CiTV & Ministry of Mayhem thread

I too am sick of this txt-speak on children's television. Nickelodeon started it and now everybody else is doing the same.

What's so wrong with "Next" and "Later"? I actually believe that most kids would rather see the full words on television, and leave the txt-speak for their mobile phones and instant messages.

In regards to out-of-vision presentation, I'd actually prefer this to the pathetic in-vision links we've been getting in recent years (since 2001/2). Am I the only person here who liked the 1993-1998 out-of-vision era?

Interesting, yet not so.
The start up ident (same as yesturday) was rubbish, as they have been since january.

The tots song was not in the same league as the last two that have been running.

Dora the Explorer takes up a lot of room, but then again, they are blatently filling with little finger tips mini makes and two grizzly tales.

I don't like the NXT and L8R things, it's a horrible font, and horrible simple graphics.
They could have been better, and livier.

The voice over man is the only good thing as he's got a good voice on him.

I had to go through the 93-98 look, so I had to like it.
But that was executed so well in the form of the CiTV town.
Compared to this present state ITV1 links into childrens programmes would be better.

And yet Charles Allen has hinted that he still wants to launch a childrens channel.
Hasn't he seen what he's done to CiTV already?
Save CiTV on 1, set up a CiTV 2 again, test the audience for extra childrens programmes instead of going in willy nilly spending money and then going bust again!

I get your point about the past year really since it's deteriorated, I'm not sure why, whether it has been the presenters. They are both good presenters, but with bland graphics and a white set, and Andy being calm, it was too little!

I still don't like the idea of them going backwards.

maybe one day it will build up again for the next generation of kids!

For anybody who came in late, Charles Allen is bleating on now about how he wants to take on the BBC tooth and nail by launching up to five new ITV channels (including a kids channel) over the next five years in addition to ITV1, ITV2 and the upcoming ITV3 (who's mandate seems to have changed, now to air stuff that's only up to five years old). Details at Media Guardian (registered users).

As as has already been stated much earlier in this thread, there's sod all programming to pad out a CiTV Channel/ITV Kids channel for twelve hours a day without turning it into a clone of Nickelodeon and importing stuff from everywhere. There also, considering recent days, seems to be little in the way of any money for the main service let alone spinning it off onto its own channel.

I notice we're back onto schedule propping up again in the guise of My Parents Are Aliens and I don't think much of the rest of the schedule either. What was that garbage on air last week, Potatoes & Dragons all about?

Here's something that I just can't understand: why are children's channels (and other channels for that matter) so stubborn when it comes to showing repeats of more than a select few old programs? Repeats of programs such as Knightmare and Mike and Angelo are in high demand, and would surely gain large viewing figures (which would please advertisers and shareholders), so what's the logic in not obliging?

I'm suprised we let it gopast, but last Sunday would have been SM:TVs 6th birthday!

Note the words WOULD HAVE BEEN.

Well, I watched the links on CiTV today, and it gets my official Seal of Crapness. Simply because:

The startup sting is too brief and dull, and the sound effect played over it is awful
There is no next/later slide for Little CiTV
The lack of proper links (even by out-of-vision standards, there aren't many) makes the whole show feel disjointed
The nxt/l8r slide uses stupid txt speak, and is graphically cheap and nasty (and the background music is the studio background music from earlier this year)
There are no new idents other than the new Little CiTV startup (which I actually like, as it reminds me of the one used during the 93-98 era)
They are still using the musicless stings from earlier this year, which all look like tacky break-bumpers
The trailer endboards are ugly, and look like they were made in Microsoft Paint
There are too many trailers and not enough out-of-vision link time
The competitions look like something off a cheap shopping channel

That's all I can think of for now, but it all adds up to a really poor effort from ITV. Well, no surprises there then!

Charles Allen should be brushed away like all the other skidmarks on the filthy bowl that is ITV plc. Then again, it's practically guaranteed that anyone in his position would do exactly the same.

By the way, I must compliment the choice of out-of-vision announcer. While not a patch on Steven Ryde, he doesn't do a bad job.

I doubt he's got anything to do with it. I would think Controller of Children's Programmes at ITV Network Centre is responsible for CITV output.

I know what you mean, I just meant that if it weren't for the general situation, the Controller of Children's Programmes could probably do a much better job. But alas, that's never going to happen.

Not strictly CiTV related, but potentially interesting information:

Starting from Monday 6th September, Boomerang will be showing Animaniacs, my favourite Saturday morning cartoon from the 90's, at 7am and 4pm every day.

I used to love that - I remember it being on Scratchy & Co. alongside Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Jumanji, if I recall correctly.

Oh come on though, you're not telling me the controller of Childrens at ITV sat down and thought that ditching the presenters and losing the studio would be of the benefit to the viewers and an improvement to the service ?

It was Charles Allen who is on an economy drive to sell off all "non-core" businesses left over from the Carlton legacy. Well fair enough, sell off the book publishing business, the film production, the stakes in premier league football clubs, and hell, if you have to lose some of the the studios. BUT when exactly, are we going to see these savings transferred onto screen ?

I don't blame the controller of Childrens, Allens decision to close Nottingham and move news to Birmingham forced their hand. But I expect when the controller of childrens went, cap in hand to relocate, that they found that the river (ok, probably too generous, maybe trickle) had well and truly, run dry.

Hell, even Five have a guy in a broom cupboard linking childrens shows, for supposedly being britains biggest commercial broadcaster, ITV is a disgrace.

Ok I'll let you have that, I was just trying to stop the 'Lorraine Heggassay' effect getting in on the act here as well, blaming the famous name for everything going!

It'll be interesting to see if the ratings are affected by this new out of vision look but they probably won't as they are at rock bottom on both CBBC1 and CITV anyway so you can see why they arn't bothering.

The most watched children's programmes is usually something random like Newsround, are people actually tuning in for it, or just tuning in for Neighbours a bit early. Random episodes of Recess on GMTV also sometimes get in the top 10. I expect MPAA will still be up there in the top 10 regardless.