Channel 4 sell off.

tek-monkey

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
Interested in thoughts on this. The obvious angle here is put a chum in charge and it's your new propaganda machine, c4 didn't exactly tow the party line, but do people still watch it? I know it'll give the tories the vast majority of traditional airspace to control but aren't the sort that only watch terrestrial also the sort that would generally vote for them anyway? I'm thinking old, scared of change, believe all what they see/read.

So while I see it as a very bad thing that we will inevitably have a tory donor in charge of yet another media outlet, I am wondering what extent of harm they can cause. I will admit to being very out of touch with TV, I haven't put terrestrial on in my house in over a decade. I think we can get it on virgin but that box is in a cupboard somewhere.
 
tek-monkey

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
I guess it's a general dictator tactic, control all the official media and you can be sure they all line up with your stories? Sure people will get from other sources but the more agree on something the more likely you are to think it's true?
 
tek-monkey

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
Lucy said:
We will be a much poorer country culturally if it goes. It's a fantastic station, does not cost the taxpayer a thing, and if it goes to Fox or something god help us.
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The obvious reason there is no need to privatise it, anyone heard a good reason to do so? I guess it would always be a pro tory station then, rather than pro government like the BBC? Problem there is tories don't do good comedy, most good comedians are left wing.
 
BobClay

BobClay

Well-Known Forumite
.... and the City boys will be chucking in their kecks at the thought of yet another state owned mechanism coming their way at a knock down price. Still, Cayman Island banks will get more business ...
 
tek-monkey

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
BobClay said:
.... and the City boys will be chucking in their kecks at the thought of yet another state owned mechanism coming their way at a knock down price. Still, Cayman Island banks will get more business ...
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Well of course it'll be sold for a knock down price to a mate in a sham sale, isn't that hoe Abromovich got rich? My wife has always said the current UK is like watching a crap version of the USSR fall apart 🤔
 
Withnail

Withnail

Well-Known Forumite
It's difficult to believe that it will be red meat for our own oligarchs - Desmond got in and out of 5 pretty quick.

Ultimately you'd be buying the 'goodwill' of a brand that doesn't have much of it.

The Faux Tories - Truss in her vanity, Dorries in her stridency, de Pfeffel in his obduracy - just ache to be Thatcherites, but everything of value has already been sold off.

4 is like putting chicken feet on the menu and acting like it's sirloin.
 
Gramaisc

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
Mudgie said:
Offal has become very trendy.
tek-monkey said:
I love the stuff, but not when priced the same as decent meat!
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Things get very Offaly not far from where I am.

On Channel 4, it may not be that 'they' actually want it, perhaps 'they' just don't want anybody else having it - rather like the money they have hidden in their immoral tax havens, they're not really covetous of it, as long as it's not of use to the lower orders.
 
timmo

timmo

Well-Known Forumite
tek-monkey said:
Interested in thoughts on this. The obvious angle here is put a chum in charge and it's your new propaganda machine, c4 didn't exactly tow the party line, but do people still watch it? I know it'll give the tories the vast majority of traditional airspace to control but aren't the sort that only watch terrestrial also the sort that would generally vote for them anyway? I'm thinking old, scared of change, believe all what they see/read.

So while I see it as a very bad thing that we will inevitably have a tory donor in charge of yet another media outlet, I am wondering what extent of harm they can cause. I will admit to being very out of touch with TV, I haven't put terrestrial on in my house in over a decade. I think we can get it on virgin but that box is in a cupboard somewhere.
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I can’t say I’m overly fussed with this- like most terrestrial television I can’t say I really watch anything on it. One thing I have noticed is how monotonous and samey the programming is. One day last week they had seven separate property programmes on interspersed with reality turd.

This is the channel that gave us The Day Today, Brasseye, Eurotrash, The Word, Peep Show, Spaced and a whole host of other outrageous and groundbreaking shows. To me it feels like it’s lost it’s direction to endless whinging about political aspects it doesn’t agree with and cheap, dull programming
 
Lucy

Lucy

Well-Known Forumite
Have you watched any of it recently? This Way Up, Derry Girls, It's a Sin. All amazing shows that probably wouldn't get commissioned by a private channel.
 
timmo

timmo

Well-Known Forumite
Lucy said:
Have you watched any of it recently? This Way Up, Derry Girls, It's a Sin. All amazing shows that probably wouldn't get commissioned by a private channel.
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I must have lost them between 90s American sitcoms that weren’t funny in the 90s and the third helping of Ramsey’s kitchen bloodbath for the day
 
BobClay

BobClay

Well-Known Forumite
There does seem to be an over abundance of cooking programs on all channels in recent weeks. Haven't any of these people heard of a bloody tin opener ?? :P
 
Lucy

Lucy

Well-Known Forumite
timmo said:
I must have lost them between 90s American sitcoms that weren’t funny in the 90s and the third helping of Ramsey’s kitchen bloodbath for the day
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Well that's your loss. You could say the same about all channels, seek and ye shall find.
 
Withnail

Withnail

Well-Known Forumite
Lucy said:
Have you watched any of it recently? This Way Up, Derry Girls, It's a Sin. All amazing shows that probably wouldn't get commissioned by a private channel.
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You are right, and i was perhaps a little harsh - It's a Sin was probably the best British-made thing, and perhaps even the best thing overall, in the last decade for example, and 4 has an history bigger than its present presence - but i think the landscape has changed enough that the 'probably' ^part of your statement carries less weight. There's lots of output equally as left field coming from the streaming platforms, and they are playing to an eager market.

Put it this way, Sid will not want to buy shares in Channel 4.

Some right-wing wanker with more money than sense might want to turn it into a new GBNews calamity, but more likely it'll get hoovered up by Paramount and become as bland as everything else, showing endless repeats of sister channels whilst turning the occasional trick on Grapes corner to show its still 'got it' by showing a rerun of 'Comic Strip Presents...'
 
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