BBC3 wants to extend it's hours

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/article/ds23847.html

Stuart Murphy wants an extra 7 hours - thinking pre-watershed drama is a really possibility for BBC3.

It also looks like the 7pm News bulletin only remains as it's mandatory!


NOOOOO!!!!! is my response to this.

It's not possible at the moment any way due to time-sharing with CBBC - but BBC3's schedule is bad enough as it is without another seven hours to fill.

If they want pre-watershed drama there are plenty of opportunities in the 8-9pm slot - it just means less Little Angels / Trauma!


As for after 9pm - well it's virtually all repeats anyway (of BBC3 programming) - there isn't much more than an hours original programming a day.


As for the news - it is a good programme (though not as good as it used to be!) - but 7pm has always been the wrong slot.

I think a 15-minute 11pm bulletin is far more suitable for the BBC3 audience - and it is something other stations don't offer.

I've said before BBC3 should take on the "Newsbeat" brand, with bulletins on Radio 1 during the day and BBC3 during the evening!

Yeah, the culture secretary would only grant permission for BBC Three to launch if there was a thirty minute news programme.

BBC Three is already pissin' awful. If they want to increase the hours, they're more than welcome to. They can hardly make it worse.

I don't see how they could yet as they time-share with the CBBC Channel which STARTS at 7am!
They would have to buy an extrra slot if they wanted to which, IMO, would be a waste of money as they haven't got enough quality shows to fill up the current times. I feel more repeats of Little Britain and Two Pints coming on

LoveTV

Perhaps if BBC 3 was filling their current slot with quality programmes I wouldn't have a problem but if current performance is anything to go by, well you get the idea.

IMO a major shake up is needed, and maybe extenting its hours will do this but I seriously doubt it. It just seems to have lost it way.

Now there's two BBC Three shows that can't possibly be shown before the watershed, and definitely not before 7pm!

Daily Mail readers and The Mary Whitehouse Brigade (MediaWatch UK) would choke on their tea and scones!

Sounds a very good reason for BBC3 to go for it then!

BBC3 is for the most part dire.

If they were to expand BBC4's hours to that of its predecessor BBC Knowledge, that would make me happy.

That sounds a better idea. Allow BBC Four to expand its hours, theres some cracking great Docs and Drama, not to mention Films on there but scheduling and time restrictions are a major pain in the arse.

But if Mr BBC3's comments are to be taken seriously when the word "ambition" is used its bound to mean "protentially". How would it work on Freeview for example? Scrap the highly praised Childrens channel? Or lose an Interactive stream or, God Forbid, Scrap News Multiscreen... Or have to pay for additional space on their Mux. And this is just freeview.
Would be nice, but I seriously doubt this will ever bloom. *cough* BBC 3 - Interactive *cough*

On the contary to most of your opinions I think this is exactly what the channel needs, if anything it is too small an idea.

BBC 3 & 4, need to go 24 hours, to get the respect and stature they should have as channels from a major broadcaster.

With ITV & C4 both branching out in extra channels, for the BBC's to timeshare seems ridiculous.

If they could both go 24 hours, and hopefully loose a few restrictions they could genuinely support 1 & 2, with repeats and extra programmes.

As for the space required on Freeview, CBBC could be scrapped with some programmes moving onto BBC 3 [although i'd prefer it not be be branded as CBBC), and somehow find the space for CBeebies.

Yeah, I agree. CBeebies clearly the better of the two kids channels and should definately stay but CBBC for what I've seen is also dire and could easily be ditched.

I personally think that BBC3 ought to stay as it is - it is nothing more than a channel full of repeats of programmes that once you've seen them once you don't want to keep on seeing week in week out, which is what they're essentially doing now. If I see that job swap program featuring the cocky husband hairdresser and the mother who likes to stay in bed 'till late, I shall scream!

The moment any repeat appears on screen that I have seen at least twice is the cue for me to dive for the remote and change channel or indeed, switch off the TV - I don't wanna see this crap for the umpteenth time!

Then again, which digital channel does not clog up its schedule with repeats?