Media UK

zfm - news archive

This is an archive of news about zfm. Some links may no longer work, due to the transient nature of the internet.

GTN hires more producers
From Radio Today. Posted July 4 2008, 8.03am
Global Traffic Network UK has signed two new producers to work at its existing airborne operations base at Oxford and Plymouth Airports. (more)

BBC Scotland Doc Wins Again
From allmediascotland - Spike. Posted July 4 2008, 7.49am
A BBC Scotland documentary - following rock musician, Mark Everett, aka Eels, trying to find out more about his late father, the quantum physicist, Hugh Everett III - has won yet again. Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives has taken the science communication prize at the Third International Science... (more)

Media Talk podcast: live(ish) and on location in Glasgow at the Radio Academy Festival
From Media Guardian. Posted July 4 2008, 7.22am
Matt Wells presents a special edition of the podcast from Scotland's second city, rounding up all the news and issues from the Radio Academy Festival (more)

Trinity-Johnston merger is "speculative gossip" say bosses
From Hold the Front Page. Posted July 4 2008, 7.20am
City broker suggests troubled publishers should join forces (more)

'Green light' for police surveillance of journalists and photographers
From Hold the Front Page. Posted July 4 2008, 7.20am
Home Secretary's view raises concerns over 'unacceptable restrictions' of media covering public events (more)

Regional paper celebrates rugby appeal success
From Hold the Front Page. Posted July 4 2008, 7.20am
Coventry Telegraph helps kicks city's rugby club into next season (more)

Roger Federer stars as Greek hero in Olympics ad
From Media Guardian. Posted July 4 2008, 6.23am
China hopes a dramatic global TV promotion featuring tennis player Roger Federer as a mythic Greek hero will heighten interest in the Olympics. By Mark Sweney (more)

Disillusioned Berliner Zeitung staff advertise for new proprietor
From Media Guardian. Posted July 4 2008, 6.23am
Staff at the Berliner Zeitung newspaper in Germany are so unhappy with their owner, David Montgomery, that they have advertised for a new proprietor in a rival German magazine. By Helen Pidd (more)

Wogan's Total Recall: Sir Terry to step into Richard and Judy's shoes
From Media Guardian. Posted July 4 2008, 6.23am
Broadcasting veteran Terry Wogan has been asked to make a four-week run of a new quiz show that will air on Channel 4 later this year. By Tara Conlan (more)

Journalists' union launches anti-bullying handbook
From Hold the Front Page. Posted July 4 2008, 6.10am
NUJ's book focuses on workplace intimidation, Dorset Echo begins hunt for new editor and more news in brief (more)

New photography chief for journalism training body
From Hold the Front Page. Posted July 4 2008, 6.10am
Steve Phillips is new chairman as NCTJ's announced four additions to its photography board (more)

BSkyB considers €2.5bn Spanish bid
From Financial Times. Posted July 4 2008, 3.00am
British Sky Broadcasting, the UK satellite group, is considering making a bid of more than €2.5bn ($3.9bn) for Digital Plus, the Spanish pay-television platform,... (more)

It's no party
From Financial Times. Posted July 4 2008, 3.00am
There was a sharp contrast in the party mood at the respective media gatherings for the Sky summer party, overlooking the Thames at the Oxo Tower, and the ITV drinks... (more)

Primark faces customer exodus after BBC 'child labour' allegations
From Daily Telegraph. Posted July 4 2008, 12.01am
Primark, the value clothing retailer, faces losing customers in the wake of a BBC documentary alleging the use of child labour in its supply chain. (more)

Tie-up with Lloyd's List publisher is sunk but UBM is still buoyant
From Daily Telegraph. Posted July 4 2008, 12.01am
Where to now for United Business Media? A fortnight ago the company called off talks about a £3bn merger with rival business information publisher Informa, owner of shipping bible Lloyd's List. (more)

How to save the BBC from itself (and get its hand out of our pockets)
From Daily Telegraph. Posted July 4 2008, 12.01am
A combination of corporate imperialism and institutional self-regard stops the broadcaster seeing where its future lies, argues Jeff Randall (more)

Posh values of BBC present one-sided picture of UK
From The Times. Posted July 4 2008, 12.00am
Go to Glastonbury and it is tempting to conclude, while watching bands perform in the Somerset countryside, that this is the real England. It is easy to believe that you have found the essence of a nation when there are large crowds around, a hint of rain in the air and hills in the distance. (more)

Crossing the divide: Cooking with the enemy
From The Independent. Posted July 4 2008, 12.00am
There's a moment when one of the two strong women at the centre of Good Intentions, a ground-breaking television drama series showing at prime-time on Israel's Channel Two, leaves a voicemail for the other, who is preparing to drop her son off at the induction camp for the first day of his compulsory army service. "I only wanted to wish you good luck for your son," she says. "I hope he will be safe." (more)

Maradona fights for cash
From Press Gazette. Posted July 4 2008, 12.00am
Footballer Diego Maradona, famed for the Hand of God incident when Argentina played England in 1986, has launched a legal battle over a newspaper interview with The Sun. (more)

Is media law justice for all?
From Press Gazette. Posted July 4 2008, 12.00am
In a landslide vote, delegates at the Media Law Conference agreed that the benefit Conditional Fee Arrangements provide in terms of access to justice in media law cases does not outweigh the gag on freedom of expression. (more)

Celebrity ruling should 'strike fear'
From Press Gazette. Posted July 4 2008, 12.00am
A Court of Appeal ruling that a celebrity's reasonable expectation of privacy should be decided on a case-by-case basis is bad news for journalists, according to Caroline Kean from media law firm Wiggin. (more)

How to make the FoI Act work for you
From Press Gazette. Posted July 4 2008, 12.00am
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 may contain 23 exemptions – but it has proved to be a "shoulder-mounted rocket launcher of mischief making" for journalists, according to news agency boss Matt Davis. (more)

Social media copyright – a tangled web
From Press Gazette. Posted July 4 2008, 12.00am
Using material uploaded to the internet by users of social-media websites like YouTube, Facebook or personal blogs without permission is a risky approach for major publishers, barrister Christina Michalos of 5 Raymond Buildings warned the... (more)

Mosley case will be a legal landmark
From Press Gazette. Posted July 4 2008, 12.00am
The case of Max Mosley versus the News of the World kicks off on Monday in what promises to be a landmark privacy battle. (more)

Mum wins Express damages over dole 'scrounger' claim
From Press Gazette. Posted July 4 2008, 12.00am
A mother of five from Cornwall has won damages and an apology from the Daily Express after the paper portrayed her as a dole "scrounger" who had refused to go back to work. (more)

Anna Pickard on why Hollywood studios keep going to the small screen for ideas
From Media Guardian. Posted July 3 2008, 11.04pm
Ross, Rachel et al are coming to the big screen, but are Hollywood remakes of much loved TV shows (more)

Listen very carefully - 'Allo 'Allo! is coming back
From Media Guardian. Posted July 3 2008, 11.01pm
A theatrical version of the 80s BBC sitcom which ran for seven seasons over 10 years is to tour (more)

B&B fund-raising effort rescued
From BBC News. Posted July 3 2008, 10.42pm
Efforts by Bradford & Bingley to raise £400m have been rescued after a would-be investor pulls out, the BBC learns. (more)

BSkyB considers bid for Spain's Digital+
From Financial Times. Posted July 3 2008, 8.39pm
British Sky Broadcasting, the UK satellite group, is considering making a bid of more than €2.5bn for Digital+, the Spanish pay-TV platform, which would mark its first foray outside the UK and Ireland since an ill-fated move into Germany in 2000 (more)

Nigeria: Independent radio/TV station for Efon-Alaaye soon
From Media Network Weblog. Posted July 3 2008, 5.45pm
An independent radio and television station is to be established at Efon-Alaaye, Ekiti State. A former board chairman of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Chief Biola Olasope, said in Lagos that the project had so far gulped N150 million. He told NAN that the project was being sponsored by an indigenous firm, “Ekiti-Sope Radio [...] (more)

China launches first Croatian-language website
From Media Network Weblog. Posted July 3 2008, 5.27pm
Text of report in English by Croatian state news agency HINA ZAGREB, July 3 (Hina) - The Chinese Embassy in Zagreb and China Radio International (CRI), the state-run radio network that has been broadcasting programmes in 48 languages for over 60 years, in Zagreb on Wednesday presented the Chinese government’s first Internet site in the Croatian [...] (more)

RFE/RL to end its broadcasts to Romania
From Media Network Weblog. Posted July 3 2008, 5.24pm
Just a few days after the BBC announced it is closing its Romanian service on 1 August, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has announced that it will do likewise, also on 1 August.  However, unlike the BBC World Service, RFE/RL’s Romanian-language broadcasts to Moldova and the Transdniester region will continue. The Romanian Service began experimental broadcasting on July [...] (more)

'Creature Comforts' returns for charity
From Digital Spy. Posted July 3 2008, 3.24pm
Aardman Animations brings back Creature Comforts for a charity ad campaign. (more)

Trinity Mirror to merge features subs on national titles
From Media Guardian. Posted July 3 2008, 3.00pm
Trinity Mirror is axing 11 subeditors as it integrates some subbing operations across national titles the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and the People. By Stephen Brook (more)

Viewers complain after BBC News broadcasts Jerusalem shooting
From Media Guardian. Posted July 3 2008, 2.52pm
BBC News has received 61 complaints after its 10pm bulletin on BBC1 showed police shooting dead the man who drove a bulldozer into vehicles in Jerusalem yesterday. By Tara Conlan (more)

Radiohead star guests on classical LP
From Digital Spy. Posted July 3 2008, 2.46pm
Radiohead's Thom Yorke contributes to a classical album called Cortical Songs. (more)

Guardian: Channel 4 ponders move into regional news
From Journalism.co.uk. Posted July 3 2008, 2.41pm
Channel 4 is mulling over the a possible move into the gap in regional news broadcasting left by the retreat of ITV services. The broadcaster is in discussion with Ofcom and ITV about investing funds in regional news services and infrastructure - a move which could strengthen its public service broadcasting hand. (more)

BBC proposes pre-ordering on iPlayer
From Digital Spy. Posted July 3 2008, 2.41pm
The BBC formally proposes a download pre-ordering function for its iPlayer VOD service. (more)

Virgin failure interrupts Murray match
From Digital Spy. Posted July 3 2008, 2.26pm
Andy Murray's crunch Wimbledon match last night was interrupted for some BBC HD viewers on Virgin Media. (more)

KCR to relaunch as The Edge
From Radio Today. Posted July 3 2008, 1.46pm
Merseyside station KCR 106.7 has been bought by a consortium headed by group chairman and presenter Jon Jessop.The purchase means another end to the name KCR, as the station will re-launch as 106.7 The Edge later this year. (more)

TV ratings - July 2: Andy Murray's Wimbledon 2008 defeat to Rafael Nadal seen by 7.7m
From Media Guardian. Posted July 3 2008, 1.37pm
Andy Murray's Wimbledon quarter-final defeat at the hands of Spain's Rafael Nadal was watched by a peak audience of 7.7 million viewers last night, July 2. By Leigh Holmwood (more)

CheckMEND service addresses online auction sites' problems
From Press Release, via webitpr. Posted July 3 2008, 12.27pm
Need for Stronger Solutions Underscored by eBay Counterfeit Ruling in France; US Decision Imminent Gloucestershire, UK, July 3, 2008 ? In light of the recent legal ruling in France resulting in a £31 ($63) million fine against eBay for selling counterfeit luxury goods, the global issue of product authenticity among online auction sites has been brought sharply into focus. Cybercrime and "e?fencing" are serious issues, costing consumers an estimated £2 ($4) billion annually. A judge... (more)

Gough, Du Beke join BBC1 "human Tetris"
From Digital Spy. Posted July 3 2008, 12.26pm
A BBC One gameshow series dubbed "human Tetris" will feature Dale Winton, Darren Gough and Anton Du Beke. (more)

Federer and Flight of the Conchords star feature in new Nike ad
From Media Guardian. Posted July 3 2008, 12.01pm
Nike is to air a TV ad that features Roger Federer in a tennis showdown against Rhys Darby, who plays hapless band manager Murray in Flight of the Conchords. By Mark Sweney (more)

Tate won't rule out comedy comeback
From Digital Spy. Posted July 3 2008, 11.52am
Catherine Tate says that she would be willing to film special episodes of her comedy show. (more)

C4 considering move into regional news
From Digital Spy. Posted July 3 2008, 11.11am
Channel 4 is considering a move into regional news, initially with online content. (more)

BBC veteran executive producer Paul Woolwich goes freelance
From Media Guardian. Posted July 3 2008, 10.48am
Veteran BBC current affairs executive producer Paul Woolwich is to take voluntary redundancy and leave the corporation. By Tara Conlan (more)

Channel 4 ponders move into regional news as ITV retreats
From Media Guardian. Posted July 3 2008, 10.41am
Channel 4 is considering a move into regional news in a bid to fill the gap left by ITV cutbacks and strengthen its public service broadcasting settlement hand. By Leigh Holmwood (more)

Local press 'Party in the Bay' story grabs worldwide media attention
From Hold the Front Page. Posted July 3 2008, 10.40am
Eagle-eyed Herald Express reporter spots story on Facebook and generates headlines Down Under (more)

links for 2008-07-03
From Journalism.co.uk. Posted July 3 2008, 10.31am
What would make you post video comments? | Online Journalism Blog Paul Bradshaw asks in a video post: ""What would make you post video comments?" (tags: video blog comments) Official Google Blog: Google learns to crawl Flash "Google has been developing a new algorithm for indexing textual content in Flash files of all kinds, from Flash menus, buttons and [...] (more)

LA Times: Los Angeles Times to cut 250 jobs
From Journalism.co.uk. Posted July 3 2008, 10.30am
The LA Times announced yesterday that it will cut 250 jobs - 150 editorial positions - across the company in a latest effort to curb spending as reveunes plummet. In a further cost-cutting step, the newspaper will reduce the number of pages it publishes each week by 15 per cent. "You all know the paradox we find ourselves in," Times Editor Russ Stanton said in a memo to the staff. "Thanks to the internet, we have more readers for our great journalism than at any time in our history. But also thanks to the internet, our advertisers have more choices, and we have less money." (more)

NYTimes innovation plans: Widgets, iPhone, APIs
From Journalism.co.uk. Posted July 3 2008, 10.29am
Silicon Valley Insider talked to Marc Frons, chief technology officer of NYTimes digital, about the projects he's working on and the development that they'll be rolling out in the near future. Here's a brief overview: Things we have already covered: Those APIs: the plan is to eventually let developers outside of the Times play with its content [...] (more)

News of the World pays out and apologises to Jordan and Peter Andre
From Media Guardian. Posted July 3 2008, 10.28am
Katie Price and Peter Andre have accepted substantial damages and a public apology at the high court in London today from the News of the World. By Stephen Brook (more)

ITV to borrow £110m to support turnaround
From Digital Spy. Posted July 3 2008, 10.14am
ITV is borrowing an additional £110m through a bond issue to support its financial turnaround plan. (more)

Belgian newspaper group to take European Commission to court again after its first challenge over news aggregator fails
From Journalism.co.uk. Posted July 3 2008, 10.04am
Belgian newspaper group Copiepresse - yes, the one that's in that legal wrangle with Google - is about to re-enter a copyright battle with a second online publisher - this time it's the European Commission. Copiepresse will attempt to sue the EC for a second time after it had its copyright infringement case against the EC's [...] (more)

Channel 4 recreates The Shining to promote its Kubrick season
From Media Guardian. Posted July 3 2008, 10.02am
Channel 4 has shot a 65-second promotional film which recreates the set of Kubrick's classic horror film, The Shining. By Mark Sweney (more)

Tip of the day from Journalism.co.uk: Job interview technique
From Journalism.co.uk. Posted July 3 2008, 10.00am
Job interviews: Research the publication - who owns it, who works for it, what does it cover? Anticipate questions (know your CV inside out). Plan your questions beforehand. Listen carefully, don't interrupt or talk over the interviewer. Watch your body language. Tipster: John Thompson Got a tip? Submit it here - we will pay a fiver [...] (more)

Watch promo for More4's Kubrick season
From Media Guardian. Posted July 3 2008, 9.50am
Promo, shot from the point of view of Stanley Kubrick, to promote a More4 season of the director's films. Made by Channel 4 Creative Services (more)

McClatchy editor sets up public wiki for discussions about innovation across the group
From Journalism.co.uk. Posted July 3 2008, 9.48am
US newspaper company McClatchy has set up a public wiki to act as an 'online repository of ideas' where its journalists and others can discuss innovation ideas for the group. The wiki is called McClatchy Next and has been set up by Howard Weaver, vice president for news at McClatchy. "It's a wiki, the same basic format [...] (more)

Big Green Switch wins campaigning website award
From Hold the Front Page. Posted July 3 2008, 9.30am
Northcliffe sister site aims to help people live a greener lifestyle (more)

Two senior executives out in News International reshuffle
From Media Guardian. Posted July 3 2008, 9.16am
Two key figures have left News International as part of the organisation's commercial reorganisation. By Stephen Brook (more)

Noel 'hated' 'No Deal' phone in comp
From Digital Spy. Posted July 3 2008, 9.02am
Noel Edmonds says he always "hated" the phone-in that got Deal Or No Deal in trouble for misleading viewers. (more)

Noel 'hated' 'No Deal' phone-in comp
From Digital Spy. Posted July 3 2008, 9.02am
Noel Edmonds says he always "hated" the phone-in that got Deal Or No Deal in trouble for misleading viewers. (more)

The view from the back row
From Radio Today. Posted July 3 2008, 8.16am
This year's Radio Festival seemed notable by it's inclusions and absences.The inclusion of a good PPL/PRS debate, but the absence of much chat about last week's record GCap fine. The inclusion of a free bar each night, but the absence of it being available while Sharleen Spiteri was getting ready. And the inclusion many Glasgow tourist brochures in the delegate bag, but the absence of, well, anything of much use in it. (more)

ITV to issue bonds to raise £110m
From Media Guardian. Posted July 3 2008, 8.12am
ITV is to issue bonds to raise £110m in funding to support the turnaround of the business. By Mark Sweney (more)

Winton to front 'human Tetris' series?
From Digital Spy. Posted July 3 2008, 8.04am
Dale Winton is reportedly in line to present a BBC One series based on a Japanese game dubbed "human Tetris". (more)

Alan Finlayson: Big Brother exposes uncomfortable truths about Britain
From Media Guardian. Posted July 3 2008, 8.00am
Alan Finlayson: Nine years on, the reality TV show continues to expose uncomfortable truths about the self-interest of modern Britain (more)

Gaelic Crime 'Docudrama' Goes into Production
From allmediascotland - Spike. Posted July 3 2008, 7.40am
A ‘docudrama’ about a Scottish serial killer from the 1950s, is to be made by the production arm of stv owners, SMG, for a forthcoming digital TV channel dedicated to Gaelic language programming. SMG Productions is currently in production with an one-hour docudrama about... (more)

The Fairness Doctrine: Free Speech and the Radio Marketplace
From radio.about.com. Posted July 3 2008, 7.34am
For about 26 years between 1949 until 1985, Radio adhered to a government policy called "The Fairness Doctrine". After it was eliminated, conservative talk radio made a stunning rise in... (more)

Knickers in a Twist
From allmediascotland - Spike. Posted July 3 2008, 7.29am
Spike likes the clarification that appeared in yesterday’s Press and Journal newspaper, concerning a stripper arrested for impersonating a police officer. It reads: “We have been asked to point out that Stuart Kennedy, of Flat E, 38 Don Street, Aberdeen, who appeared at... (more)

Brief Return to talk107 Airwaves for Graham
From allmediascotland - Spike. Posted July 3 2008, 7.28am
Listeners to the Edinburgh-based all speech radio station, talk107, could have been forgiven for not believing their ears on Tuesday evening. They thought he was gone for good, but no. Back, to stir things up, was former programme director and morning host, Mike Graham - but neither as a... (more)

Newspaper's rugby club appeal raises £50k in two weeks
From Hold the Front Page. Posted July 3 2008, 7.10am
But 'remarkable achievement' may still not be enough to save Coventry RFC (more)

Journalists' union in restructuring plan
From Hold the Front Page. Posted July 3 2008, 7.10am
NUJ looks to reorganise to itself for 21st century needs (more)

Agency boss helps reporters lift the lid on council spending
From Hold the Front Page. Posted July 3 2008, 7.10am
Three-week council audits provide rich source of news (more)

Local press' party in 'The Bay' story grabs worldwide media attention
From Hold the Front Page. Posted July 3 2008, 7.10am
Eagle-eyed Herald Express reporter spots story on Facebook and generates headlines Down Under (more)

Orange rebrands with global TV ad campaign
From Media Guardian. Posted July 3 2008, 6.11am
Mobile phone operator Orange is to launch its biggest global TV campaign, thought to be worth as much as £90m. By Mark Sweney (more)

News International close to choosing HQ location
From Media Guardian. Posted July 3 2008, 6.08am
News International is in the final throes of decision making on its new London headquarters. By Stephen Brook (more)

TV matters: Mark Lawson on Bonekickers
From Media Guardian. Posted July 3 2008, 12.34am
Mark Lawson on Bonekickers (more)

Limbaugh signs radio contract worth $400m
From Financial Times. Posted July 3 2008, 12.25am
Rush Limbaugh, the conservative talk radio host, has signed an eight-year contract extension said to be worth as much as $400m (more)

Watch this: ABBA: The Mamma Mia! Story | Sunday Schools: Reading, Writing and Redemption | Fallout | The Office: An American Workplace
From Media Guardian. Posted July 3 2008, 12.23am
Sarah Dempster suggests ABBA: The Mamma Mia! Story | Sunday Schools: Reading, Writing and Redemption | Fallout | The Office: An American Workplace (more)

Paul Howlett's TV film picks: Heaven Can Wait | Little Children | The Limey
From Media Guardian. Posted July 3 2008, 12.18am
Paul Howlett recommends Heaven Can Wait | Little Children | The Limey (more)

Thomson executive joins Daily Mail publisher
From Daily Telegraph. Posted July 3 2008, 12.01am
DMGT, publisher of the Daily Mail, has recruited Thomson Reuters executive Suresh Kavan to run its business information publishing division, replacing Martin Morgan, who is to become group chief executive. (more)

Reed hopes loan offer will kick-start auction
From The Times. Posted July 3 2008, 12.00am
Reed Elsevier has been forced to offer a loan to would-be buyers of its £1billion-plus business magazines division in an attempt to kick-start an auction of the unit behind Farmers Weekly and Flight International. (more)

Downturn? We're doing fine says publisher launching Wired UK
From Press Gazette. Posted July 3 2008, 12.00am
As Condé Nast announced the launch of a UK edition of American technology magazine Wired – the title's publisher has said the economic downturn was an "opportunity not a threat". (more)

Katie Price and Peter Andre win apology over 'bad parents' claim
From Press Gazette. Posted July 3 2008, 12.00am
Katie Price and Peter Andre today won damages and a public apology from the News of the World after the Sunday paper accepted that its allegations that they were bad parents were untrue. (more)

BBC footage of fatal shooting prompts complaints
From Press Gazette. Posted July 3 2008, 12.00am
BBC's Ten O'Clock News sparked almost 100 complaints after showing footage last night of a Palestinian man being shot dead after running amok with a bulldozer in Jerusalem. (more)

Trinity Mirror axes 11 jobs in subbing merger
From Press Gazette. Posted July 3 2008, 12.00am
Trinity Mirror has called for voluntary redundancies as it merges some subbing operations across the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and the People in a bit to save costs following a downbeat trading update earlier this week. (more)

Major deal for Rush Limbaugh
From Radio Today. Posted July 2 2008, 11.57pm
Rush Limbaugh, one of America's biggest names in talk radio has apparently signed a 200 million pounds - eight year deal - with Premiere Radio Networks. (more)

Question time: Emine Saner talks to Julian Clary on the world of TV, his career as a novelist
From Media Guardian. Posted July 2 2008, 11.49pm
Emine Saner talks to Julian Clary about the TV world, his career as a novelist - and his burning ambition to play Sir Andrew Aguecheek in Twelfth Night (more)

Talk show host signs $38m deal
From Media Guardian. Posted July 2 2008, 11.13pm
Rightwing presenter Rush Limbaugh becomes one of the highest-paid media figures in US with new deal (more)

Environment: Climate risk from flat-screen TVs
From Media Guardian. Posted July 2 2008, 11.09pm
Flat-screen televisions could have a greater impact on global warming than the largest coal-fired power stations, a leading environmental scientist has warned. By Ian Sample (more)

Objection: BBC drama is unfair on us, say barristers
From Media Guardian. Posted July 2 2008, 11.08pm
Serial drama, Criminal Justice, criticised by Bar Council for showing barristers as unprincipled and overly aggressive (more)

BBC presenter: media to blame on house prices
From Media Guardian. Posted July 2 2008, 11.08pm
Former economics editor Evan Davis claims that journalists could have averted the crash with prior warnings (more)

Television: Top Gear in hot water over G&T on ice
From Media Guardian. Posted July 2 2008, 11.08pm
Clarkson and co escape censure after polar special criticised for 'glamorising the misuse of alcohol' (more)

Interview: Alex Ballantyne, MD of Hearst Digital 'Why rush? We're building properties for the medium to long term, not short-term gain'
From Journalism.co.uk. Posted July 2 2008, 11.00pm
Journalism.co.uk talks arriving online late, video plans and social media tools with the head of NatMags UK digital wing (more)

NetDoctor to launch online TV service
From Journalism.co.uk. Posted July 2 2008, 11.00pm
Partnership with the Dept of Health will bring in 150 wellbeing videos (more)

Brian May slams ITV over Mandela cuts
From Digital Spy. Posted July 2 2008, 10.55pm
Brian May criticises ITV for cutting Queen's performance at Nelson Mandela's birthday concert. (more)

Mondays singer to cameo in 'Shameless'
From Digital Spy. Posted July 2 2008, 10.25pm
Happy Mondays singer Shaun Ryder is to cameo in Shameless. (more)

Michael Buerk rescued from yacht
From Digital Spy. Posted July 2 2008, 9.34pm
Former 999 host Michael Buerk is rescued by lifeboat crews after his yacht breaks down. (more)

Edmonds vows to battle "broken Britain"
From Digital Spy. Posted July 2 2008, 8.50pm
Noel Edmonds will rail against Britain's social ills in a new primetime entertainment show for Sky One. (more)

'Top Gear' G&Ts were 'irresponsible'
From Digital Spy. Posted July 2 2008, 8.14pm
The BBC Trust upholds a complaint about Top Gear presenters drinking while driving. (more)

Virgin1 to air US 'Monster Hunter' show
From Digital Spy. Posted July 2 2008, 7.57pm
Virgin1 is to air 12 episodes of US mystery investigation series The Monster Hunter. (more)

Radio Festival: Make Radio 1 and 2 digital-only, says RadioCentre
From Media Guardian. Posted July 2 2008, 5.15pm
Commercial radio body RadioCentre has called for BBC Radio 1 and Radio 2 be made digital-only to drive DAB takeup. By Owen Gibson (more)

Frequency change for RNW Spanish from 5 July
From Media Network Weblog. Posted July 2 2008, 5.14pm
The RNW transmission in Spanish at 2359-0157 UTC via French Guiana will change frequency on 5 July to improve reception in South America. The current 9895 kHz will be replaced by 7325 kHz. Bookmark to: (more)

BBC: Viewers must complain within 30 days
From Media Guardian. Posted July 2 2008, 4.41pm
The BBC has halved the amount of time viewers have to make a complaint to 30 days. By Tara Conlan (more)

Disabled model show impresses for BBC Three
From Digital Spy. Posted July 2 2008, 4.34pm
The first instalment of new reality show Britain's Missing Top Model draws decent ratings for BBC Three. (more)

ITV shares dip below 40p
From Media Guardian. Posted July 2 2008, 4.29pm
ITV's share price has fallen briefly below 40p for the first time as media stocks have taken another hammering. By Mark Sweney (more)

France 24 chief becomes head of Radio France Internationale
From Media Network Weblog. Posted July 2 2008, 4.22pm
The head of a new, streamlined French media group, Alain de Pouzilhac, took over as CEO of Radio France Internationale on Tuesday, marking one of the first steps in a controversial overhaul of public broadcasting in France. Pouzilhac is already the head of Audiovisuel extérieur de la France (AEF), a group set up to bring [...] (more)

French public TV chief slams ?stupid? Sarkozy claims
From Media Network Weblog. Posted July 2 2008, 4.13pm
The head of French public television hit out today at President Nicolas Sarkozy’s plans for broadcasting reform, saying his arguments were “false” and “stupid.” Sarkozy last week confirmed plans to end advertising on France Télévisions’ five channels from January, arguing that French public TV stations were too similar to private broadcasters and must be freed from commercial [...] (more)

Journalism students in McCann scoop
From Hold the Front Page. Posted July 2 2008, 4.10pm
Family spokesman Clarence Mitchell doorstepped as he left lecture (more)

Noel Edmonds: TV must act to regain trust
From Media Guardian. Posted July 2 2008, 4.03pm
Deal or No Deal presenter Noel Edmonds has said broadcasters must 'take the initiative' to restore trust in British TV after the fakery scandals. By Leigh Holmwood (more)

BBC announces 'human Tetris' gameshow Hole in the Wall
From Media Guardian. Posted July 2 2008, 3.43pm
BBC1 is to air a new family Saturday night entertainment show called Hole in the Wall developed from a hit Japanese format. By Tara Conlan (more)

Internet provides boost to radio listening
From UTalk Marketing. Posted July 2 2008, 3.28pm
Good news for industry (more)

Heinz male kiss ad cleared by watchdog ASA
From Media Guardian. Posted July 2 2008, 3.09pm
The UK's advertising regulator has decided not to investigate Heinz's 'male kiss' TV ad, despite 215 complaints from viewers. By Mark Sweney (more)

Product placement could erode TV writers' control over story, warns guild
From The Stage. Posted July 2 2008, 3.00pm
(more)

Sir Alan steps down as Amstrad chairman
From The Times. Posted July 2 2008, 2.56pm
Sir Alan Sugar, the multi-millionaire star of The Apprentice TV series, has stepped down as chairman of Amstrad, the company he founded aged just 21. (more)

Digg launches recommendation engine
From Journalism.co.uk. Posted July 2 2008, 2.14pm
Digg is launching a new recommendation engine - offering a first play with the new technology to a random sample of Digg users to test this week. The beta device will analyse users past 'Digging' activity to uncover other users and content that may be of interest to them. Digg intends to roll out the technology later [...] (more)

BBC's Evan Davis says media could have warned of credit crunch
From Media Guardian. Posted July 2 2008, 2.06pm
Radio Festival 2008: The BBC's former economics editor Evan Davis said today journalists could have done more to warn the public about the credit crunch that triggered the current housing price crash. By John Plunkett (more)

Racing revamped with £3m marketing push
From Media Guardian. Posted July 2 2008, 1.53pm
Racing events such as the Derby could become as big as Wimbledon, with an industry marketing initiative that will see broadcasters having to re-bid for media rights. By Mark Sweney (more)

Racing revamped with £9m marketing push
From Media Guardian. Posted July 2 2008, 1.53pm
Racing events such as the Derby could become as big as Wimbledon, with an industry marketing initiative that will see broadcasters having to re-bid for media rights. By Mark Sweney (more)

Independent: Trinity and Johnston Press to merge?
From Journalism.co.uk. Posted July 2 2008, 1.36pm
"Trinity Mirror and Johnston Press failed to draw any steam out of suggestions that they should merge yesterday as the London market, unsettled by fears for the economy, sank into the red," so say a piece in the Independent that canvased opinion of leading mergers and aquisitions bank ABN Amro about the nightmare that is advertising reveune in regional newspaper publishing. The bank stirred the pot by telling the Indy that given the problems faced by the media sector companies would increasingly look for industry consolidation. "These are desperate times, and they call for desperate measures: we believe a Trinity/Johnston combination makes sense," ABN said. (more)

Roles of journalists and bloggers ?blurring?
From Media Network Weblog. Posted July 2 2008, 1.13pm
The roles played by journalists and bloggers are blurring with many news organisations now offering online services and their reporters writing their own blogs, a news seminar in Ulaanbaatar has heard. Mock Pak Lam, MediaCorp Technologies’ Managing Director, said to meet the challenge from bloggers and social networking sites, news organisations were actively seeking contributions from [...] (more)

Freeview HD slots advertised by Ofcom
From Digital Spy. Posted July 2 2008, 1.12pm
Ofcom issues a formal advertisement for applicants to run high definition services on a reconfigured DTT multiplex. (more)

Top Gear criticised for showing Jeremy Clarkson and James May drinking G&T while driving
From Media Guardian. Posted July 2 2008, 1.04pm
Top Gear has been rapped by the BBC Trust's editorial standards committee for showing Jeremy Clarkson and James May drinking while driving. By Tara Conlan (more)

Azerbaijan to consider prolonging BBC broadcasts in the country
From Media Network Weblog. Posted July 2 2008, 12.57pm
BBC Radio has appealed to Azerbaijan’s National Broadcasting Council to prolong its licence to broadcast in Azerbaijan, the National Broadcasting Council told the Azeri Press Agency. The Council will discuss this issue in the next few days. According to the broadcasting legislation, foreign radio stations receive a one-year licence to air on Azerbaijani frequencies, and its prolongation is [...] (more)

Sky seeks marketing agency for Picnic
From Digital Spy. Posted July 2 2008, 12.23pm
Sky is seeking to appoint a marketing agency to promote its proposed DTT service, Picnic. (more)

Online listening on the up
From Radio Today. Posted July 2 2008, 11.59am
Listening to radio via the internet is on the increase, with an extra two and half million people thought to have tuned in during the last six months. Podcasts are also more popular with six million of us downloading almost two a week. (more)

Podcasts help boost live radio audiences, Rajar-commissioned report reveals
From Media Guardian. Posted July 2 2008, 11.56am
Online radio listening is growing in the UK, with more than 14 million people listening on the web every week - and podcasts helping to boost live radio audiences. By Ben Dowell (more)

Radio Festival 2008: BBC radio exec Jeff Zycinski criticises Winehouse coverage
From Media Guardian. Posted July 2 2008, 11.54am
Radio Festival 2008: A senior BBC radio executive has criticised the media's coverage of Amy Winehouse as a 'form of pornography'. By John Plunkett (more)

Radio Festival 2008: BBC radio exec Jeff Zycinski criticises Amy Winehouse coverage
From Media Guardian. Posted July 2 2008, 11.54am
Radio Festival 2008: A senior BBC radio executive has criticised the media's coverage of Amy Winehouse as a 'form of pornography'. By John Plunkett (more)

ArtsDiary poll: Has the BBC iPlayer changed your life?
From Media Guardian. Posted July 2 2008, 11.45am
The Beeb's hugely popular iPlayer, which integrates radio with on-demand TV claims to 'make the unmissable unmissable'. Yet it has been called a 'multi-million pound failure'. Has it made a difference to your daily viewing habits? (more)

Publisher pulls plug on journalism training places
From Hold the Front Page. Posted July 2 2008, 11.40am
Shortlisted candidate 'gutted' by decision to withdraw sponsorship (more)

Tip of the day from Journalism.co.uk: Be persistent - it pays…
From Journalism.co.uk. Posted July 2 2008, 11.39am
Getting the story: Be persistent when chasing a story or a contact. For non-urgent queries email might be okay, but it's often easier to get the information you're after over the telephone. You'll get answers more quickly and your call is harder to ignore too. Tipster: Laura Oliver Got a tip? Submit it here - we [...] (more)

AIRCOM Signs Network Planning Tool Deal with O2
From Press Release, via webitpr. Posted July 2 2008, 11.39am
July 2nd, 2008, Leatherhead, UK ? Independent network planning and optimisation consultancy, AIRCOM International, has been selected by O2 in the UK to supply ASSET, the worlds number one radio network planning and optimisation tool, from AIRCOM?s ENTERPRISE tool suite.  AIRCOM was selected after winning O2?s highly competitive RFQ, which was issued to the industry?s leading radio planning tool vendors.  O2 required a planning tool solution that was both scalable and flexible enough to support... (more)

Opec head sees new oil price rise
From BBC News. Posted July 2 2008, 11.18am
The president of oil producers' cartel Opec tells the BBC crude oil prices could rise still further this week. (more)

'Friends' movie within next 18 months?
From Digital Spy. Posted July 2 2008, 11.05am
A big screen adaptation of the US comedy Friends is reportedly being lined up. (more)

Student wins Gary Frisch Bursary
From Radio Today. Posted July 2 2008, 10.42am
A student from Leeds has been awarded the Gary Frisch Bursary 2008 for his web development work at Leeds Student Radio station, LSR FM. (more)

Tranter keen to overcome UK to US barriers
From Digital Spy. Posted July 2 2008, 10.40am
The BBC's head of fiction wants to overcome international barriers to make more co-productions with US broadcasters. (more)

Virgin ad rapped over download capping
From Digital Spy. Posted July 2 2008, 10.28am
Regulators ban a Virgin Media broadband ad for failing to mention its peak time traffic capping policy. (more)

TV ratings - July 1: Criminal Justice arrests 4.8m
From Media Guardian. Posted July 2 2008, 10.12am
The second episode of BBC1 thriller Criminal Justice attracted nearly 5 million viewers. By Ben Dowell (more)

'Apprentice' winner is sick on first day
From Digital Spy. Posted July 2 2008, 9.45am
Apprentice winner Lee McQueen misses his first day at work for Sir Alan Sugar due to illness. (more)

Academy awards more fellows
From Radio Today. Posted July 2 2008, 9.33am
The Radio Academy has awarded two more fellowships at the Radio Festival in Glasgow. (more)

News International research library to be wound down with 25 jobs at risk
From Media Guardian. Posted July 2 2008, 9.27am
James Murdoch has decided to wind down the News International research library, resulting in redundancies for most of the unit's 25 staff. By Stephen Brook (more)

Setanta and TUTV sign distribution deal
From Digital Spy. Posted July 2 2008, 9.21am
Setanta signs a distribution deal for carriage on pay DTT service Top Up TV. (more)

Freeview NIT change rollout continues
From Digital Spy. Posted July 2 2008, 9.20am
Changes to terrestrial transmission which result in 1% of STBs losing Freeview reception are rolled out to four TV regions. (more)

In Pictures: Sooty turns 60
From Digital Spy. Posted July 2 2008, 8.59am
DS presents an in-pictures look at the life and times of Britain's favourite puppet. (more)

Extended tennis coverage pays off for BBC
From Digital Spy. Posted July 2 2008, 8.28am
A changed schedule for coverage of Andy Murray's Wimbledon win brought in a BBC One audience peak of 10.4m on Monday. (more)

BBC Radio 4 Airs Lost Beatles Tape
From radio.about.com. Posted July 2 2008, 7.34am
Natalie Finn at eonline.com reports: "A 1964 interview with the Fab Four that was only broadcast once has been discovered in a South London garage, where it had been tucked... (more)

New online network for journalists and the PR industry
From Hold the Front Page. Posted July 2 2008, 7.10am
Social networking website aims to boost communication and help hacks pinpoint relevant stories (more)

Journalism trainees invited to rate their course
From Hold the Front Page. Posted July 2 2008, 7.10am
Next generation of journalists given a voice on new training website run by press sub-editor (more)

Northcliffe chief named as new Newspaper Society president
From Hold the Front Page. Posted July 2 2008, 7.10am
Michael Pelosi takes over NS hot seat from Russell Whitehair (more)

Disappointed journalism graduates offered financial lifeline
From Hold the Front Page. Posted July 2 2008, 7.10am
NCTJ extends grants deadline for shortlisted candidates on Mirror's cancelled journalism training scheme (more)

Alex Kingston to lead BBC One drama
From Digital Spy. Posted July 2 2008, 6.22am
Ex-ER actress Alex Kingston joins a new BBC One drama about a group of female ex-cons. (more)

EastEnders to tackle child abuse
From Media Guardian. Posted July 2 2008, 6.16am
BBC1 soap EastEnders is to tackle the subject of child sex abuse for the first time in a potentially controversial storyline to be screened later this year. By Leigh Holmwood (more)

EastEnders to tackle child sex abuse
From Media Guardian. Posted July 2 2008, 6.16am
BBC1 soap EastEnders is to tackle the subject of child sex abuse for the first time in a potentially controversial storyline to be screened later this year, involving Bianca Jackson's stepdaughter Whitney. By Leigh Holmwood (more)

Virgin Media ad banned over broadband speed claims
From Media Guardian. Posted July 2 2008, 6.16am
A press campaign by Virgin Media that promoted broadband download times for TV shows and music has been banned by the ASA. By Mark Sweney (more)

Virgin Media ad censured over broadband speed claims
From Media Guardian. Posted July 2 2008, 6.16am
A press campaign by Virgin Media that promoted broadband download times for TV shows and music has been banned by the ASA. By Mark Sweney (more)

Viewers to decide fate of Oasis's 'Cactus Kid'
From Media Guardian. Posted July 2 2008, 6.16am
Soft drink brand Oasis is to let members of the public vote for the final instalment of a series of TV ads that tell the tale of a 'half cactus, half man' outcast. By Mark Sweney (more)

Watch the first 'Cactus Kid' Oasis ad
From Media Guardian. Posted July 2 2008, 6.15am
The first in a series of TV adverts for Oasis, made by Mother ad agency, shows an American girl driving off into the sunset with her boyfriend 'Cactus Kid' because she doesn't like water (more)

Actors strike looms over pay
From Financial Times. Posted July 2 2008, 3.00am
The largest US actors' union has given a tepid response to a last-minute contract offer from Hollywood's film and television studios, increasing the possibility of a... (more)

Threat of actors' strike casts Hollywood gloom
From Financial Times. Posted July 2 2008, 3.00am
The largest US actors' union has given a tepid response to a last-minute contract offer from Hollywood's film and television studios, increasing the possibility of a... (more)

Why Mirror's boss is not the next Greg Dyke
From Daily Telegraph. Posted July 2 2008, 12.01am
He's a jammy fellow, Greg Dyke. He doesn't see it that way, but it's true. Having been slung out by the BBC after the Hutton inquiry, Dyke still fizzes with a sense of injustice. Never mind, it's not as though he vanished into obscurity. (more)

Need to know: Nokia; Setanta; Southern Cross; Alliance Pharma
From The Times. Posted July 2 2008, 12.00am
Economics (more)

Car magazine veterans get behind the wheel of new web-only venture
From Press Gazette. Posted July 2 2008, 12.00am
A group of motoring journalists long associated with Dennis Publishing's Evo and Haymarket's Autocar have left the titles to launch a rival online-only publication. (more)

Shiv Malik: Notebook handover signals end of fight
From Press Gazette. Posted July 2 2008, 12.00am
Freelance journalist Shiv Malik's fight to stop police from seizing his notes ended this week after he handed over photocopied notebooks to Greater Manchester Police, as well as audio tapes and computer records. (more)

Charity's fury over Observer report on undiscovered tribe
From Press Gazette. Posted July 2 2008, 12.00am
Development charity Survival International today launched an extraordinary attack on Observer foreign editor Peter Beaumont by posting a sound file on its website of a phone call in which he threatens to sue them. (more)

Evan Davis: Journalists failed to warn public of worsening economy
From Press Gazette. Posted July 2 2008, 12.00am
Today presenter Evan Davis has accused journalists of failing to give the public enough advance warning of the worsening conditions in the economy and the effect it would have on them. (more)

Letter: Guilty verdict on BBC
From Media Guardian. Posted July 1 2008, 11.09pm
Letter: The BBC's Criminal Justice serial is not the basis upon which one can draw any sound conclusions about our system of justice (more)

Cosmopolitan.co.uk traffic doubles after relaunch
From Journalism.co.uk. Posted July 1 2008, 11.00pm
Cosmo registers 415,000 unique visitors in May up from 176,385 users in October (more)

Michael Pelosi named as new Newspaper Society president
From Journalism.co.uk. Posted July 1 2008, 11.00pm
Northcliffe Media director takes over from Russell Whitehair (more)

ITN to run contextual ads with video content on Bebo
From Journalism.co.uk. Posted July 1 2008, 11.00pm
News deal with Blinkx allows the TV news company to run ads on third-party sites (more)

Actors give tepid response to last-ditch offer
From Financial Times. Posted July 1 2008, 8.25pm
The largest US actors' union has given a tepid response to a last-minute contract offer from Hollywood's film and television studios, increasing the possibility of a strike and casting gloom over the entertainment industry (more)

Series format 'should be applauded' says BBC's Tranter
From The Stage. Posted July 1 2008, 6.30pm
(more)

Newspaper's drugs raid footage 'highly intrusive'
From Hold the Front Page. Posted July 1 2008, 6.30pm
Evening News rapped by PCC over coverage of police drugs operation (more)

Hunniford "annoyed" with Jonathan Ross
From Digital Spy. Posted July 1 2008, 5.50pm
Gloria Hunniford picks apart Jonathan Ross's interview technique. (more)

TV?s importance to advertisers highlighted by Channel 4 chief
From UTalk Marketing. Posted July 1 2008, 5.48pm
?Intellectual elite? slammed (more)

Sarkozy caught snapping at TV technician
From Media Network Weblog. Posted July 1 2008, 5.47pm
Video footage of President Nicolas Sarkozy reprimanding a TV technician who did not greet him when he arrived at the studio for an interview drew more than 300,000 hits on the Internet today. “It’s a question of manners,” Sarkozy tersely told the employee who had not responded to his “hello sir” when he clipped a microphone [...] (more)

Sky News in website revamp
From UTalk Marketing. Posted July 1 2008, 5.12pm
Digital developments underway (more)

Chris Moyles lands C4 pilot show
From Digital Spy. Posted July 1 2008, 5.01pm
Chris Moyles is approached to front his own Channel 4 entertainment programme. (more)

BBC, ITV, C4 "frustrated" at Kangaroo setback
From Digital Spy. Posted July 1 2008, 4.50pm
The BBC, ITV and Channel 4 are "frustrated" at yesterday's regulatory setback but paint it as just a "delay" to Kangaroo. (more)

Kangaroo setback "frustrates" broadcasters
From Digital Spy. Posted July 1 2008, 4.50pm
The BBC, ITV and Channel 4 are "frustrated" at yesterday's regulatory setback but paint it as just a "delay" to Kangaroo. (more)