there to use what you've learned.

Ronny JhuttiActor. Television production, Bournemouth 2002

Jhutti has appeared in Eastenders, Doctor Who, Ideal, Cutting It and Nina's Heavenly Delight

I started as a child actor, so I missed out on a degree the first time round. A few years ago, I decided I wanted to direct - I thought I would try to get into film school, but then realised I could go to university and do a degree.
It was definitely the technical side that was the most beneficial for me. Actors are at the centre of the circle in terms of filming and so it's important that you're aware of the technical stuff, from shot compositions to how something is going to be edited. And because I specialised as an editor, it opened up a whole different world - working with rough footage and piecing together and creating things that way. The idea that media studies is a Mickey Mouse degree is nonsense, obviously - but really, it's horses for courses - anything is important according to where you are in your life.

Jamie WilsonCBBC runner. Television production, Bournemouth 2005

I spoke to lots of people before university, and they all said "don't do media studies". But several people mentioned Bournemouth because the course is very practical and there's less of the random theory that media studies is known for.
The best bit was getting to learn the full range of skills - camera, sound, editing, lighting. And also the work experience - we had to do six weeks' placement within the course. I did mine at CBBC, which eventually led to my job.
I knew I really wanted to work in telly, so the course was the obvious choice because you are learning the tools of the trade - but I did a hell of a lot of work experience as well while I was at uni - you can't have one without the other.

Shelley JoffreReporter, PanoramaMedia studies with politics, Stirling 1990

I wanted to be a journalist and media studies was the thing that most closely matched. I had had quite a sheltered existence, so didn't realise that everybody else was doing PPE at Oxford.
The course was much more academic than it is now, and I was desperate for more hands-on experience, but it was very valuable just to be able to take a step back and look at how the industry works. Back then I didn't know I was going to end up in broadcasting, so some of what I learned in those classes at Stirling has definitely come in useful.
I've never had any inkling that doing media studies has been harmful - I found it an interesting subject to study and I've ended up doing the work I wanted to do. But obviously, if there are 10,000 people wandering around with media degrees you have to find a way to distinguish yourself - choose somewhere with a good reputation and do lots of work experience

I was told by Mr Bush to cheak out this article which was published in order to help people going on to uni decide whether Media Studies was a worthy subject to do or not. This article clearly allows us to undertsand that going into the Media is extremely competitative and only those with the passion will succeed in the end. It also doesnt fail to mention that alot of work experince is needed to gain some recogniton, nonetheless, it just goes to show that Media Stuides is not a 'Mickey-Mouse' subject!!!

http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,,1855017,00.html