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15 Nov 2010 21:01

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Culture: One more footnote from Apple vs. Apple: Mr. Guy Goma

  • One of the greatest gaffes in TV history, Guy Goma, a guy going for an interview in the BBC’s IT department, found himself on-air talking about the Apple Computer-vs.-Apple Corps case, which the Mac makers won in 2006. Goma, who has a very strong French accent, rolled with the punches when pretending to be tech journalist Guy Kewney. Kewney died earlier this year, while there was talk of a Guy Goma movie a while back. Wonder where that guy is.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Jul 2010 10:49

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Biz: Is BP’s Tony Hayward ready to get off the hot seat?

While BP is directly denying it, the BBC is reporting that the troubled executive could likely be out of there within the next 24 hours. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Jul 2010 19:57

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U.S.: Snaps: Iowa’s broken Lake Delhi dam – a major flyover state story

  • After the Tennessee flooding in may, the mainstream media was criticized. Why? Because they underplayed a major tragedy that affected a lot of people – but people in a smaller state not on the East or West Coast. So, with that in mind, here’s a quick comparison of the coverage the dam breakage in Iowa has been getting so far. As of 8:29 p.m. EST, it’s not on the Reuters or BBC front pages at all. The New York Times only just put it up moments ago, and they’ve buried it. How about other sites?
  • MSNBC: Main imageMSNBC: Main imageIt’s the lead story at MSNBC, complete with a very dramatic photo to top it all off – pretty much the kind of play you’d expect.
  • CNN: Lead story (Breaking news)CNN appears to be pulling out all the stops for this story, asking for reader reaction to go with the photos on the site.

 

  • Washington Post: Lead imageIt seems like it might initially easy to miss, but the story, complete with dramatic photos, is on the front of the site.
  • Google News: Lead itemGoogle’s algorithms put it right up top, with the oil spill and the Afghanistan story. Earlier today, the German festival stampede was up top.

 

  • AOL News: Secondary leadThe site we occasionally freelance for chose to go with stampede at the German festival instead of the flooding as lead, though it’s up there.
  • Fox News: Secondary leadFox News had it on their front page, but it was below the captured NATO soldiers story and tied to other rain-related stories.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink

03 Jul 2010 11:37

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U.S.: Snaps: The Democratic Republic of Congo oil blast, underplayed?

  • We needed a new feature, and we think we have a pretty good one. Basically, we’re going to take a big story and see how it’s being covered on the front page of major news sites. Is it getting underplayed? Overplayed? This time around, We’re tackling the horrific oil tanker blast in Congo, which is new enough that a lot of people haven’t heard about it (it broke in the middle of the night in the U.S.). Otherwise, it’s a slow news day. On the downside, though, the story has no art, which might hurt its play. Let’s compare:
  • BBC: Top of the pageAs might be expected, considering the nature of the very deadly incident, BBC gave it top-of-the-front-page treatment.
  • CNN: Secondary lead storyWhile it was CNN’s top news story for a while (and worthy of an alert), it was replaced by a story about slain cops.

 

  • New York Times: BuriedThe New York Times, on the other hand, didn’t even bother to give it display play, instead putting it in their wire-stories-only slot.
  • Google News: right at the topGoogle News, which chooses its stories by computer algorithms, gave it much nicer coverage, just above Serena Williams.

 

  • MSNBC: Huge headlineMSNBC.com made the story their main news item with a huge headline, while giving Serena Williams art play off to the side.
  • Fox News: BuriedFox News buried the story even further than the New York Times did, preferring instead to lead with Joe Biden’s visit to Iraq.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Apr 2010 16:01

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World: Somali militants think the BBC is evil, knock it off the air

  • BBC is owned by England and it spreads (a) colonial and Christian agenda in the Muslim world. BBC fights Islam … it is against the Islamic administration in Somalia.
  • A message from the al Shabaab militant group • Regarding their cutting off of BBC broadcasts in regions of Somalia controlled by the group. The broadcast service doesn’t have any studios in Somalia but broadcasts its main London feed to local FM stations in the war-torn nation. BBC’s Head of International Relations & Africa Region, Jerry Timmins, was upset about the actions. “We are disappointed in this interference with our broadcasts in Somalia as in the end,” he said, “it is the Somali people who are most affected.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Mar 2010 00:01

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World: The BBC’s budget cuts: 6music barely a blip in the financial picture

  • We cropped on the most important part. Information is Beautiful’s graphic really shows that the cuts that the BBC is making are somewhat unfair (especially considering that the money for the company comes out of licenses on owning TVs). The BBC’s Web presence, while significant, is fairly small in comparison to everything else. And 6music, which is getting many words of morning from British musicians, is by far the smallest piece of the broadcasting pie. Lily Allen’s argument for the station is really well-informed and sweet. She calls the move political, and an attempt to appease Conservative politicians. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Mar 2010 10:13

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Biz: The BBC gets criticized for overreach, then scales back big time

  • 25% the amount the broadcasting company, which is subsidized by the British government, plans to cut its spending over the next few years
  • half of its Web pages will go bye-bye in the shake-up, along with BBC 6 Music, an alternative music radio station, and one other radio station
  • why? the broadcaster got a lot of criticism for moving away from its original purpose and competing with commercial networks source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

18 Feb 2010 10:16

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Culture: Ray Gosling learns that admitting “mercy killing” on TV a bad idea

  • He was arrested today on suspicion of murder charges. BBC host Ray Gosling may regret his profound admission on “Inside Out” (here’s the video), now that he’s in the hands of authorities. Gosling, who admitted on the show to killing a former AIDS-stricken partner, was arrested for the act. “I picked up the pillow and smothered him until he was dead,” he claimed. “The doctor came back and I said ‘He’s gone’. Nothing more was ever said.” Assisted suicide is illegal in the U.K., by the way. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Feb 2010 16:22

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Culture: BBC host Ray Gosling turns his life inside out on “Inside Out”

  • Well, that was a bit unexpected. Ray Gosling, the host of BBC show “Inside Out,” claimed that he killed his very sick AIDS-stricken gay partner on last night’s show. And now police are investigating his claims, which he laid out in great detail. Assisted suicide is illegal in the U.K., by the way. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Sep 2009 10:06

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Offbeat: The importance of pauses: A BBC News reporter reveals too much

  • Poor guy sounds like he’s had an awful personal life, what with the forced male pregnancy and all. He sure looks well-mannered considering. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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