Articles by Andrew Bowden

Saving local radio?

Published 15 April 2010

On 5 April 2010 Pennine FM became the latest in a list of smaller commercial radio stations to shut down and hand back its licence to Ofcom.

Save 6music (and eat a cupcake)

Published 6 April 2010

I was on holiday on 27 March else I would have been standing outside Broadcasting House chanting and waving my placard at the protests against the proposed closure of the wonderful BBC Radio 6music.

Welcome to the new look MediaBlog

Published 3 April 2010

If you’re reading this by a newsreader then you probably won’t notice any difference, however if you’re on the website itself you’ll probably notice that we’ve had the decorators in and the MediaBlog has a brand new look.

The End of City Road

Published 4 February 2010

It’s been many years since I personally lived in the North East so the story that demolition had begun on Tyne Tees’s old City Road studios had passed me by.

We’ll keep turning on the box

Published 19 January 2010

As it’s announced that BBC iPlayer has had over 100 million requests, and the Corporation adds more and more ways to catch up on missed TV, you’d be forgiven if you thought that traditional TV was on the way out. And quickly too.

Primeval returns

Published 29 September 2009

Well if this is not a sad sight for ITV I don’t know what is. For the good news is that Primeval will return (good if you like Primeval anyway!) in a deal with UKTV which will see the programme air on Watch afterwards, and BBC Worldwide become the largest co-production partner.

The Come Back Kid

Published 19 August 2009

More Mark Austin on News at Ten As part of a piece proclaiming that Mark Austin will be doing more News at Ten, is the news that Alastair Stewart is…

The end of free ITV?

Published 2 June 2009

Ah, do you remember the days? Everyone was rushing off pay TV, determined to embrace the world of free to air television. It would be great! Advertising would pay for…

Six down…

Published 1 May 2009

Well it didn’t take that long, but now we’re on the sixth analogue station to close this year as UTV Radio (a name that is a contradiction in itself) killed off Valleys Radio in Wales after failing to find a buyer for the station.

Jonathan Morrell

Published 30 April 2009

News presenter and announcer

Channel M job losses

Published 28 April 2009

Local TV hasn’t exactly had a particularly good start in the UK. Failed station followed failed station. Small scale ventures have risen in high profile, only to shatter not long after. Ofcom has a list of the stations, however several have never even launched.

Over-egging the pudding?

Published 23 April 2009

It’s not been long since the counter was started but already we’re heading for the sixth radio station to close.

Peter Preston on Fox News

Published 20 April 2009

Peter Preston has a fantastic piece in the Guardian about Fox News, and what makes it a “success”

Five Down – 45 To Go

Published 17 April 2009

Fifty radio stations “could close” apparently. Well so far this year alone, we’re on five, following the closure of Pennine FM in Huddersfield just yesterday.

Someone’s Gotta Go – Fox preferably

Published 10 April 2009

Fox are starting a new reality TV programme where cash strapped businesses will let the staff decide which of their colleagues should be got rid off. In ‘Someone’s Gotta Go’ the company books will be turned over, staff salaries will be revealed. And no doubt bitterness and agendas will be at the heart of the show.

They didn’t Go4It

Published 17 March 2009

BBC Radio 4 is to ditch it’s children’s programme, Go4It, after seven years. Apparently the average age of the shows listeners was nowhere near it’s target audience, being, as it was, over 50.

Sky suggest Channel 4 should re-enter Pay TV market – SHOCK!

Published 9 March 2009

Most solutions to Channel 4’s problems envision a continuation of free to air television. Funnily enough Sky don’t. Who would have thought it?

Simon Luxton

Published 6 March 2009

We were very sad to learn of the death of Transdiffusion contributor, Simon Luxton.

The boring company that may play it’s part in saving ITV

Published 23 February 2009

Much of broadcasting is a rather boring sounding but essential business. Take SDN for example. It runs a multiplex on Freeview, meaning it provides the infrastructure that runs a sixth of the digital terrestrial television spectrum.

The Woes of Setanta – part 45,921

Published 13 February 2009

The distribution of Premier League football rights is a seemingly never ending occurrence, however the latest round now has the potential to have some serious consequences.

What happens to Teletext?

Published 23 January 2009

The fall out of the recent Ofcom report into the future of commercial public service broadcasting continues, with The Guardian reporting that Ofcom are not aren’t convinced that there will need to be a separate Teletext franchise going forward.

And that’s why I don’t like cricket

Published 18 December 2008

The battle of what sports the BBC should or should not cover is one which will, inevitably, never draw any consensus.

How to save Channel 4

Published 15 December 2008

So here are the options we’ve got so far…

Oliver Postgate

Published 9 December 2008

Like many I grew up with the creations of Oliver Postgate, and his usal collaborator Peter Firmin. Ivor the Engine, Noggin the Nog, the Clangers, and of course, the utterly wonderful Bagpuss, played a huge part of my childhood, as it did so many others – enchanting and enthralling a whole generation.

Why does the Guardian sell more copies at the BBC?

Published 28 October 2008

Stephen’s post, They would say that, wouldn’t they? mentions that the branch of WH Smiths in the BBC’s Television Centre, sells, as a percentage of all papers sold, a disproportionate number of copies of The Guardian compared with the country overall.

I didn’t get where I am today by blindly making something that’s anything like the original series

Published 17 October 2008

Another one from the “Eh, what? Why?” file is the news that the remake of The Rise and Fall of Reginald Perrin won’t actually be a remake at all because most of the concepts and storylines will be got rid off.

Who needs the One if you’ve got a big Heart?

Published 16 September 2008

The nationisation of local radio is taking a step up a gear, with Global Radio announcing plans to rebrand 28 of its local stations as Heart

Pack away the hamper – the Picnic isn’t happening

Published 12 September 2008

It’s been hanging around for goodness knows how long, but finally BSkyB have done the inevitable, and axed its pay TV proposals for DTT.

HDTV – your personal route to confusion

Published 29 August 2008

A couple of weeks ago I unpacked a Grundig Freesat HD set top box. In the cardboard packing was a set top box, power adapter, SCART lead and a remote…

Taking on the big guy

Published 28 August 2008

There’s an element of inevitability about this one – and the one surprise is that has taken so long.

Two Programmes with the same name?

Published 11 August 2008

“On BBC One now, Britain from Above, whilst on BBC Two in sixty minutes, it’s Britain from Above”.

The Story of the Monkey and the Olympics

Published 24 July 2008

If you haven’t seen the BBC’s Olympic monkey, then it’s time to head over to the BBC website now.

No booze ads in Scotland?

Published 17 June 2008

Here’s an interesting one. The Guardian are reporting that the Scottish Government are consulting about a possible ban of alcohol related TV ads before the 9pm watershed. It’s a question that has been raised nationwide, but so far not discounted.

Low pay in the newsroom

Published 23 May 2008

One upon a time, the adage was that you joined the BBC to get the training, then when you could, you disappeared off for the better wages in the commercial world.

What would happen if we didn’t fart? CBBC will tell us!

Published 23 May 2008

There is absolutely no doubt at all. Not one bit. You can guarentee that is there’s one programme that’s going to set the “decline of broadcasting” brigade off, it’s new CBBC programme Gastronuts, which, according to the Guardian, will “encourage kids to stew worms, catch farts in jars and bake toenail cakes”.

London based and proud

Published 22 May 2008

There’s a certain irony that ITV apparently failed to meet its quotas for out of London production. Irony that a network which was founded on regional principles, to spread power and away from the capital, is now firmly rooted in London, and makes most of its programmes there.

Don’t be afraid of your past!

Published 12 April 2008

On the more trivial side of broadcasting news recently is the revelation that popular TV personalities Ant and Dec have rushed out and bought the rights to their old shows SM:TV Live and Byker Grove, apparently in a bid to stop digital TV channels buying the rights and showing their previous work without their permission. Or presumably, at all.

GCap changes tack

Published 11 April 2008

The first signs of new management ideas at GCap Media are slowly being revealed. Whilst the company is not yet part of Global Radio (the move has to be agreed by shareholders first), it would seem highly unlikely that the potential new owners would have not been consulted first on todays announcements.

Is DAB Dead?

Published 8 April 2008

What is really going on?

GCap Media: 2005 – 2008

Published 1 April 2008

So it’s finally happened – GCap has succumbed to Global Media, with the company being sold for £375m.

Resurrect the DJs, Resurrect the DJs!

Published 25 March 2008

It’s not even been a year since the change, but it seems XFM’s bold vision of an exciting world of giving listeners the power, and ditching it’s daytime presenters has been a resounding success!

Attack of the silly TV station names

Published 20 March 2008

Where Dave leads, “Fiver” apparently follows as digital channel Five Life, is getting a new name.

Jerry Springer’s non-blaspheming opera

Published 5 March 2008

Well it looks like the battle has finally ended. Surely? The news that the House of Lords have refused to hear an appeal from Christian Voice in their attempts to procecute the BBC for blasphemy for showing Jerry Springer: The Opera.

TV Centre potentially safe and GCap maybe ready to fall

Published 5 March 2008

If you’re one of those people who think that the BBC would be insane to sell off its flagship building, then you might be encouraged by something on Media Guardian this morning.

The GCap/DAB saga continues

Published 11 February 2008

The GCap/DAB story just keeps coming up with new twists as more articles get published. In an article about the economic viability of DAB on the Media Guardian website, there’s an interesting comment from Fru Hazlitt.

« Previous PageNext Page »
A member of the Transdiffusion Broadcasting System
Liverpool, Friday 29 March 2024