Tuesday, 17 May 2011
DON'T FORGET!
To AS Media Studies classes. We're all meeting up in room G104 at 1 p.m. Exam starts at 2 so we need to be in the rooms in plenty of time.
Monday, 9 May 2011
X-FACTOR
The X Factor: can the UK survive without Cheryl Cole?
As Simon Cowell confirms the Geordie lass is to join him in the US, will the singing show go the way of Britain's Got Talent?
Cheryl Cole confirmed as US X Factor judge
Poll: Will Cheryl Cole be a US success?
Finally it has been confirmed that Cheryl Cole, the formerly punchy but now ever-so-ladylike doyenne of British showbiz, is shipping out to Los Angeles to take her place on the US X Factor judging panel. After months of stories speculating on her suitability for the job, she is finally packing her Vuitton mega-trunks to sit at Simon Cowell's right hand, dishing out encouragement and verbal beatings in equal measure while gold bars are regularly delivered to her dressing room. She's made it.
But what will oor Cheryl bring to the US version of the show – and what does this mean for UK audiences who hang on each no-nonsense Geordie pronouncement; every flash of that entrancing dimple? And will the Americans understand her accent, because apparently some of her L'Oréal adverts have confused them a bit.
As a TV personality (let's put her music career aside for the moment) Cheryl's good qualities are many. She is incredibly, incredibly pretty. Pretty people can have any job they want as long as it's not as a vascular surgeon. She can cry at the drop of a hat without smudging her makeup. Gazing mesmerised at her delicate features gently leaking tears on to the desk, you forget she's a bit rough round the edges. She's one of those weeping angels from Doctor Who. While you're looking at her lovely face, everything is OK.
She has effectively been handed a gold ticket by Simon Cowell. A man who himself doesn't seem to know that much about music can sprinkle his stardust on practically anyone – Piers Morgan for god's sake – and they are instantly granted a licence to criticise, laugh at and belittle fellow members of the human race. And now Cheryl can do it on both sides of the Atlantic.
But will she bother with crappy old England now she's destined for Hollywood? When Dancing with the Stars took off in the US, Strictly judges Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli spent a fortune on transatlantic flights so they could appear on both shows at the same time. But something tells me Cheryl can't wait to be rid of this tired little country.
Where does that leave us? Witness if you will the latest incarnation of Britain's Got Talent. Michael McIntyre, Amanda Holden and David Hasselhoff are spray-tanned rats, clinging to a sinking ship. None of these shows have much of a shelf life without Cowell. Lord knows how but he's attained some sort of superpower which none of the other judges have and, without him, they have as much clout as Nick Clegg at a Tory party conference.
If the British X Factor carries on without Cowell and Cole, we'll be left with Dannii Minogue trying not to look utterly insulted that the US invitation was never proffered to her, Louis Walsh looking as happy as ever, unaware that anything is actually going on, and who? Sharon Osbourne? Pete Waterman? Dannii and Louis are set dressing. Who will scare the contestants and leave them gibbering with grateful awe now? And which one of the Saturdays will be groomed to take Cheryl's place? I think even the most ardent X Factor fan will find it hard to care.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
As Simon Cowell confirms the Geordie lass is to join him in the US, will the singing show go the way of Britain's Got Talent?
Cheryl Cole confirmed as US X Factor judge
Poll: Will Cheryl Cole be a US success?
Finally it has been confirmed that Cheryl Cole, the formerly punchy but now ever-so-ladylike doyenne of British showbiz, is shipping out to Los Angeles to take her place on the US X Factor judging panel. After months of stories speculating on her suitability for the job, she is finally packing her Vuitton mega-trunks to sit at Simon Cowell's right hand, dishing out encouragement and verbal beatings in equal measure while gold bars are regularly delivered to her dressing room. She's made it.
But what will oor Cheryl bring to the US version of the show – and what does this mean for UK audiences who hang on each no-nonsense Geordie pronouncement; every flash of that entrancing dimple? And will the Americans understand her accent, because apparently some of her L'Oréal adverts have confused them a bit.
As a TV personality (let's put her music career aside for the moment) Cheryl's good qualities are many. She is incredibly, incredibly pretty. Pretty people can have any job they want as long as it's not as a vascular surgeon. She can cry at the drop of a hat without smudging her makeup. Gazing mesmerised at her delicate features gently leaking tears on to the desk, you forget she's a bit rough round the edges. She's one of those weeping angels from Doctor Who. While you're looking at her lovely face, everything is OK.
She has effectively been handed a gold ticket by Simon Cowell. A man who himself doesn't seem to know that much about music can sprinkle his stardust on practically anyone – Piers Morgan for god's sake – and they are instantly granted a licence to criticise, laugh at and belittle fellow members of the human race. And now Cheryl can do it on both sides of the Atlantic.
But will she bother with crappy old England now she's destined for Hollywood? When Dancing with the Stars took off in the US, Strictly judges Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli spent a fortune on transatlantic flights so they could appear on both shows at the same time. But something tells me Cheryl can't wait to be rid of this tired little country.
Where does that leave us? Witness if you will the latest incarnation of Britain's Got Talent. Michael McIntyre, Amanda Holden and David Hasselhoff are spray-tanned rats, clinging to a sinking ship. None of these shows have much of a shelf life without Cowell. Lord knows how but he's attained some sort of superpower which none of the other judges have and, without him, they have as much clout as Nick Clegg at a Tory party conference.
If the British X Factor carries on without Cowell and Cole, we'll be left with Dannii Minogue trying not to look utterly insulted that the US invitation was never proffered to her, Louis Walsh looking as happy as ever, unaware that anything is actually going on, and who? Sharon Osbourne? Pete Waterman? Dannii and Louis are set dressing. Who will scare the contestants and leave them gibbering with grateful awe now? And which one of the Saturdays will be groomed to take Cheryl's place? I think even the most ardent X Factor fan will find it hard to care.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
DECLINE IN ITV REVENUES
ITV expected to report first decline in ad revenues for 18 months
ITV advertising revenues in May and June expected to have dropped by 7% and 20% respectively – the first fall since November 2009
Some analysts question whether ITV chief Adam Crozier has used his first year wisely to build for the future. Photograph Justin Williams/ Rex Features
Mark Sweney
The Guardian, Sun 8 May 2011 18.09 BST
Adam Crozier's first year at ITV has had something of an extended honeymoon feel to it thanks to the remarkable recovery in the TV advertising market. However, reality will bite on Wednesday when he announces that the broadcaster is set to report its first fall in ad revenue in 18 months.
Crozier revealed bumper results for 2010 in March, fuelled almost entirely by an outstanding market-beating TV ad sales performance: up 16% year-on-year. ITV's share price flourished this year, reaching four-year highs and it returned to the blue-chip firms of the FTSE 100 this spring – ITV had dropped out in 2008 with losses of £2.7bn.
However, ITV's trading update on Wednesday this week will not be so rosy. The first quarter is expected to look healthy, with TV ad revenues likely to be up about 12% year-on-year and April up about 6%. But May and June are likely to be down at least 7% and 20% respectively – ITV's first revenue fall since November 2009 .
The market has responded warily to reports of a tough summer with ITV's share price falling 25%, to about 72p, since the after-glow of ITV's bumper results pushed it to a three-year high of 95p. Nevertheless, UBS analyst Tamsin Garrity believes that last year's World Cup was going to be a tough act to follow. "What did anyone expect after TV advertising last June leapt more than 40% during the World Cup, an amazing feat by the sales team," she said. She pointed to a string of "catalyst-rich" positives including wiping out net debt, improving the credit rating and pension deficit position, the possible removal of advertising regulations governing ITV1 and next year's London Olympics for why the stock is well underpriced.
But before 2012 arrives, 2011 has to be endured. ITV has to contend with Simon Cowell's almost complete absence from Britain's Got Talent and, far more importantly, this year's X Factor. Viewing of this year's Got Talent is down 10% year-on-year, how much of this is due to the run of bank holidays and fine weather is not yet clear, a worrying erosion of audience but not enough to damage ITV's financial figures.
The recovery in TV advertising has given Crozier the breathing space to implement his five-year turnaround plan, space his embattled predecessors would have dearly loved, yet there is little evidence to date of a masterplan to fix ITV's fundamental problems. ITV remains reliant on cyclical TV advertising. The drive to establish a meaningful digital presence seems as distant as ever with online revenues last year an anaemic £28m of the total £1.77bn netted by the broadcasting and digital division. And ITV Studios, the maker of shows including Coronation Street and Come Dine With Me, went into reverse with revenues down 12.5% and earnings falling by 11%.
Crozier has made much of the need to revitalise the operation, pointing out that the division has not created a global entertainment hit since Dancing on Ice in 2006, and has bought in new talent and earmarked £12m to boost pilot projects. Yet there are those that want something more substantial, such as splashing some of ITV's £1bn cash pile on an acquisition of a production company. However, the chief executive has not warmed to the notion of snapping up All3Media, the heftily price-tagged maker of shows such as Skins and Shameless, and some believe he may look to make a number of smaller acquisitions or invest in a range of producers internationally.
The lack of progress, though, has left analysts with nagging doubts. "The slowdown is likely to shift the focus back to longer term structural pressures with upside increasingly contingent on management's ability to deliver its turnaround strategy," said Daniel Kerven, of Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Crozier has had time to play with since he arrived, but the question is whether he has used his first year wisely to build for the future.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
ITV advertising revenues in May and June expected to have dropped by 7% and 20% respectively – the first fall since November 2009
Some analysts question whether ITV chief Adam Crozier has used his first year wisely to build for the future. Photograph Justin Williams/ Rex Features
Mark Sweney
The Guardian, Sun 8 May 2011 18.09 BST
Adam Crozier's first year at ITV has had something of an extended honeymoon feel to it thanks to the remarkable recovery in the TV advertising market. However, reality will bite on Wednesday when he announces that the broadcaster is set to report its first fall in ad revenue in 18 months.
Crozier revealed bumper results for 2010 in March, fuelled almost entirely by an outstanding market-beating TV ad sales performance: up 16% year-on-year. ITV's share price flourished this year, reaching four-year highs and it returned to the blue-chip firms of the FTSE 100 this spring – ITV had dropped out in 2008 with losses of £2.7bn.
However, ITV's trading update on Wednesday this week will not be so rosy. The first quarter is expected to look healthy, with TV ad revenues likely to be up about 12% year-on-year and April up about 6%. But May and June are likely to be down at least 7% and 20% respectively – ITV's first revenue fall since November 2009 .
The market has responded warily to reports of a tough summer with ITV's share price falling 25%, to about 72p, since the after-glow of ITV's bumper results pushed it to a three-year high of 95p. Nevertheless, UBS analyst Tamsin Garrity believes that last year's World Cup was going to be a tough act to follow. "What did anyone expect after TV advertising last June leapt more than 40% during the World Cup, an amazing feat by the sales team," she said. She pointed to a string of "catalyst-rich" positives including wiping out net debt, improving the credit rating and pension deficit position, the possible removal of advertising regulations governing ITV1 and next year's London Olympics for why the stock is well underpriced.
But before 2012 arrives, 2011 has to be endured. ITV has to contend with Simon Cowell's almost complete absence from Britain's Got Talent and, far more importantly, this year's X Factor. Viewing of this year's Got Talent is down 10% year-on-year, how much of this is due to the run of bank holidays and fine weather is not yet clear, a worrying erosion of audience but not enough to damage ITV's financial figures.
The recovery in TV advertising has given Crozier the breathing space to implement his five-year turnaround plan, space his embattled predecessors would have dearly loved, yet there is little evidence to date of a masterplan to fix ITV's fundamental problems. ITV remains reliant on cyclical TV advertising. The drive to establish a meaningful digital presence seems as distant as ever with online revenues last year an anaemic £28m of the total £1.77bn netted by the broadcasting and digital division. And ITV Studios, the maker of shows including Coronation Street and Come Dine With Me, went into reverse with revenues down 12.5% and earnings falling by 11%.
Crozier has made much of the need to revitalise the operation, pointing out that the division has not created a global entertainment hit since Dancing on Ice in 2006, and has bought in new talent and earmarked £12m to boost pilot projects. Yet there are those that want something more substantial, such as splashing some of ITV's £1bn cash pile on an acquisition of a production company. However, the chief executive has not warmed to the notion of snapping up All3Media, the heftily price-tagged maker of shows such as Skins and Shameless, and some believe he may look to make a number of smaller acquisitions or invest in a range of producers internationally.
The lack of progress, though, has left analysts with nagging doubts. "The slowdown is likely to shift the focus back to longer term structural pressures with upside increasingly contingent on management's ability to deliver its turnaround strategy," said Daniel Kerven, of Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Crozier has had time to play with since he arrived, but the question is whether he has used his first year wisely to build for the future.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
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