Panorama has been the BBC's flagship current affairs programme for more than 50 years. I even published a BOOK on the programme to coincide with its fiftieth birthday. In recent years it has been sidelined in an unpopular Sunday night slot. Next year it is being restored to a primetime weekday slot which ought to be a cause for rejoicing. Instead, many people are fearing the worst - that the programme will become a carbon copy of Tonight with Trevor McDonald. Jeremy Vine will be presenting the new revamped Panorama, but already veteran reporter John Ware has announced he wants nothing to do with the new programme. He fears it is being 'dumbed down' beyond all recognition. Let's hope he is wrong. It would be very sad indeed to see a national institution reduced to covering current affairs tabloid fashion. Richard Dimbleby and Sir Robin Day would be turning in their graves.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Panorama to Dumb Down?
Panorama has been the BBC's flagship current affairs programme for more than 50 years. I even published a BOOK on the programme to coincide with its fiftieth birthday. In recent years it has been sidelined in an unpopular Sunday night slot. Next year it is being restored to a primetime weekday slot which ought to be a cause for rejoicing. Instead, many people are fearing the worst - that the programme will become a carbon copy of Tonight with Trevor McDonald. Jeremy Vine will be presenting the new revamped Panorama, but already veteran reporter John Ware has announced he wants nothing to do with the new programme. He fears it is being 'dumbed down' beyond all recognition. Let's hope he is wrong. It would be very sad indeed to see a national institution reduced to covering current affairs tabloid fashion. Richard Dimbleby and Sir Robin Day would be turning in their graves.
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It is evidence of the intention to dumb it down by having Jeremy Whine as the presenter.
Surprised to see you are referring to this in the future tense. It has been going downhill for a while. Not one of Greg Dyke's greatest achievements.
Similar thing happened with 'Horizon' and now 'Newsnight' is under threat.
Trouble is, once these brands are contaminated with the rush to appeal to the lowest common denominator, it is very difficult for them to recover.
Will Jeremy be playing some records on the programme as well. I do hope so.
You mean it could get dumbed down more? It could go in for more sensationalist conjecture over careful journalism?
I sense an opportunity here of 18 Doughty Street Iain.
Here's a reminder for you of a topic which Panorama (dumbed down or not) is unlikely to broadcast but which would be perfect for an extended interview on 18DoughtyStreet. I have copied a post by Jonathan Boyd Hunt from Biased BBC.
"I've written to all the presenters of 18 Doughty Street TV and sent them copies of my book plus reviews plus various DVDs but heard nothing - despite key anchor Iain Dale having written to me on 13 November 1998, three weeks after the launch of my book Trial by Conspiracy, in which he wrote:
Dear Jonathan,
I wanted to write to say what a superb book you have written. I finished it at the weekend and thoroughly enjoyed it - if enjoyed is a word which should be used in the context of how two decent people [i.e. Neil and Christine Hamilton] have been ruined through no fault of their own.
You are to be congratulated on your efforts. I imagine that you may be feeling a bit disappointed at the lack of review coverage or media coverage in general. Don't be. The media cannot ever accept that they have got something wrong. However word of mouth is a powerful thing and I suspect that word about your book will get round.
To cheer you up we have sold over 60 copies, which for any hardback is an excellent number.
Kind regards,
Iain Dale
So did 18 Doughty Street sell out to the MSM even before it began transmission? Your guess is as good as mine. Why don't you read my book, digest the first documents from Sections One-Three of my website, write to Iain Dale with your suggestion and then report back to this blog. A lot of work, clearly, but maybe you'll achieve a result."
Richard Dimbleby & Robin Day MAY be turning in their graves viewing what the present Dimbleby's & friends, have been doing over the past few decades, misusing the BBC, pushing their agenda & censoring others in the field of current affairs.
Quite frankly whatever the BBC do of late is beyond me.
This is the organisation that thought it good value to pay Jonathan Ross 18 million pounds for a three year contract,an obscene amount.
Panorama,this belongs to the BBC of bygone days.
Welcome to BBC Sky.
I don't watch much TV, but the last time I looked it had already dumbed down. To go any further would be like limbo dancing.
The problem is, of course, that the BBC is obsessed with ratings, and terrified of being seen as a minority, highbrow (or even middlebrow) channel, because they fear that might undermine the justification for the licence fee. And just as bad money drives out good, so bad programmes drive out good. It's too late to stop the rot now.
It's not "dumbed-down" any more, Iain, it's "non-elitist". You really must keep up with the latest politically-correct terminology. I mean, why should an intelligent chap like you have a TV program that thick bastards can't "access".
Supporters of DC's Brave New Conservative party like you should be in favour of all things non-elitist, shouldn't you?
So what did happen to the Cooke report after nu Labor came to power. Or was there freindley Dyke or grade at the top?
My only concern is that it could make the BBC more popular. Every failure of their programming seems to be a step closer to freedom from the tyrrany of compelled speech.
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