CiTV & Ministry of Mayhem thread

The only problem really with CiTV and it's presenting, though it is very good don't get me wrong, but the problem is that it comes from Birmingham, when most of the shows and other things which you see come from London. Where most presenters probably prefer being in London. Possibly the reason why CiTV has only two presenters, one who used to work in London, I assume Stephen Mulhern is down there full time now. But if they did a CiTV Channel it would be easier if it was controlled and broadcasted from London and dare I say LNN. But they would be easier if they had a CiTV2, they really would be better playing it out from London, or recording the links between the programmes. As in the early days of ITV2, they had CiTV on it, but they had IVC only at the start and the end of the zone, everything else was linked by trailers and adverts which were probably controlled by LNN.

But thats making London more the focus. True guests would be in london. But you also get bands that tour radio station around the country.

I wouldn't put recorded links on itv2. No one would watch, as it would be the usual CiTV with usual CiTV shows. What they need to do is to get emphasis added to the actual links. And get word of mouth to spread. People didn't watch SM:tv for Sabrina and Pokemon (well some may have), and I watch CiTV on itv1 due to the presenters (i'd like to see more of them live presenting), but the programmes, especially if i like them come as a bonus.

I know and to be honest I'm getting worried as to why they are taking so long to let people know! Building up the anticipation? Well it's working!

Especially as practically no-one in here is in the CITV age group anyway.

I wouldn't be suprised to see a CITV channel linked by just idents & triailers. It would probabally work better, and chances are, that's the reason why CITV are running programmes over the weekend linked by just normal continuity. If you remember over the last couple of years past CITV wekeend slots were linked with CITV pres, there must a be a reason for the non-CITV branded slots.

BTW Next Sunday is a double bill of Girls in Love between 2:30-3:30 then Angry Beavers (Hurrah!) at 4:30. Looks like the Rugby means there is nothin on Saturday. Satuday after is Seriously Wierd at 2:30 then another Double Bill of Girls In Love on Sunday. Looks like the non-CITV Branded weekend kids shows is long-term.

In previous weeks the CiTV shows have been going solo. Grouped together they may put a bit of effort into it.

I only ever remember the one brief time that CiTV had a saturday afternoon slot on itv1 a couple of years ago, as something occupied their sunday morning.

The key element of kids TV is the ability to interact, thats why back in 2000 Steve Ryde made it possible for kids to phone, fax, email, go on the website and were the first UK childrens broadcaster (could have been the first broadcaster) to use SMS messages as a way of communictaion to a TV show.

Going all idents and no personality would really ruin it.

I totally agree! Why can't the presenters read out e-mails etc. CiTV is getting really boring with no interacting with viewers. I think most kids will get bored to. I much prefer the old studio, it had a computer, printer, fax-machine and phones. I think they shouldn't have taken that away as now It looks boring, just Logo's and a desk!

I really hope CiTV will change their presentation as it really has gone down hill!

LoveTV!!

PS: Are the afternoon weekday links live, now they don't read out e-mails etc???

Well the studio element of the presentation has gone down a bit, although really it went down to the bottom and then is now going up again as remember in the first few weeks there were days with no presenters at all.

The graphics part of the pres is really good in my opinion though, I wasn't sure at first but all the different stings and bumpers and stuff are better than CBBC's bugs in my opinion

I think interaction works with older kids better, lets remember before hand they were looking for older kids, but now its younger kids.

The only guest they've had on CiTV this year that I can remember is the cheeky girls. I think they save most of there money for celebs on the saturday morning shows. Afterall, CBBC is in London and never has guests - and if they do, its very rare and there normally crap.

I honestly think CiTV is the future. Look at CBBC - it is seriously lagging behind in today's world. The studio is so naff and crappy now. They need to get rid of the CBBC garden and the windows - make it more futaristic.

And that's what I disagree with your first point. Not your point, but CiTV concentrating on a low age group. They may be aiming the programmes at that audience, but they will still get older viewers watching. I still watch, and I'm outside of it by a few years!

The idea is to strengthen their aidience they should be aiming for a wide demographic and programming that caters for all. Something that under 10's can watch and so can teens and find informative & entertaining on many levels.

Programmes like Up 2U include the audience, but isn't there a way to do it without it being like wise up? Every show like wise up is made by the wised up company and turns out the same for a different age group!

CiTV have had a few guests on. Quite a few from TV shows over the year (in the old studio), they had the cheeky girls and they also had the blazin squad in when Tim was there.

The old studio was good as it had areas, and the big screen, and a big middle area. They had the sofa, and the desk (though the 2000 desk, layout and decoration was best. They could have easily kept the shell of the old studio and redecorated it. It would have been simpler, and more effective.

The studio could need a bit of work, and more time could be given to actual presentation, and thats what's missing. Before they had two presenters as they had time for little sketches, emails and texts, chatting between presenters (in which stephen & dannielle and michael & leah have only really managed!), and menus and next captions.



As I said, the studio element needs more time given to them I like the new mad floor manager Tim, I hope he stays in some roll.

Really, I know people may disagree, but for inspiration they should look to the old studio disney (2001-02), in that little studio, but executed well through clever design (and better than their current!), presenters that were allowed to ramble on about mad things, viewers phone ins, games that encouraged interaction (like the great email race), a mad screaming crew, crazy live games ,simple yet effective, guests, and more. They should make an effort of it, and make it special, not just fall onto the air.

At one time they used to start the afternoon with the CiTV crew saying Hello, and jeering with the presenter (mainly Stephen) screaming Afternoon! down the microphone, with fake audience cheering and fan fares, etc. Into a menu so that people knew what was coming up, how to get in touch, and into the show. It was so simple, it looked so good, but because of lack of time, it is impossible nowadays.

The graphic set are deffinately better than the CBBC bugs, as they never change and the set and bugs are slowly getting tired, at least CiTV revamp theirselves every once in a while.

The good thing about the presentation is the ability to use it with any show, and the independance that the sequences have on the shows.
The bouncing letters could have been made in this way, such as them becoming pirates before Pirate Island, or something. The bouncing letters in appearance and things that they could do was better, as they were little characters, but the new set is new, different and exciting.

Especially as I am still trying to think of what they will do for christmas. I hope they dont just add snow to the current ones.

Well I'd say a lot of kids stuff works on many levels. Take the current studio stuff like Swag and dressing up as a pirate before pirate islands. On one hand young kids will laugh at it, whereas on the other hand the way Michael plays it its obvious that older viewers are supposed to laugh at the cheapness of the whole thing.

The way he says stuff like 'roll the sting' all the time seems like he's trying to aim at older viewers as well.

Re that they have a desk in the studio, maybe one week they should present the whole show sat behind it, to see if 21st century kids would like the broomcupboard style of presentation.

I can see big things for CITV this christmas, as we've seen it seems the CITV graphics team have a lot of time on their hands to design lots of different stings and trailers, so I predict a full range of seasonal trailers. I do wonder what they'll do with the studio. Maybe at first they'll just have a really tiny decoration and then we'll have Michael bantering with 'Stella' about how cheap it is.

It would be nice if the studio went oposite for the christmas period.

So instead of being mainly white, have the rear lit white screens dark blue, or have the twinkly black cloth back. Have a sky line instead of the big CiTV logo/art attack print (it must be able to change!), with a dark blue sky, the logo made out of snow in the sky, and a black sillouette of houses and buildings at the bottom. Have many lights twinkling away everywhere, and i mean everywhere, have a nice cosy sofa, or bring back the old blue one, perhaps in red for them to sit on. And have some nice trees everywhere, especially to fill the white space, and perhaps fake snow.

They should bring back some of the old christmas features like the advent calender with prizes in for a quick giveaway (which was good, as a prize was revealed everyday, and for saturday's dates the SM:t v logo was stuck in the boxes. And how about the christmas countdown draw, or millenium safe, or santa's sleigh, whatever name, they put away a prize everyday, give out a question each day, and then you answer any one question (and you could answer more than one) and then they drew it in the week between christmas and new year, except for the millennium one that was announced in the new year.

Just saw a bit of SMTV Gold! With the joke about an old kids presenter with a puppet - it was hillarious!

Des should defintley join CiTV with Leah in the afternoons.