The Newsroom

BBC News strike

(May 2005)

This site closed in March 2021 and is now a read-only archive
MA
Matrix
Steven Cole posted:
He joked that his ratings success last week was "probably because I'm about 20 years younger than Huw" - even though Edwards is actually five years younger. "I'm the Peter Pan of television," Cole smirked.


Ha!

Steven Cole posted:
My newsagent was terribly excited to see me on the news, as was the cocktail barman at my London club. But I'm not used to the attention in Britain.


Well he's the only one then

Steven Cole posted:
When I go abroad, I get mobbed. It's a joke but in Bangalore, I can't leave the hotel. Hong Kong and Tokyo are difficult, too."


It gets better....

Steven Cole posted:
Not that he got much official praise for his appearance. "You'd have thought the management might have said something but there's been a deafening silence," he said. "So I am still waiting for the offers to flood in."


Ladies and Gentelmen, The ego has landed....
AN
All New Johnnyboy
God, what a load of brown-nosers!

Someone comes onto the forum and makes the completely unsubstantiated claim that Cole is unpopular. Everyone then suddenly agrees with him, as if you're coming out in sympathy for the strikers. You can't put your TVF quotes on your CVs, you know.

The guy presents the news. He gets more viewers than the main presenter. BBC switchboards get calls asking for more. The Daily Mail (detestable piece of **** rag that it is) wants to do an interview with him. He's been working for 15 years to get somewhere with his career.

The minute he's noticed, you brown-nosing idiots start a slag-off thread about him. There's nothing particularly bad or egotistical in that article. Can you find it in your stereotypically media-bitchy hearts to be happy for him?

Pathetic.
AN
Andrew Founding member
All New Johnnyboy posted:
God, what a load of brown-nosers!

Someone comes onto the forum and makes the completely unsubstantiated claim that Cole is unpopular. Everyone then suddenly agrees with him, as if you're coming out in sympathy for the strikers. You can't put your TVF quotes on your CVs, you know.

In a similar fashion...

Last Monday morning at 1am "Who the hell's this bloke? they must be desperate, He looks like he's never been on TV before, very wooden, he doin't know what he is doing..." etc etc

Last Monday at 9.30am "Acktar Khan did really well, can we see him again on BBC News, he should be a regular presenter.."
TV
tvmercia Founding member
All New Johnnyboy posted:
God, what a load of brown-nosers!

Someone comes onto the forum and makes the completely unsubstantiated claim that Cole is unpopular. Everyone then suddenly agrees with him, as if you're coming out in sympathy for the strikers. You can't put your TVF quotes on your CVs, you know.

The guy presents the news. He gets more viewers than the main presenter. BBC switchboards get calls asking for more. The Daily Mail (detestable piece of **** rag that it is) wants to do an interview with him. He's been working for 15 years to get somewhere with his career.

The minute he's noticed, you brown-nosing idiots start a slag-off thread about him. There's nothing particularly bad or egotistical in that article. Can you find it in your stereotypically media-bitchy hearts to be happy for him?

Pathetic.
i think the fact he was a scab dented any respect some people had for him. he was only chosen as a last resort, because the regular newsreaders were on strike about job cuts and government ordered restructuring which threatens the future independence, if not existance of the corporation. i am not saying he should have gone on strike - but it was a bit off for him to offer/agree to cover the shift in question. his "deafening silence" really is just deserts for making a fast buck, whilst his colleagues were fighting for his job and the future of the BBC.

i know you come from a very different background to may of us, running your own company, you may not sympathise with some of the sentiments here - but i do think it'd be unfair to label all of the anti-stephen cole comments as reactionary and daily mail inspired.
SP
Sput
tvmercia posted:
]i think the fact he was a scab dented any respect some people had for him.


In fairness he had little choice. As the article points out, he was not in a union and could have been sacked if he refused to work.
TV
tvmercia Founding member
Sput posted:
tvmercia posted:
]i think the fact he was a scab dented any respect some people had for him.


In fairness he had little choice. As the article points out, he was not in a union and could have been sacked if he refused to work.
he stepped down from newsreading duties at bbc world, he is the presenter of click online - so i very much doubt there was a contractual obligation.
AS
Aston
Sput posted:
tvmercia posted:
]i think the fact he was a scab dented any respect some people had for him.


In fairness he had little choice. As the article points out, he was not in a union and could have been sacked if he refused to work.


That isn't strictly true. As I understand it, UK employers cannot sack staff members who aren't in a union for not coming into work for the first 12 weeks of industrial action.
NG
noggin Founding member
Sput posted:
tvmercia posted:
]i think the fact he was a scab dented any respect some people had for him.


In fairness he had little choice. As the article points out, he was not in a union and could have been sacked if he refused to work.


He is a freelance presenter - who now only presents Click OnLine, and occasional BBC News 24 shifts. He hasn't been a regular BBC World presenter for a while, and I very much doubt he would have been in breach of any contract for not presenting a peak-time News 24 shift on a Monday.

I very much doubt whether he could have been sacked because he is not on the BBC staff in the first place. Whether he is in a union or not he could have refused to fill the shift - as almost every other regular, and non-regular, staff or freelance BBC News presenter must have done before he was asked... He chose to cover the shift, which he is entirely entitled to do, but to suggest he would have been sacked otherwise is incorrect.

It is also worth remembering that some people's opinions on this board may have been formed through direct contact with said presenter...

Of course with a newspaper article you never know how much was actually said, and how much "inferred" by the reporter...

The snide comments about "homelier Huw" were a bit below the belt though - as were the age comments.

Don't think Mr Cole is likely to be asked to commentate on any major state occasions in the near future...
LU
Luke
noggin posted:
It is also worth remembering that some people's opinions on this board may have been formed through direct contact with said presenter...


only one poster. A few others have decided to take this as gospel and a way of slaughtering the bloke.
MA
Matrix
Luke posted:
noggin posted:
It is also worth remembering that some people's opinions on this board may have been formed through direct contact with said presenter...


only one poster. A few others have decided to take this as gospel and a way of slaughtering the bloke.


You seem to assume that there can't already be Steven Flaming Cole dislikers already, the mans a bloody menance; His stlye of presenting is abrupt and flankly rude, He seems unable to carry a sentence without wobling his head and was a terrible reporter and presenter throughtout his time in media.
Now this is my own opinion and I recent having someone tell me I need someone elses to somehow validate it.
DO
Dog
Matrix posted:
Steven Cole posted:
When I go abroad, I get mobbed. It's a joke but in Bangalore, I can't leave the hotel. Hong Kong and Tokyo are difficult, too."


Though it might sound unbelievable, the major BBC World faces ARE big names in some parts of the world, and DO get recognised a lot when abroad.
MA
Marcus Founding member
Sput posted:
tvmercia posted:
]i think the fact he was a scab dented any respect some people had for him.


In fairness he had little choice. As the article points out, he was not in a union and could have been sacked if he refused to work.


Of course he had a choice. He is not contacted to the BBC. He has even less reason to come in that those contacted for the shifts.


The only reason he came in was to try to make a name for himself and to boost his sense of self importance. Not that it needed boosting. Mobed in Bangalore. Ha Ha. The odd person may ask for his autograph. The very odd person.

And as for the bit about deciding to give up presenting as there were no more big stories to do. His contract was not renewed because he always looks so fed up on air.

Luke posted:
noggin posted:
It is also worth remembering that some people's opinions on this board may have been formed through direct contact with said presenter...


only one poster. A few others have decided to take this as gospel and a way of slaughtering the bloke.


There are many on this forum who have worked with the man

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