Children 'over-exposed to sexual imagery'
.jpg "Image") Children are being increasingly exposed to sexual imagery and their parents have limited opportunities to stop it, a report for the Home Office warns.
The report calls for tougher regulation of sexual imagery in adverts and a ban on selling "lads' mags" to under-16s. It also recommends selling mobile phones and games consoles with parental controls automatically switched on.
BBC News Online 26/2/2010
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Project Canvas set for launch within 12 months
Project Canvas, the BBC-backed joint venture to bring video on demand to Freeview and Freesat-enabled TV sets, should be up and running within the next 12 months. The venture, also backed by ITV, Channel 4, Channel Five and BT, will target the UK's 10 million Freeview households as a starting point, said Marc Watson, chief executive officer of BT Vision.
The Guardian 26/2/2010
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Absolute Radio 'will bid to buy 6 Music from BBC'
Absolute Radio, the station formerly known as Virgin Radio, could bid to buy 6 Music from the BBC to save it from closure, the head of the commercial station said today. 6 Music presenters and legions of fans leapt to the defence of the alternative music station after The Times revealed this morning that it is to be closed as part of a wide-ranging strategic review of the BBC's activities.
Clive Dickens, the chief operating officer of Absolute, said that he would approach the BBC with a view to buying the station. "We would buy 6 Music from the BBC, both the brand and the network, and we'd run it more efficiently than they've been doing."
The Times 26/2/2010
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BBC signals an end to era of expansion
The BBC will close two radio stations, shut half its website and cut spending heavily on imported American programmes in an overhaul of services to be announced next month.
Mark Thompson, the Director-General, will admit that the corporation, which is funded by the £3.6 billion annual licence fee, has become too large and must shrink to give its commercial rivals room to operate.
The Times 26/2/2010
Read more.... BBC cuts: Still not enough for Murdochs
Lads' magazines should be restricted to curb sexualisation of children
 Lads' magazines such as Zoo and Nuts should be made top shelf titles with age restrictions on their sale, a report commissioned by the Home Office is to recommend tomorrow.
The 130-page study argues that such magazines, which offer soft porn at pocket-money prices, are part of a "drip, drip" media landscape that is sexualising boys and girls at an increasingly early age.
The report points to computer games, easily accessible pornography and the use of sexual slogans in advertising and branding as making up prevalent sexual images that are influencing the behaviour of children.
The Guardian 25/2/2010
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Ofcom to investigate government climate change TV campaign
Ofcom has launched an investigation into the government's climate change TV campaign after receiving hundreds of complaints that it is a form of political advertising.
The media regulator has received about 700 complaints about the £6m TV campaign, Bedtime Stories, launched by the Department of Energy and Climate Change last October, with a significant number arguing the ad is a form of political advertising.
The Guardian 24/2/2010
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Google executives convicted in Italy over abuse video
Google responded furiously today after an Italian court found three of its executives guilty of violating the privacy of a child with autism who was shown being bullied in a video posted on its site. The company vowed to appeal against the ruling, which it described as "an attack on the fundamental principles of freedom on which the internet was built".
The three executives were given six-month suspended sentences. The two prosecutors who brought the case against the US-based firm praised the ruling for protecting personal interest above corporate profit. "We are very satisfied because by means of this trial we have posed a serious problem: that is to say, the protection of human beings, which must prevail over corporate interests," they said in a statement.
The Guardian 24/2/2010
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BBC Trust: Panorama distorted facts in ADHD programme
 The BBC will broadcast an on-screen correction and apologise after the BBC Trust found that an edition of Panorama breached guidelines on accuracy and impartiality by "distorting some known facts" during a programme.
The Trust's editorial standards committee said it found fault with an edition of the BBC's flagship current affairs programme from November, 2007, which reported on new research into the treatment of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
The committee found the BBC had failed to acknowledge a serious factual error and that the programme did not accurately report the findings of the US study, which looked at the safety and effectiveness of medication and behaviour therapy as treatments of ADHD.
Press Gazette 24/2/2010
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No privacy laws, but the media must behave, say MPs
Newspapers and broadcasters run the risk of increased damages in privacy actions if they fail to tell people they will be exposing them, MPs say today. But the Culture, Media and Sport Committee has come down against making prior notification mandatory, as sought by Max Mosley, the former chief of Formula One. The MPs also rule out legislation on privacy but urge a new fast-track procedure to allow temporary injunctions on stories.
The Times 24/2/2010
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Psychiatrists call for mark to identify airbrushed ads
The Royal College of Psychiatrists has called for digitally manipulated ads to be forced to carry a kitemark, in a bid to raise awareness of how much advertising presents an idealised image of models.
The college has also called on the government to set up a new forum, including stakeholders such as advertising agencies and media owners, to tackle controversial issues, such as the use of airbrushed models.The forum would develop an editorial code with a brief to address the "skewed and erroneous" content of magazines among other issues, according to the college.
The media, in particular magazine publishers, have long felt the heat from politicians over the portrayal of women. Shadow education secretary Michael Gove has previously attacked titles including Nuts and Zoo over the issue.
One area of particular concern, according to psychiatrists, is the use of pre-teen or underweight models by the media and advertising companies, to promote thin bodies. Psychiatrists want the forum to scrutinise issues like "airbrushing" and "digital enhancement".
Brand Republic 23/2/2010
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Apple purges soft-core porn apps after complaints from parents
 Apple has purged thousands of risqué iPhone applications from its online App Store to try to clean it up before the sale of the first Apple iPad tablets. Programs that feature sexual content, games or even women in bikinis are no longer acceptable, developers have been told.
The popularity of the App Store, which has more than 140,000 software applications, has been a huge driver of sales for Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch, with more than 3 billion apps downloaded since its launch in July 2008.
The Times 23/2/2010
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Bias at the BBC as broadcaster adds assisted suicide to portfolio of pet causes
 Of all the great moral questions of our age, none is more agonisingly difficult than the debate over legalising assisted suicide, with powerful arguments both for and against. But the supposedly impartial BBC doesn't see it like that.
As far too often, the corporation has thrown its huge, licence-payer-funded weight behind one side of the dispute, giving inordinate publicity to Sir Terry Pratchett, Ray Gosling and the campaign for legalisation. Indeed, mercy killing has now joined the BBC's growing portfolio of fashionable pet causes, from green taxes to gay adoption, from multiculturalism to the blatant censorship of any discussion of immigration.
LibDem Lord Carlile, of the Care Not Killing Alliance, is right to accuse the corporation of being zealously one-sided on an issue that is far too important for partisan propaganda.
The Daily Mail 23/2/2010
Read more... Peer demands talks with BBC on its coverage of assisted suicide
Paxman apologises for on-air swear word
BBC broadcaster Jeremy Paxman was forced to apologise last night after he used a swear word live on Newsnight. The presenter was interviewing journalist Andrew Rawnsley, whose book The End Of The Party has triggered accusations of bullying against Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
Reading a passage from the book, Paxman said: "Brown went berserk with [US political advisor] Bob Shrum. 'How could you do this to me, Bob?' Brown screamed at a shaking Shrum. 'How could you f**king do this to me?"' Immediately after reciting the quote, Paxman was told by his editor to issue a full apology for repeating the swear word.
Digital Spy23/2/2010
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Sky rapped over 'The Simpsons' sponsor
 Ofcom has ruled that retailer Currys' sponsorship of Sky1 show The Simpsons breached broadcasting regulations as it was too close to advertising. The campaign featured a series of idents for services provided by the sponsor, including installation, car carrying and recycling, with each segment carrying the strapline, "Currys we can help".
Ofcom contacted Sky for comment on the campaign in relation to Rule 9.13 of the broadcasting code, which says: "Sponsorship must be clearly separated from advertising. Sponsor credits must not contain advertising messages or calls to action. In particular, credits must not encourage the purchase or rental of the products or services of the sponsor a third party."
Digital Spy 23/2/2010
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MPs attack 'regressive' broadband tax
 The government's plans for a £6-a-year tax on households to fund super-fast broadband across the country were condemned by the Commons business, innovation and skills select committee today.
MPs on the committee branded the levy on all fixed-line telephones "regressive and poorly targeted", saying it meant poor people would end up paying for a service that only the wealthier used. The committee also questioned why ministers wanted to spend so much on upgrading broadband at a time when the public purse was under pressure.
The Guardian 23/2/2010
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Young men are hooked on the web - even in bed
 Almost all young men use the internet every day, and it is the technology they are most attached to, according to new study.
Research conducted by Sparkler for Microsoft Advertising across the UK found that 99% of young males go online either every day or nearly every day, and half of them already use their mobile phones to do so. And 80% even go so far as to say that they would be lost without it.
The Internet is the technology 57% of men between 18 and 44 are most attached to, closely followed by mobile phones with 49%, and TV with 46%.
The Guardian 22/2/2010
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NAO to reveal BBC Broadcasting House cost
 The National Audit Office will tomorrow reveal the full cost of the BBC's redevelopment of Broadcasting House, including the scale of its multi-million project overspend. Published tomorrow, the NAO report is expected to be highly critical of the London building's £1 billion refurbishment, which was launched seven years ago by former BBC director general Greg Dyke.
According to figures seen by The Guardian, the BBC West One project is now £59m over its original budget of £990m set in 2003.
Digital Spy 22/2/2010
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Ofcom rules on ‘Dancing on Ice' complaints
 With some of the more popular TV shows attracting millions of viewers each week, Ofcom can receive hundreds of complaints about a particular episode. For instance, more than 400 people complained about a recent episode of the ITV1 show ‘Dancing on Ice'.
The complaints centred on comments made by of one of the judges, Jason Gardiner, about the performance of the former Olympic swimmer, Sharron Davies. Complainants considered the comments offensive and upsetting and unsuitable to be heard by children. However, this episode was found not to have breached broadcasting rules.
Ofcom 22/2/2010
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'Safe sex' plea to soap bosses
Ministers are urging TV chiefs to sign up to a deal to police sex scenes in all the top soaps. They are appalled by a study which shows that of 102 on-screen bonks, only three couples used condoms. And they say more young people would use contraception if their favourite soap stars did.
The People 21/2/2010
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BBC Trust blows £3m on new HQ
THE BBC watchdog responsible for ensuring that licence fee-payers get value for money has spent £3.2m on new headquarters after rejecting space in the corporation's buildings. The BBC Trust signed a £2.2m, eight-year lease for the first floor of a converted Edwardian mansion in central London last month to house its 60 staff. It spent a further £1m on refurbishment, including £250,000 on interior designers, project management and removals, and £400,000 on fitting out the building.
The Sunday Times 21/2/2010
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The secret of our happy family? We banned TV, mobiles and computers
It is most children's idea of living hell - a home where computers, games consoles, television and even mobile phones are banned.
Instead of spending hours in front of a screen, the six children in the Jones family have to fill their spare time by working, reading books, playing and - remarkably - actually talking to people. Yet somehow they've managed to cope.
According to parents Miranda and Richard Jones, both 42, the gadget-free lifestyle change has been a success that has benefited the whole family.
MailOnline 19/2/10
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Corrie product placement 'worth £330k'
Brand analysis firm Margaux Matrix has estimated that product placement on Coronation Street would be worth £330,000 per week to broadcaster ITV. Using technology developed for gauging brand exposure around sporting events, the firm analysed the appearance of consumer products in leading television programmes and then estimatedits their value. The government recently confirmed its intention to relax the rules governing product placement on television to provide a new revenue stream for beleaguered commercial broadcasters.
Digital Spy 19/2/2010
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Don't let Pope present Thought for the Day, say secularists
 Secular groups have reacted angrily to news that the director-general of the BBC, Mark Thompson, is lobbying the Vatican in an effort to persuade the Pope to deliver the Thought for the Day religious slot on Radio 4's Today programme.
The corporation hopes that a broadcast can be recorded to coincide with the Papal visit to Britain, which is set to take place in September.
Independent Online 19/2/10
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If you haven't had enough of Footballers' Wives, try SeeSaw
SeeSaw, a site that aims to offer a one-stop online television shop, went live yesterday, offering more than 3,000 hours of programming. It will have programmes from Channel 4, Five and BBC Worldwide and has risen from the ashes of the ill-fated Project Kangaroo.
This would have offered programmes from the BBC, ITV and Channel 4, but was blocked by the Competition Commission in February last year after it was deemed to threaten competition in the online video market. SeeSaw, which is owned by Arqiva, a transmission company, bought the Project Kangaroo technology and will offer programmes such as Footballers' Wives, Home and Away and Hustle.
Older programmes will be available on SeeSaw, unlike the BBC iPlayer and 4oD, which offer only the past month's shows. The most recent BBC and Channel 4 shows will be available only on iPlayer and 4oD, respectively
The Times 18/2/2010
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Children 'missing out on sleep' Newsround finds
 Video games, mobile phones and TV are keeping children up at night, answers to a BBC questionnaire suggest. Newsround sent a questionnaire to 1,000 children aged between 9 and 11 at schools across the UK.
Most said they went to bed at 2130, but a quarter said bedtime was 2200 or later and half said they were not getting enough sleep and wanted more. Health experts have linked a lack of sleep to problems with concentration, behaviour and school work.
About half the children asked said they were staying up to play on computer games or their mobile phones or to watch television.
BBC Online 18/2/10
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David Cameron promises to tackle advertisers who sexualise children
 The debate over how to protect children from sexualisation intensified today as David Cameron promised to clamp down on irresponsible advertising agencies.
"You can't cut children off from the commercial world, of course you can't, but we should be able to help parents more in terms of trying to make sure that our children get a childhood and that they are not subject to unnecessary and inappropriate commercialisation and sexualisation too young," the Conservative leader said.
The government indicated today that it plans to tighten regulation of online adverts targeting children. Cameron announced that a Tory administration would withdraw all government advertising for three years from agencies that design adverts aggressively marketing their products to children.
Alongside regulation, he offered some illustration of his belief in "nudge" theory, saying he would set up a central website on which parents could post examples of inappropriate adverts that would then be taken up by the mass media.
mediaGuardian 18/2/10
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Newspaper group call to block BBC iPhone apps
 The BBC Trust has been urged to block the corporation's plans to launch phone apps for its news and sport content. The Newspaper Publishers Association (NPA) said that the corporation would "damage the nascent market" for apps.
The group said that it would also raise the issues with the the Department of Culture, Media and Sport and MPs on the Media Select Committee. The BBC has said it plans to launch its first news app on the iPhone in April, followed by one for its sport content. It is also planning to develop more apps for its popular on-demand video iPlayer.
BBC Online 18/2/10
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BBC image chief accused of conflict of interest after seeking Tory seat
The BBC's head of corporate affairs, Tina Stowell, is attempting to become a Conservative candidate in the general election, prompting Labour calls for her to resign to avoid a conflict of interest.
Stowell, a former senior adviser to William Hague, runs the department responsible for protecting the BBC's image and lobbying politicians in Westminster.
mediaGuardian 18/2/10
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SeeSaw - 3,000 hours of TV programmes on one website, on demand
 The battle for the TV viewers of the future moved up a notch yesterday as more than 3,000 hours of BBC, Channel 4 and Five programming was made available on a new video-on demand website that marks the first concerted effort by broadcasters to pool their content online.
SeeSaw offers viewers a chance to catch up on shows broadcast in the past week by Channel 4 and Five, including Shameless, Hollyoaks and Neighbours, and content from the BBC archive, such as episodes of Hustle and Michael Palin's Around the World in 80 Days. It caters for the growing trend for watching TV programmes on the internet - BBC's iPlayer service received more than 115m requests last month.
US shows are expected to be added to SeeSaw's library later this year, when it is also expected to start charging for some programmes. At present, the website is free, though ads are screened at the start and sometimes in the middle of programmes.
mediaGuardian 18/2/10
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ITV adverts ruled too loud
.jpg "Image") Despite numerous complaints, broadcasters have previously tried to suggest that the jump in noise is a figment of viewers' imaginations. But now the Advertising Standards Authority has proven it exists and is taking action against ITV.
The regulator today ruled that eight commercials shown during a recent broadcast of the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes on ITV3 were too loud and broke the Advertising Standards Code.
The Daily Mail 17/2/2010
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EastEnders prompts differing views from Conservatives
 Weeks before an election it seems the Conservatives are split - over whether or not EastEnders is a force for good. Shadow culture secretary Jeremy Hunt has heaped praise on the BBC soap for tackling "difficult social issues" and even wished it a "happy 25th birthday".
But shadow children's minister Tim Loughton is less sure, saying it is unrealistic and uses stereotypes that could potentially be "very damaging". While admitting he has been "addicted" to EastEnders since it began, he insists "it cannot be portrayed as real life".
"Ironically for a set of characters who so fail to resemble anything like the satellite married family that remains at the heart of British social mores, albeit rapidly shifting ones, Peggy et al are constantly preaching to us that 'nothing matters as much as family'," he says.
Agreeing with Mr Hunt, he says "soaps can give out some very powerful and important messages", but he goes on: "By the same token the stereotyping of many characters in EastEnders has the potential to be very damaging. Social workers are always caricatured as sandal-wearing interferers; the police as pretty dim and flat-footed and teachers as snotty busybodies. "
Mr Loughton also links EastEnders to "the sexualisation of young children" and says "the responsible screening of soaps" is important to prevent it. Friday's episode of EastEnders will be performed live for the first time to mark the 25th anniversary.
mediaGuardian 16/2/10
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Freeview launches guide app for iPhone
 Freeview has launched a new application on Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch designed to help consumers plan their TV viewing while on the move. The Freeview iPhone app offers instant access to the digital terrestrial television platform's programming guide, including all 50 standard definition channels.
However, the guide also includes BBC HD listings for anyone with Freeview HD viewing equipment. ITV1 HD and Channel 4 HD information will follow shortly. Available features on the app include a 'now and next' function, along with a 'Top 10' channel list for flagging up the most popular programming.
DigitalSpy 16/2/10
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Report: 'Canvas will be Freeview 2.0'
 IPTV joint venture Project Canvas will bring benefits for broadcasters and service providers by delivering an open evolution to the Freeview platform, a new report has said. Financial services company Morgan Stanley recently compiled a creative analysis for BT about the potential impact of Canvas, which also includes BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Five and TalkTalk among its members.
The report gave a largely positive outlook for the project, which is currently at final approval stage with the BBC Trust, but warned that more work must be done to lock down the common technical standards.
Morgan Stanley noted that the Trust will reach a final decision on the BBC's Canvas involvement at the end of March. If it gives the full green light, then the platform could enter launch phase by the end of the year or in early 2011.
DigitalSpy 16/2/10
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Police to investigate BBC presenter Ray Gosling over mercy killing of lover
Mr Gosling, 70, revealed last night that he had smothered the unnamed partner as he lay in hospital ''in terrible, terrible pain''.
A spokeswoman for Nottinghamshire Police said the force had not been aware of the issue until the broadcaster made his revelation on BBC East Midlands' Inside Out programme. She added: ''We are now liaising with the BBC and will investigate the matter.'' The BBC said it would ''co-operate fully'' with a police investigation.
Telegraph 16/2/10
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Teenage domestic violence tackled by advert campaign
 An advertising campaign is being launched to raise awareness of domestic violence in teenage relationships. The adverts will target boys and girls aged 13 to 18, urging them not to use violence against their girlfriends.
The £2m TV, radio, internet and poster campaign is part of a government strategy announced last year to reduce violence against women and girls. Home Secretary Alan Johnson said it was essential to change attitudes in order to stop abuse against females.
He said: "We want to see young people in safe and happy relationships and this means tackling attitudes towards abuse at an early age, before patterns of violence can occur.
We hope this campaign will help teenagers to recognise the signs of abuse and equip them with the knowledge and confidence to seek help, as well as understanding the consequences of being abusive or controlling in a relationship."
The campaign follows research by the NSPCC. The study suggested a quarter of girls aged 13 to 17 had experienced physical violence from a boyfriend and a third had been pressured into sexual acts they did not want.
BBC Online 15/2/10
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Radio 2 must do more to appeal to older listeners, says BBC Trust
The BBC Trust today called on BBC Radio 2 to take action to reverse the decline in the number of its listeners aged over 65.
It said the average age of the Radio 2's audience, currently 50, must not fall further "for any sustained period without corrective action", adding that steps needed to be taken to appeal to over-65s and "in particularly over 75s" who had stopped listening to the station.
Radio 2 also needed to be more distinctive with more comedy and documentaries during peak time, even if this meant its overall audience fell, according to the trust.
The BBC Trust's five-yearly review of Radio 2 and digital sister station BBC 6Music concluded that the latter must increase its audience and employ more credible music presenters.
mediaGuardian 15/2/10
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Hospital dramas like ER 'mislead' viewers over seizure care
Researchers found that doctors and nurses on the television programmes reacted inappropriately in half of cases.
Members of the public should not copy what they see on screen, they insist. "Television dramas are a potentially powerful method of educating the public about first aid and seizures," said Andrew Moeller, from Dalhousie University, in Halifax, Canada, who led the study.
However, he said, broadcasters were giving viewers the wrong impression.
Telegraph 15/2/10
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Kudos boss says UK shows like Spooks are at risk from funding gap
When Stephen Garrett went to Westminster last week to lobby politicians about the vexed issue of piracy, he turned heads by quietly introducing himself as the man behind Spooks. But if you ask him about the BBC1 hit, his message is grim: he believes high-quality homegrown dramas such as Spooks could be an endangered species.
At 52, Garrett is the founder and head of Kudos, which, after the shakiest of starts in 1992, has grown into one of the UK's most valuable independent drama producers. He sold the company to Elisabeth Murdoch's Shine for £35m in December 2006.
Yet Garrett believes the sort of success he enjoyed is no longer possible. Having just delivered a series of lectures at Oxford University - looking at the relationship of creativity and commerce through the prism of recent TV fiction on both sides of the Atlantic, which he called "primetime novels" - he makes it clear how the tide has turned for the independent production sector, which is bearing the brunt of BBC budget cuts.
mediaGuardian 15/2/10
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BBC Wales 'to escape flashing rebuke'
BBC Wales has said that it is not expecting to face any formal sanctions after a rugby player lifted his kilt during the broadcaster's flagship news programme.
On Friday, the Scottish club player exposed himself during a live broadcast of BBC Wales Today from Glynneath Rugby Club. A video clip of the incident subsequently became a hit on YouTube, racking up over 40,000 views before it was removed.
The corporation subsequently received around 50 complaints from viewers, while the incident also triggered an investigation from South Wales Police. However, a BBC Wales spokesman said that the broadcaster is not expecting to face any criminal charges as a result of the incident, reports Wales Online.
DigitalSpy 15/2/10
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CBBC enjoys success at KidScreen Awards
CBBC celebrated winning five prizes at the inaugural KidScreen Awards last week, including two gongs for a Newsround special. The newly introduced awards pay tribute to outstanding programming and content which engages and entertains children, early teenagers and families.
At a ceremony in New York, Newsround's documentary Gone took home two awards for best one-off programme in the children's category and best writing in the creative talent section. Presented by BAFTA-winner Barney Harwood, Gone told the story of four children dealing with the death of a loved one.
First aired on CBBC in December 2008, Kindle Entertainment's film Dustbin Baby was named best one-off special in the family category and also given the best acting prize in the creative talent section. Based on Jacqueline Wilson's novel, the feature-length drama follows a teenager as she embarks on a voyage of self-discovery. Starring Dakota Blue Richards, the film also won an International Emmy and a Children's BAFTA for Helen Blakeman's screenplay.
CBBC's Escape From Scorpion Island won the KidScreen award for best non-animated series in recognition of its real life adventure game for children. "I'm truly delighted that CBBC programmes are being recognised globally for being original and inspiring to children everywhere," said BBC Children's director Joe Godwin.
DigitalSpy 15/2/10
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Horror film sparks panic attacks
 Parents and politicians in Italy are up in arms over US horror movie Paranormal Activity after several cinema-goers suffered from panic attacks. It opened in Italy at the weekend with no restrictions - despite being rated 15 in the UK and R-rated in the US.
An emergency services spokesman told news agency Ansa the most serious case was a 14-year-old girl "brought to the hospital in a state of paralysis".
BBC News Online 11/2/2010
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BBC'S £229M Wage Bill For Top Presenters
The BBC last night admitted spending £229million a year of licence payers' money on top presenters - while also shelling out huge sums in expenses to highly-paid executives. The corporation refused to break down the figures, but the total is known to include £6million a year for highest paid star Jonathan Ross, £1million for Adrian Chiles, £630,000 for DJ Chris Moyles and around £800,000 a year for Sir Terry Wogan, 71.
Vivienne Pattison, director of MediaWatch UK, said: "Licence-payers want value for money. When push comes to shove we want the licence fee to be spent on high quality programming."
The Daily Express 10.2.2010
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Pupils 'must manage online risks'
 Pupils given a greater degree of freedom to surf the internet at school are less vulnerable to online dangers in the long-term, inspectors say. "Managed" online systems were more successful than "locked" ones at safeguarding pupils' safety, they said.
In a report, Ofsted said the area most in need of improvement was online safety training for teaching staff. The report was published in E-safety Week, which aims to raise awareness of some of the dangers of technologies.
The inspectors' research was commissioned in response to a report by Dr Tanya Btron, which assessed the risks children faced when using the internet and video games.
Ofsted inspectors visited 33 primary and secondary schools, a special school and a pupil referral unit and found e-safety was outstanding in five, good in 16, satisfactory in 13 and inadequate in one.
The five schools judged outstanding for online safety all used managed systems to help pupils become responsible users of technology. Where the provision for e-safety was outstanding, the schools had managed rather than locked down systems
Ofsted report
BBC Online 10/2/10
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BBC religious coverage to come under fire at Church of England debate
 The BBC's TV coverage of religious and ethical issues will be criticised today in a Church of England national assembly debate.
Nigel Holmes, a former BBC senior local radio producer, will call on the BBC and media regulator Ofcom to "explain" why British television - once "exemplary" in its coverage of religious and ethical issues - now allegedly "marginalises" the few programmes that remain. Holmes will ask members of Synod to back his private member's motion accusing the BBC TV of ignoring Good Friday in 2009.
In a background briefing paper for the General Synod, Holmes claimed that over the past 20 years the output of general programmes on BBC TV had doubled. He also claimed BBC figures for the same period show there has been a reduction in religious television output from 177 hours to 155 hours a year.
Holmes said ITV appeared to be a "lost cause" in terms of religious broadcasting - with an even steeper fall, from 110 hours a decade ago to next to nothing now. However, a BBC spokeswoman insisted its commitment to religion and ethics broadcasting was "unequivocal" and disputed the two figures presented by Holmes relating to the number of television hours broadcast over the last 20 years.
mediaGuardian 10/2/10
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BBC and government set to clash over funding of DAB rollout
 Sion Simon, the departing creative industries minister, appeared to
put the government on a collision course with the BBC today over the
funding of the rollout of the digital audio broadcasting (DAB) radio
transmitter network. Simon, who is quitting the government
tomorrow to launch his bid to become mayor of Birmingham, said the BBC
should pay for the cost of building the DAB network - estimated at up to
£20m a year - in those parts of the country where it is not
economically viable for commercial radio to do so. The government
has insisted that DAB coverage must match that currently provided by FM -
between 98% and 99% of the population - before digital radio switchover can take
place, possibly as early as 2015. It is currently about 80% to 85%.
mediaGuardian 10/2/10
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Tories: we'll block regional TV news plan from getting through parliament
 The shadow culture secretary, Jeremy Hunt, has ratcheted up his opposition to the government's plan for regional TV news consortiums by promising to block the proposal's passage through parliament in the digital economy bill.
Hunt has consistently opposed the idea of independently funded news consortiums (IFNCs) using a public subsidy to provide replacement news services for ITV in the English regions, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Last month he said that, if the Conservatives won power at the general election, they would do their best to unpick any contracts that had been signed with news providers.
Hunt has now promised to prevent the proposal even becoming law, instead fighting to have it removed from the digital economy bill. "This is a redline for us. We want this clause out of the bill," he told the Financial Times today.
mediaGuardian 10/2/10
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Safer Internet Day is pitching too young
Ask a parent if they're worried about what their kids get up to online and of course they'll say yes. Who wouldn't worry about their precious little ones adrift in a sea of porn and paedophiles? Safer Internet Day aims to teach good practice to web users, especially when it comes to social media.
Like the materials for Safer Internet Day itself, Click Clever Click Safe pitches its message squarely at the children with a three-step action plan for encountering inappropriate material online (Zip it, block it, flag it) and some eye-catching cartoon logos.
Laudable as it might be for Government to get involved with safety campaigns, this strays from one of the main messages of the Byron report, that it's the education of parents and their ability to look after their child online that is of supreme importance.
mediaGuardian 9/2/10
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Legislation will permit UK television broadcasters to reach product placement deals with advertisers
 The Government has concluded that we will be able to allow television product placement in a way which will provide meaningful commercial benefits to commercial television companies and programme makers while taking account of the legitimate concerns that have been expressed.
We have therefore decided to legislate to allow UK television companies to include product placement in programmes which they make or commission to appear in their schedules.
Ministerial Statement on Television Product Placement DCMS 9/2/2010
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BBC reveals total pay given to radio and TV stars
 The BBC has revealed the total amount it paid to its performers who broadcast on radio and television. The corporation paid £229m to artists, presenters, musicians and other contributors for the year up to March 2009 - 6.56% of the licence fee.
Of that figure, £70m went to the top earners whose salaries topped £100,000. The BBC has not disclosed individual salaries, saying they are commercially confidential, despite continued pressure from MPs. There were around 300,000 contracts signed with performers, the majority of which were under £1,000.
BBC News Online 9/2/2101
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Online safety push for five-year-olds
 Children as young as five are being targeted in a new online safety campaign by the UK body charged with protecting children from abuse. The campaign uses cartoons to show five to seven-year-olds that people are not always what they seem.
It is thought 80% of children in this age group use the web and one-in-five parents of this age group worry about who their children contact online. The campaign is being launched as part of EU Internet Safety Day.
BBC News Online 9/2/2010
Read more... Safer Internet Day
BBC like the 'Duckhouse gang' for not disclosing star salaries, say MPs
The corporation's executives who are "obsessed with celebrity" were to blame for the BBC spending a fifth of its budget for one sporting event on presenters, according to its chairman, Edward Leigh. Members of the influential committee questioned Mark Thompson, the director general of the BBC and other executives on the amount of licence fee payers' money it spent at large music and sporting events.
The corporation did not know in advance how much it would spend covering individual events, from the Beijing Olympics to the Glastonbury festival, because so many departments were involved and they did not liaise on budgets, according to the damning National Audit Office report published last month.
The Daily Telegraph 9/2/2010
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TV viewing at highest since 1992
 Viewers watched an average of 3.75 hours of TV a day last year, the highest figure since 1992, according to research. The latest report by the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising also found that only 8.2% of UK households relied solely on an analogue TV signal by the beginning of 2010.
This was down from 10.1% three months earlier and 14.3% at the start of 2009, illustrating the effect of the digital switchover process and the continuing takeup of digital TV ahead of the final switchoff in 2012. Three years ago, at the start of 2007, 28.3% of homes were analogue-only.
The IPA found that viewers watched a daily average of 3.94 hours of TV in the last three months of 2009.
mediaGuardian 9/2/10
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BBC to ease religious criticism at Easter
BBC Religion & Ethics has outlined plans to mark the Holy Week of Easter with a range of programming following recent criticism of the BBC's religious output. For the first time ever, the BBC will broadcast Easter At Kings featuring coverage of a special service from Kings College Cambridge, including the world-famous Chapel Choir and readings to mark the Easter Story.
Former Watchdog host Nicky Campbell will front Are Christians Being Persecuted? on BBC One, which will analyse what it means to be a Christian in modern Britain. Campbell will explore a range of high-profile legal cases to investigate the "changing nature of how Christianity and Christians are viewed in our society".
Digital Spy 9/2/2010
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ITV fined over I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here rat killing
ITV has been fined for animal cruelty after two contestants on I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! killed and ate a rat, the Australian RSPCA said today. Celebrity chef Gino D'Acampo and Hollyoaks actor Stuart Manning killed the animal with a knife when they were left without meat during the latest run of the ITV1 reality series, which aired last year.
Chief Inspector David Oshannessy, from the RSPCA, said ITV was fined A$3,000 (£1,903) and will pay A$2,576 in costs. He said: "It's a reasonable result. It reflects the fact that all animals are protected by the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. "The animal was killed for a TV show, that's not appropriate. The raw footage indicates that, from the first attempt, it took about 90 seconds before it actually died.
The Guardian 8/2/2010
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Luke Johnson slams BBC lobbying power
Recently departed Channel 4 chairman Luke Johnson has criticised the BBC's lobbying power and described its defence of the licence fee as "self-preservation on steroids". Writing in The Guardian, Johnson likened the corporation and its defenders to "Doctor Who and the Daleks joining forces to destroy the ultimate enemy".
Johnson also expressed his regret at the time spent at Channel 4 trying to persuade the BBC to allocate a portion of its licence fee to other public service broadcasters. "I failed to properly understand that the BBC is the single most influential lobbying organisation in Britain," he wrote.
Digital Spy 8/2/2010
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Trust's Lyons pledges more frugal BBC
BBC Trust chairman Sir Michael Lyons has pledged to curb the "excessive
salaries" paid to senior executives and top talent at the corporation.
Speaking to The Guardian, Lyons said that the BBC "relaxed" its grip on
editorial and financial standards over the past decade, which in turn
jeopardised its mission to always secure value for money for licence
fee payers.
"To some extent the challenge of recent years has been to
reassert that grip and that focus on value for money, particularly in
how much you pay to top managers and on-screen talent," he said.
Digital Spy 8/2/2010
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Pre-election TV debates between party leaders 'could be negotiated to death'
Britain's first televised debates between party leaders are in danger of being "negotiated to death", according to senior party sources. One senior figure close to the talks said there was a danger that all spontaneity was being drained out of the debates.
Tense negotiations between the parties and the broadcasters last week left key issues unresolved, including the degree of audience participation, whether the leaders will be allowed to interrupt each other, and the method of audience selection.
Some of the parties, notably the Liberal Democrats, have been pressing for a BBC Question Time format in which questions are not just asked by an experienced chairman, but also by the audience.
mediaGuardian 7/2/10
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BBC accused of 'promoting euthanasia by ignoring rights of disabled'
A Commons motion said the Corporation ''misused public funds'' in its coverage of the issue, highlighting the high profile given to author Sir Terry Pratchett's speech this week in favour of assisted suicide. The motion claimed the BBC ''ignored the rights of the disabled'' and had used drama as well as news to promote its pro-euthanasia stance.
Tory Ann Winterton (Congleton) has the support of one Tory and four Labour MPs for her early day motion. They claim there had been ''numerous complaints'' over the ''persistent bias of the BBC on matters relating to euthanasia and other life issues and on the manner in which the BBC have misused public funds to promote changes in the law''.
The Daily Telegraph 5/2/2010
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TV product placement ban 'watered down' over health fears
 TV producers will not be allowed to use any branded alcohol, junk food or gambling when making programmes. It comes after the health secretary, Andy Burnham, and the environment secretary, Hilary Benn, lobbied against aspects of proposals backed by the culture secretary, Ben Bradshaw, to allow product placement on TV for the first time.
The Telegraph 4/2/2010
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TellyLinks to launch trial on Five
Former ITV senior executive Jeff Henry will tonight launch a trial of his new TellyLinks service, which aims to bring together TV viewing with the internet. TellyLinks.com is designed to provide television viewers with up to 150 website links relevant to what is going on in the programme that they are watching.
Orientated around the slogan, "You think it... we link it", the service is an attempt to capitalise on the trend of people watching TV while also surfing the internet on their laptops. It will go into live trial tonight on Five at 10pm after the firm agreed a 13-week sponsorship deal around crime drama Numb3rs, reports The Guardian.
Digital Spy 4/2/2010
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TV makers and retailers voice concerns over Project Canvas
The Digital TV Group, which represents more than 100 companies including Samsung, Sony, Pace and Dixons, has expressed concern that the BBC-led video-on-demand venture Project Canvas is failing in its core promise to create an open, industry-wide technology standard for the service.
In a submission to the BBC Trust as part of a final consultation on Project Canvas seen by MediaGuardian.co.uk, the DTG said that there is "widespread concern" that the venture's partners are developing critical technology standards that do not involve key players such as set top-box manufacturers and TV makers.
Project Canvas, whose partners include ITV, BT, Channel 4 and Channel Five, was given provisional approval to launch by the BBC Trust in December subject to a final public consultation.
The Guardian 4/2/2010
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Tories to replace BBC Trust with 'licence fee payers' trust'
A Conservative government would create a "licence fee payers' trust" in place of the BBC Trust leading to the early departure of its chairman, Sir Michael Lyons - according to a report.
The Tory party would "act swiftly" to introduce a new body, answerable to licence fee payers, and create a new post of non-executive chairman to work alongside Mark Thompson, the director general, a senior party source told The Times.
The party believes changes could be carried out within the boundaries of the BBC's royal charter and would give Thompson a "cheerleading chairman" and allow the new body to more effectively conduct a key role of representing the interests of those who pay £142.50 a year for the BBC's services.
One senior Tory MP said: "We believe that these measures will lead to a change in the culture of the corporation's governance, which will allow the trust to focus on holding the executive to account on behalf of licence fee payers."
UK Press Gazette 3/2/2010
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Digital economy bill hit as Sion Simon stands down
 The government's bid to push the digital economy bill through has been dealt another setback after Sion Simon, the creative industries minister appointed to pilot the legislation through parliament for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, announced he is to stand down as an MP.
Simon, who was appointed last year to push through new legislation alongside treasury minister Stephen Timms, intends to stand down next Thursday to bid to become Birmingham's first mayor. A spokesman for the DCMS confirmed that Simon will step down at the February recess, which starts next Friday, and that a replacement will be announced in due course by No 10.
The Guardian 3/2/2010
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Watchdog bans animal rights ad for 'unnecessary shock tactics'
An ad campaign by the animal rights group Peta using an image of Steven Barker, one of the defendants jailed in the Baby P case, has been banned by the advertising watchdog for using "unnecessary shock tactics" to highlight cruelty to animals.
Peta's poster featured a picture of Barker and the line "People who are violent towards animals rarely stop there". The Advertising Standards Authority received one complaint that it was offensive and distressing and exploited the death of Baby P, and was particularly inappropriate to residents in Haringey where the child lived and died.
The Guardian 3/2/2010
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BBC criticised over 'Disgusting Food' show
Fishermen and the seafood industry have accused BBC factual entertainment programme Britain's Really Disgusting Food: Fish of pushing "cheap sensationalism".
Aired on January 25 on BBC One, the third episode in the documentary series saw presenter Alex Riley trying to discover the "ultimate nasty fish dish", while also digging into the effects of fishing. Previous programmes have focused on the dairy and meat industries.
Digital Spy 2/2/2010
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One in four children sent pornography, says survey
 One in four children have sent or been sent inappropriate material including pornography via email, according to a survey. The research also found that one in 20 children, aged between six and 15, had communicated with a stranger via webcam and one in 50 have actually met a stranger they first contacted online.
The report, which surveyed 500 children, found that many children are getting away with behaviour online that they wouldn't get away with in the real world, largely because of their parents' lack of understanding and awareness of their internet habits and of safety precautions.
More than six out of 10 children (62%) said they lie to parents about what they have been looking at online and over half (53%) delete the history on their web browser so their parents can't see what they have been looking at.
The survey, by TalkTalk, the broadband provider, also found that and one in nine (11%) have either bullied someone online or been bullied online themselves.
In December, the Government announced that every primary schoolchild in the country will be taught about the dangers of the internet and how to safely surf online.
Telegraph Online 2/2/2010
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Trust's Canvas Consultation Closes Today
 The BBC Trust's final consultation on IPTV joint venture Project Canvas comes to a close today, marking the final time that objections can be raised against the initiative.
Last month, the Trust gave its provisional approval for the project, which aims to deliver an upgrade to the Freeview and Freesat platforms by creating a new receiver and user interface capable of delivering video on-demand and internet-based services.
However, the Trust imposed tough conditions on Canvas relating to industry engagement, costs and other aspects, while also opening up a final consultation for any further objections to be logged. Writing yesterday on the BBC Internet Blog, BBC controller of TV platforms Rahul Chakkara once again stressed the corporation's case for the Canvas initiative.
DigitalSpy 2/2/2010
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BBC 'could learn about drama from HBO'
Call for Corporation to copy US channel's 'high-quality, high-risk' attitude
The US pay-television channel Home Box Office (HBO) has become a global phenomenon with a Midas touch for discovering the next big series.
So extensive are its successes - Sex And The City, The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Wire, to name a few - that the artistic director of the British Film Institute (BFI) has suggested the BBC could learn from HBO's willingness to champion high-quality, high-risk drama and comedy.
IndependentOnLine 2/2/2010
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Radio DJ 'groper' explains actions
 Disgraced radio broadcaster Chris Smith tried to win back the respect of his listeners as he returned to the airwaves yesterday afternoon. The Australian host, who was suspended after groping four women at the 2GB radio station Christmas party last year, described his return to work as "wholly petrifying".
According to The Daily Telegraph, Smith told listeners that he was not an alcoholic, as he had earlier claimed, but that he suffered from a mild form of bipolar disorder. The star then gave his audience the opportunity to call in and ask him questions. One caller told him: "I'm not pleased with you being back on air."
DigitalSpy 2/2/2010
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Safer Internet Day 9th February 2010
.jpg "Image") CEOP has announced a range of resources that are being made available to support the forthcoming Safer Internet Day (SID) on 9 February. The 11 - 16's area of the ‘thinkuknow' website has been redesigned and features information on a range of issues.
The new site covers topics such as grooming, cyberbullying, hacking, social networking, privacy and security, sexual abuse, inappropriate content, child
trafficking, pro-ana and mia sites, sexting, legal rights and responsibilities and much more.
The site includes a range of educational games, films and competitions to engage young people and provides information on who to tell and where to go if they are worried about different issues.
Ofcom Media Literacy Bulletin 2/2/2010
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Thinkuknow Website
Children spend 7 hours 38 mins a day online
Children as young as eight are spending more than seven hours a day absorbed in an ‘electronic life', a report claimed. By using more than one device at a time - such as iPods, mobile phones and computer games - some youngsters are consuming up to 10 hours of electronic content a day.
The time children spend using electrical gadgets has risen dramatically in the past five years because portable devices have revolutionised the way children access television programmes, films and music, according to a study by US welfare institute the Kaiser Family Foundation.
The researchers found that youngsters devote an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes using 'entertainment media' across a typical day, an increase of 1 hour 17 minutes since 2004. Because they spend so much of that time ‘media multitasking', they actually manage to pack a total of 10 hours and 45 minutes worth of media content into those seven and a half hours.
They spent an average of 1 hour 35 was spent sending or receiving texts. Researchers spoke to 2002 young people aged between eight and 18.
Telegraph Online 1/2/2010
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Mental health advocates have criticised Channel Ten's new station promotion.
The adverts, which feature stars such as presenter Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Neighbours actress Margot Robbie, comedian Mikey Robbins and Shaun Micallef, have been accused of mocking the mentally ill.
In the clips, Bassingthwaighte is seen crying hysterically, Robbins rocks in his chair and Robbie mindlessly strums on a toy guitar. A spokesperson for Lifeline told The Daily Telegraph: "They make a joke of what can be a really important process for those dealing with a mental health crisis and if it discourages even one person from seeking out this sort of help or support that is not on.''
DigitalSpy 1/2/2010
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Too much TV may make you fat
A small study carried out recently does seem to point to a link. Researchers fitted the televisions of 20 out of 36 volunteers with devices that automatically locked them out of their screens once they had clocked up 50% of their normal weekly viewing time.
Those whose viewing time was cut in half were found, over a three-week period, to burn 119 calories more during the day than normal and also to eat fewer calories, giving a total calorie deficit of 244 a day. Over a year, this could, in theory, save about 89,000 calories, which is equivalent to about one-and-a-half stone (9.5kg) in weight.
TimesOnLine 1/2/2010
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Virgin's on-demand enjoys record 2009
 Virgin Media's on-demand platform enjoyed record traffic last year, with over 750 million requests for TV and film content over the 12 months.
Published today, the firm's on-demand figures show a 50% increase in usage last year compared to 2008 results, with children's programming alone generating almost 22m views.
Over 59% of Virgin Media's 3.7 million TV subscriber-base now regularly access on-demand services, with BBC iPlayer and ITV Player continuing to prove popular.
DigitalSpy 1/2/2010
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