The Newsroom

GB News

Andrews's Express Article - Page 38 (September 2020)

This site closed in March 2021 and is now a read-only archive
PA
Parker
Once again its a question of the 'star' being bigger than the company. Andrew Neil could have had a new show with the BBC but it didn't have the freedom for what he wanted to do which would be 'Spectator' based.
As to if it will work, who knows, but TV news can be an expensive ideological ego trip for its owners. I hope they have deep pockets.
JO
Jon
What do you mean by it being “‘Spectator’ based”?
MD
mdtauk
Jon posted:
What do you mean by it being “‘Spectator’ based”?

Allowing racists and people of questionable integrity, to create content/columns to be featured in the publication, under the banner of freedom of speech - no matter how offensive it could be to minority groups.
PA
Parker
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/introducing-spectator-tv-with-andrew-neil
:-(
A former member
Good for him that he’s taking a personal preference over essentially a guaranteed salary, but I can’t see this lasting any time at all as an actual TV channel.

If the BBC, Sky & ITN can’t/couldn’t run a channel without it bleeding money, I’m not sure even aiming your channel at a certain demographic is going to perform any differently. There’s possibly room for an online channel (similar to the low budget TalkRadio video setup which does well with said demo on social media) but that’s about it.
Night Thoughts, Jory and Parker gave kudos
:-(
A former member
Times Radio is “right-leaning” but it’s a bit of a jump to suggest that means racists and hate speech are aired. I think people are (as always) equating right-leaning with hard/alt-right, when you could probably say the majority of the population are right-leaning.

FWIW I think the labelling of anyone who’s further to the right than Jeremy Corbyn as fascist / alt-right / hard right has been one of the most damaging things in politics and society over the past decade, and has only served to push people further to the extremes.
TI
tightrope78
There’s a confusion in this thread between people discussing Times Radio, The Spectator and ‘GB News’. They’re all separate things. I haven’t listened to enough of Times Radio to comment and none of us know anything about ‘GB News’ yet. What we do know is that The Spectator gives space to those that write articles in defence of the Katie Hopkins calling migrants ‘cockroaches’ and the like. From being a pretty staid backwater it is now one of the only magazines who’s subs are on the rise. This has been achieved by opening the doors to all sorts of questionable content.

Whilst Brillo was employed by Auntie he had to show a veneer of total impartiality. Of course, he’s only the Chairman of The Spectator do we can’t blame him for its editorial stance. All this is pure conjecture of course on what the future holds for Andrew Neil.
MD
mdtauk
Times Radio is “right-leaning” but it’s a bit of a jump to suggest that means racists and hate speech are aired. I think people are (as always) equating right-leaning with hard/alt-right, when you could probably say the majority of the population are right-leaning.

I have not listened to any Times Radio, but it is certainly Right leaning based on the chosen hosts. If you want right leaning commentary then enjoy. I was talking about The Spectator publishing articles from people who advocate anti-LGBTQ, Islam-sceptic if not outright Islamophobic commentary.


FWIW I think the labelling of anyone who’s further to the right than Jeremy Corbyn as fascist / alt-right / hard right has been one of the most damaging things in politics and society over the past decade, and has only served to push people further to the extremes.

I don't know anyone who has treated Jeremy Corbyn as a centrist on that balance of the political leanings - but people more aligned to Boris Johnson could easily be described as on the harder right wing, if you see John Major as Centre Right, or even Theresa May (not including her obviously right wing views on immigrants.)

I think the biggest mistake people make is believing there is an immovable centre ground in politics, but instead it is a shifting sensibility, and not always in the same direction depending on what area of life you examine. Crime and Justice tends to always tilt further right, but society and equality is currently in a divisive place.

Patriotism is the next battleground IMO, and perhaps the GB in GB News is a telling point.

...Of course, he’s only the Chairman of The Spectator do we can’t blame him for its editorial stance. All this is pure conjecture of course on what the future holds for Andrew Neil.

He has defended The Spectator's editorial policy on twitter profusely, and so I would say its not unfair to assume those sensibilities will make their way to the new channel's output
Ste, Ghost and tightrope78 gave kudos
LL
London Lite Founding member
It'll be interesting to see how this pans out editorially, they could go down the Sky News Australia route of impartial news during the day with opinionated right-wing skewed presenters during prime-time or a 24/7 rolling news format that is similar to RT where they stretch the boundaries of impartiality with stories chosen to pander to their target audience.
CI
cityprod
It'll be interesting to see how this pans out editorially, they could go down the Sky News Australia route of impartial news during the day with opinionated right-wing skewed presenters during prime-time or a 24/7 rolling news format that is similar to RT where they stretch the boundaries of impartiality with stories chosen to pander to their target audience.


I suspect it will a bit of both. The daytime agenda will be "tailored to the profile of the target audience", with right wing hosts during primetime to tell the audience exactly what they should be thinking, with all the subtelty of a brick through a plate glass window.
WO
Worzel

So there seems to be a consensus that it is to be Right leaning, or at least willing to allow Hard Right commentators, and despite the denial of it being a Fox News style channel, that is the fear. Sky News' The Pledge, LBC, and TalkRadio seem to be the template, and looking at Andrew Neil's editorship of the Spectator, he will likely give equal air time to the Right/far Right, as well as the Moderates and the Left/ far left


Fixed two missing words for you. Wink
CI
cityprod

So there seems to be a consensus that it is to be Right leaning, or at least willing to allow Hard Right commentators, and despite the denial of it being a Fox News style channel, that is the fear. Sky News' The Pledge, LBC, and TalkRadio seem to be the template, and looking at Andrew Neil's editorship of the Spectator, he will likely give equal air time to the Right/far Right, as well as the Moderates and the Left/ far left


Fixed two missing words for you. Wink


What far left? There's so little support out there for anything even resembling a "far left", that to all intents and purposes, it doesn't exist anymore.

Newer posts