After having spent the day hammering out Fal FM stories - alongside my Blue comrades under the eye of Pirate's Tristan Hunkin - some would say I have spent the day dumbing-down-the-news. And that could be a fair judgement, when you consider that during each hourly critique session we were reminded of how to colloquialise our scripts. And then there was Rajar....
Snappy news is colloquial news, is memorable news, is Rajar-box-ticking news. And, as we know, Rajar-box-ticking news is profitable news.
In the end, most news is a commercial operation. At the least discreet end of the commercial news spectrum there are the FOXNews, Channel 4 and GCAP types - changing sets, headlines and Natasha Kaplinsky's jeans at a cracking pace. Perhaps in a more indirect - but possibly more concerning - way, there are increasing commercial interests at the Beeb. These range from the incessant cross-promotion between BBC Radio and Television (and also between BBC1 through BBC100) to BBC Worldwide's recent acquisitions (such as Lonely Planet Publications) and its 6 commercial arms (Global Channels, Global TV Sales, Content & Production, Magazines, Home Entertainment and Digital Media). In fact, in the year to end March 2007, BBC Worldwide generated profits of £111.1 million on sales of £810.4 million. For some further reading, see 'BBC Worldwide Acquires Lonely Planet', 1/10/07: http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/bbcworldwide/worldwidestories/pressreleases/2007/10_october/lonely_planet.shtml
As we were reminded today, radio and broadcasting are all about delivering audiences - whether the newsroom is motivated by advertising dollars or Rajar figures. Writing new reports today - and managing to make "Cleaning the decks to make way for Camilla: Mohammad al-Fayad says this is how a Princess was murdered" - I quickly learned the virtues of flashy, punchy newswriting. It sticks in the mind, hits the audience between the eyes... and, best of all, it's a guilty pleasure to write.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment