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C4 wants to replace Sky News as 2015 election debate host

C4 arguing it should take over from Sky News in the roster (January 2013)

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BP
Bob Paisley
A couple more points:

1. Why should the BBC have an automatic entitlement to a debate in every election cycle? They don't produce every Queen's Christmas Speech for example. It's on a rota. Why shouldn't election debates be on a rota? Sky News didn't demand exclusivity for their debate last time, so the BBC would still get to air at least one debate. If they simulcast it on BBC1 or BBC2 then the ratings/reach will still be very high.


They are the state broadcaster and the organisation with the biggest commitment to news and current affairs. It seems slightly mad to imagine the BBC wouldn't get a debate.
MA
Markymark
Remember in 2010 the digital switchover hadn't been completed and Sky News wasn't universially available


It's still not, it's on a COM DTT mux, and therefore only available (on DTT) to 90% of the population.

BBC, ITV, and C4 are available to 98-99%
JO
Jon
Jon posted:
I don't understand the great need to alternate the Queen's Speech between BBC/ITN/SKY. Over complicates things in my opinion.

For you maybe, not the broadcasters in question I suspect.


Couldn't give a toss what they think.

Well what you think is hardly the point. I don't know how it 'overcomplicates' things for you or any other viewer.
JC
JCB
Channel 4 throwing their toys out of the pram because Sky have a TV debate and they don't sums up everything that is wrong with the channel these days.
AJ
AJ
I don't see why Sky should lose out to Channel 4 to be honest. If they're using the PSB argument, then what about Channel 5 in that case (although a debate on there would probably be laughable).

An audience of 2 million is good for Sky News as far as I'm aware, and you have to remember that at the point of the last debate, DSO hadn't kicked in properly.

Don't see why a Sky News / C4 co-production couldn't work though?
SJ
sjhoward
This was a case in point in 2007 - if people 'voted' for Tony Blair in 2005 because of personality they were duped in 2007 when Gordon Brown was elected Labour leader and thus Prime Minister. That was perfectly permissible under our system because we elected the party to office, not the person. Yet many went ballistic about how he was 'unelected', which was utter nonsense.


Just being pedantic and geeky here, but the same could be said of the US electorate who voted for Nixon as President and Agnew as VP in 1969, yet ended up with Gerald Ford as President without an intervening election - although, clearly, that's much more an edge-case scenario.
RI
Rijowhi
And forgetting that C4 is supposed to be the alternative PSB broadcaster, not doing what the BBC and ITV are doing.


Exactly, they are suppose to provide an alternative. Leave the debates of the main Political players to the BBC, ITV and Sky News. I think Channel 4 should be looking at providing a debate for the smaller players such as Greens, English Democrats, BNP (ugh) etc (think UKIP will be on the main debate this time). It would give a chance for the smaller players to have a say.
BA
bilky asko
Quote:
The public service remit for Channel 4 is the provision of a broad range of high quality and diverse programming which, in particular:
  • demonstrates innovation, experiment and creativity in the form and content of programmes;
  • appeals to the tastes and interests of a culturally diverse society;
  • makes a significant contribution to meeting the need for the licensed public service channels to include programmes of an educational nature and other programmes of educative value; and
  • exhibits a distinctive character.
I think being one of the broadcasters of the debates would easily fulfil the third requirement of having educative value. Having Jon Snow present helps stamp their character on the debate.

In any case, a public service broadcaster going beyond their particular remit isn't exactly unheard of.
LJ
Live at five with Jeremy
Although David Cameron has said he will take part in the debates (with hesitation) I can see a major stumbling block coming down the road regarding UKIP which may lead to having no debates. Im sure all three leaders Ed, Dave and Nick are very worried about the emergence of UKIP and having them involved in the debates which would be foreseeable given recent polls would give them a huge platform and as a result I believe eat significantly into The Conservative vote and less significantly into the two other establishment parties. So I wouldn't rule out NO debates taking place in two years time.
BR
Brekkie
Quote:
The public service remit for Channel 4 is the provision of a broad range of high quality and diverse programming which, in particular:
  • demonstrates innovation, experiment and creativity in the form and content of programmes;
  • appeals to the tastes and interests of a culturally diverse society;
  • makes a significant contribution to meeting the need for the licensed public service channels to include programmes of an educational nature and other programmes of educative value; and
  • exhibits a distinctive character.
I think being one of the broadcasters of the debates would easily fulfil the third requirement of having educative value. Having Jon Snow present helps stamp their character on the debate.

In any case, a public service broadcaster going beyond their particular remit isn't exactly unheard of.

Since when has anything said by politicians educated those watching?
DK
DanielK
Stupid question, could they not just come up with a 4th thing to debate about? Or have three set subject debates and a viewer question debate?
BA
bilky asko
Quote:
The public service remit for Channel 4 is the provision of a broad range of high quality and diverse programming which, in particular:
  • demonstrates innovation, experiment and creativity in the form and content of programmes;
  • appeals to the tastes and interests of a culturally diverse society;
  • makes a significant contribution to meeting the need for the licensed public service channels to include programmes of an educational nature and other programmes of educative value; and
  • exhibits a distinctive character.
I think being one of the broadcasters of the debates would easily fulfil the third requirement of having educative value. Having Jon Snow present helps stamp their character on the debate.

In any case, a public service broadcaster going beyond their particular remit isn't exactly unheard of.

Since when has anything said by politicians educated those watching?

I don't think your jab at politicians exactly nullifies my point.

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