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BBC1 to drop Saturday morning kids TV

(December 2005)

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CW
Charlie Wells Moderator
Taken from Media Guardian...
http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,7493,1671544,00.html

Quote:
BBC1 drops Saturday kids' TV

Jason Deans
Wednesday December 21, 2005

Dick and Dom in da Bungalow
Dick and Dom: Saturday morning kids' shows could be moving to BBC2 permanently

The BBC is planning to shift Saturday morning children's TV away from BBC1, ending a 30-year broadcasting tradition stretching back to Multicoloured Swap Shop in the 70s.

From Saturday January 7, BBC1's morning line-up, including Dick & Dom in da Bungalow and Top of the Pops Reloaded, will switch to BBC2 between 6am and noon.

The Saturday morning BBC2 schedule, including Breakfast, Weekend 24 and Saturday Kitchen, will move the other way.

If the three-month trial switch of the BBC1 and BBC2 Saturday morning schedules is deemed a success, it will become permanent, a BBC spokeswoman said.

"We are going to be moving Saturday morning children's programmes to BBC2 from January, with a view to it becoming a permanent move if ratings remain robust," she said. "If it has a negative impact on children's ratings, we will think again."

She said the move was happening because several times this year, when there had been a big breaking news story or event, BBC1's Saturday morning kids' schedule had been displaced by rolling live coverage.

This had happened for events including the Pope's funeral, the royal wedding, in the aftermath of the July 7 bombings and in future might also occur during major sporting competitions such as next summer's football World Cup.

"It has happened five or six times in the last year. What we are attempting to do is find a permanent home for children's programmes on Saturday morning," the spokeswoman said.

She denied the move was anything to do with trying to shore up BBC2's audience share - the BBC2 Saturday morning line-up gets bigger audiences than kids' programming on BBC1.

However, if the three-month trial next year becomes permanent, it will end a near 30-year tradition of children's programming on BBC1 on Saturday mornings, going back to the launch of Multicoloured Swap Shop in 1976.

In 1982, Noel Edmonds' Swap Shop gave way to Saturday Superstore, presented by another Radio 1 DJ, Mike Read.

Going Live began broadcasting three years later, with Sarah Greene kept on from Saturday Superstore and promoted to main co-presenter, alongside Philip Schofield.

This show lasted eight years, giving way to Live and Kicking, fronted by Andi Peters and former Going Live cook Emma Forbes, and Fully Booked in the summer months.

In the late 90s, BBC1 lost its Saturday morning kids' TV ratings crown to rival ITV show SM:TV Live, fronted by Ant and Dec and Cat Deeley.

Live and Kicking was axed in 2001, to be replaced by the Saturday Show, presented by Dani Behr and Joe Mace.

BBC1 once again became the most popular Saturday morning destination for young viewers from late 2003, with the arrival of Dick and Dom in da Bungalow.


Interesting to see the BBC taking this decision. I suppose with also having the CBBC Channel they see less need to also have it on BBC 1.
VM
VMPhil
Well, it's gonna be permenant since kids just watch the show, no-matter what channel it's on.

It's gonna stay there.
ST
stevek
they will probaby shift all cbbc to bbc2 eventually which would probably make sense as children would rather watch dic & dom than news reports.

the quoted report got the date wrong for saturday superstore, it ran for 5 year between 1982 and 1987
BR
Brekkie
End of an era I suppose!

Pathetic excuse though - it's very rare that coverage is moved, and when it is there is no reason why they couldn't screen the news event on BBC2.

Of all events this year only the Pope probably warranted BBC1 coverage.
AS
Aston
stevek posted:
they will probaby shift all cbbc to bbc2 eventually


BBC One still has a commitment to a certain number of Chilren's hours every year.

This is very much being seen as a test more than anything.
ST
Stuart
Aston posted:
stevek posted:
they will probaby shift all cbbc to bbc2 eventually


BBC One still has a commitment to a certain number of Chilren's hours every year. This is very much being seen as a test more than anything.


I imagine this is more to boost BBC ONE's ratings, the report states that the current BBC TWO programmes have better viewing figures on Saturday mornings.

I don't see why BBC ONE has a commitment to a certain number of Brat's programming. Everyone has access to BBC TWO even if they only have analogue TV, so surely this must be an antiquated rule stemming from 40+ years ago when there was the UHF/VHF split between the BBC channels and some people couldn't get both.

Post analogue switch-off ALL programming for children should move to CBBC or CBeebies and free up the main 4 channels for their designated audiences. After all, there isn't an allocation for "adult" viewing on either of these channels.

I admit, it's the end of an era though, but it was bound to happen sooner rather than later Confused
AB
aberdeenboy
Aston's half right....

In its Statement of Promises the BBC does indeed give a commitment to show a certain number of hours of children's programmes on BBC1.

However this is simply the BBC's public commitment - if it fails to live up to an individual promise, there won't necessarily be any consequences. However ITV's licences to broadcast OBLIGE it to show a certain amount of children's tv. If it failed to meet this target, there could be real trouble - or even a fine from Ofcom.

Yes, it's the end of an era. But I don't see the problem with moving Saturday morning kids' tv to BBC2 as long as it's still properly resourced and promoted. It gives consistency to the early morning across the week. Swap Shop and its immediate successors had a profile far greater than any of the current Saturday morning shows and, indeed, got adult viewers in the days when the only alternative to children's tv was the OU. Hardly the case now!

Usually you hear concerns about plots to move serious programmes off the main channel and put them onto 2! It's a bit of a novelty to hear people arguing about something moving the other way!! Smile
SA
saturdaymorning
At least they're not going from the BBC altogether! ITV1 would be pleased though Very Happy
ST
Stuart
saturdaymorning posted:
At least they're not going from the BBC altogether! ITV1 would be pleased though Very Happy


I don't think the BBC have ever indicated that they intend to reduce their commitment to Childrens' programming. The simple fact that 2 of their 8 channels are specifically for that genre is evidence enough.

Plenty of material is also available between 7-8pm as well for "family" oriented entertainment across both BBC1 and ITV1 every evening. So I think the target audience is well catered for.

I think ITV's commitment is as genuine (to an extent) in their disposal of ITVNC in favour of CITV (from 14 February 2006).

Both broadcasters appear to be moving the same way.......a reorganisation to create more distinctive channels in preperation for the start of analogue switch-off and the start of a truly digital TV environment.
aberdeenboy posted:
Usually you hear concerns about plots to move serious programmes off the main channel and put them onto 2! It's a bit of a novelty to hear people arguing about something moving the other way!!

I see the point in being consistent. I do like watching Breakfast (as I do every weekday from 6-7am) and got annoyed when they switched it sometimes between BBC ONE and TWO at weekends. Do they currently have a permanent place for Sat/Sun on TWO (until next month, I mean) Confused:
GC
Generic Chainsaw
I'm not sure what to make of it yet. At least it is for a trial period initially. I think that if it doesn't take off, then they won't hesitate in changing it all back. It'll be interesting to see what happens as I have been led to believe that the current series of Dick & Dom is going to be the last (is that true?).

No matter what happens, I think the bottom has started to fall out of traditional saturday morning kids TV, as they are constantly chopping and changing stuff to try and keep each format fresh, usually several times per year, wheras it only used to be once or twice per year. If a series was subject to several changes in one year, it would usually only last for that one series (or even less), now they just try and keep series alive as long as possible, even if it's on a slide and I do think this series of Dick & Dom has started to prove that in parts.
NW
nwtv2003
I am glad to see the BBC doing this, even though they did an experiment sometime in 2004 over the Summer months. I am glad also as I think it is silly in this day and age that Kids programmes are all over the place on the BBC, other than Weekday afternoons Kids programmes are on BBC2 pratically all of the time now, wouldn't it just make sense to refocus and take the RTÉ approach by having more time and more space and less confusion to have all Kids output on one channel? Plus next year you're going to get the Winter Olympics, World Cup and Wimbledon which is likely to see Kids programmes on BBC2 most of the time anyway.
TV
tvarksouthwest
Quote:
Interesting to see the BBC taking this decision. I suppose with also having the CBBC Channel they see less need to also have it on BBC 1.

While the CBBC Channel remains DOGged there's every need to have it on either 1 or 2.

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