Also I find it insulting to say what 'people like us' think about a particular programme is less important than what anyone else thinks.
I didn't say that. I said we on TVForum think differently about presentation, etc. I said
how we think about these changes is entirely different kettle of fish to they way the general public think about them.
You're saying that by being a TVForum member, I'm not part of the general viewing public, so to me that suggests my opinion is less important.
For the love of God! Where have I said that you - and other members of TVForum - are not a member of the viewing public?
Nowhere.
I'm a member of TVForum too yet I consider myself a member of the viewing public.
Secondly, where have I said that your opinion, as a member of TVForum, matters less?
I haven't.
I have said that we, as members of a forum that discusses television presentation, view matters differently to members of the general public. If you read
all
that I have posted in regards to Good Morning Britain, you will see that I have said that I like the changes. They are changes that have long been called for in British television. Something to rejuvenate an otherwise staid market. What I said, and I repeat it here, is that the 2,300 plus members of TVForum will view a relaunch in a way which is entirely different to most people in this country. I have not said your opinion matters any less. What I have said is that those behind the relaunch cannot direct their efforts to please a select group, ie., the member of TVForum (me included), who think that British television is crying out for an overhaul.
it is 'people like us' with attention to detail that make decisions in advertising and broadcasting in general.
Therein lies the problem. 'People like us... that make decisions in advertising and broadcasting in general'. Just because 'people like us... make decisions in advertising and broadcasting in general' doesn't make us right.
Nor does it make it right if Chantelle down the Co-op says it's pants because the graphics move too fast for her to find out what the weather's doing in Grimsby. (Gross stereotype - sorry)
Ultimately, everyone has their own individual opinion, and if enough people like it, it will be deemed a success. But like I said, doesn't mean anyone's opinion is less valid than anyone elses, as we are ALL part of the general public.
Having said all that, I still believe there are added benefits if creatives and executives within the industry like the programme. Something like GMB needs time to grow and I think (or hope) it will get that time.
I didn't say that 'Chantelle down the Co-op' would be right if she criticised the graphics. I said that just because 'people like us', ie., you, me and others who work in and make decisions in broadcasting, pay attention to detail, it does not mean that we are right. Think of the outcry when the BBC introduced new graphics for the weather. The angle at which the country was viewed may have been
physically
correct and a true a reflection of the curvature of the Earth but it just didn't work on screen. It didn't matter how much the executives at the BBC believed that they were right. It didn't work.
I
agree
that there is a benefit to be gained for all concerned if creatives and executives like the broadcast. That being said, creatives and executives must also refrain from ignoring or pouring scorn upon those who would prefer to see the return of 'Datbreak' (as one of our fellow members brought to our attention earlier. Creatives and executives must also refrain from thinking that their decision is the right one and that the viewers will like it. Indeed, the fact that we are arguing over this point is proof in and of itself.
I said, quite clearly, that Good Morning Britain needs time. I said that the viewing figures for the first day will be regarded as 'lacklustre' given the variables, ie., Susanna Reid's personality and following, etc. The executives at ITV would have hoped for a bigger uptick, probably approaching 500,000, which would fall back to 200,000 the following day.