London Live

Even midsize U.S. cities have morning news starting at 4:30 A.M. these days. ARD, ZDF, and Sat.1 in Germany start their morning shows at 5:30 A.M. I have a hard time believing that London, one of the world's most vibrant cities, is sound asleep until 6 A.M.

Regarding some previous posts:

I honestly believe that the "cultural differences" argument is often used as an excuse by those who tend to be overly cautious and conservative when it comes to thinking beyond how things have traditionally been done. In today's globalized world, it's important that, before embarking on any major project, television producers consider what has and hasn't worked in other countries. Of course, that entails adapting other nation's experiences rather than copying them, since national TV markets are fundamentally different, but just saying "We're unique, so this will never work here," strikes me as the lazy way out.

After all, British television executives once believed that morning television wouldn't work in the UK because of "cultural differences," never mind that the Today Show had been hugely popular in the U.S. since the 1950s. It was only when ITV and the BBC actually launched breakfast television that they discovered that Britons were no different from the Americans in this regard.

Even midsize U.S. cities have morning news starting at 4:30 A.M. these days. ARD, ZDF, and Sat.1 in Germany start their morning shows at 5:30 A.M. I have a hard time believing that London, one of the world's most vibrant cities, is sound asleep until 6 A.M.

But why? Is it because Britons inherently prefer the radio medium or is it because British TV channels currently do not provide a breakfast show format appealing enough to capture large audiences? Since the likes of TV-am and The Big Breakfast have been successful in the past, I'm inclined to think it's the latter.

Radio is easier to have on during the morning, you don't need to be in the same room and you can continue to listen while you're on your way in. I don't want to get up an hour earlier to sit and watch the TV before I go to work, but I do want to know what's going on, even after I've left the house.

The radio industry also invests huge sums into their breakfast shows

I would argue that cultural differences are not the deciding factor here.

I don't want to get up an hour earlier to sit and watch the TV before I go to work, but I do want to know what's going on, even after I've left the house.

The "cultural differences" people are talking about are that people in the UK generally don't consider the TV as a medium to consume during the morning.

Well I live in a market with established local news.

And there's the culture difference - nobody in the UK does.

But why don't they? I would argue it's not because of cultural differences, but because they are not offered an attractive enough product.