The following are extracted from an article in today's (Friday) "Daily
Mail": ..... I thought it might strike a chord with some here - as it
did me. The full article was written by Barry Norman, on the modern-day
television scene. The problem is, does anyone take any notice, or are
we all to be lumped together as 'boring old fa**s' who have seen better
days? I hope not.

" I regard myself .... as a fairly bright bloke and when I embarked on a
career in TV ... I decided to treat my audience as if it were as bright
as me. It was a philosophy that seemed to work for nigh on 30 years ..."

" Increasingly, and alarmingly, television dumbs down and talks down.
There was a time, and you don't have to be very old to remember this,
when programmes on specialist subjects were presented by people who knew
something about them. Now they tend to be presented by people whose
knowledge consists of what the 18-year old researcher has told them and
who are there simply because they bounce about, grin a lot and look good
on TV. "

" The often maligned Lord Reith believed that television should educate
and inform as well as entertain, but to the present generation of
executives this seems too difficult a concept to grasp. "

" We get the television we deserve and what we are getting today is
c**p - visual and verbal fast food that builds in its consumers not
mental muscle but mental fat. "


--
FAQ & Glossary for uk.sci.weather at:-
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/booty.weather/uswfaqfr.htm

Well said that man


"Martin Rowley" wrote in message
...
The following are extracted from an article in today's (Friday) "Daily
Mail": ..... I thought it might strike a chord with some here - as it
did me. The full article was written by Barry Norman, on the modern-day
television scene. The problem is, does anyone take any notice, or are
we all to be lumped together as 'boring old fa**s' who have seen better
days? I hope not.

" I regard myself .... as a fairly bright bloke and when I embarked on a
career in TV ... I decided to treat my audience as if it were as bright
as me. It was a philosophy that seemed to work for nigh on 30 years ..."

" Increasingly, and alarmingly, television dumbs down and talks down.
There was a time, and you don't have to be very old to remember this,
when programmes on specialist subjects were presented by people who knew
something about them. Now they tend to be presented by people whose
knowledge consists of what the 18-year old researcher has told them and
who are there simply because they bounce about, grin a lot and look good
on TV. "

" The often maligned Lord Reith believed that television should educate
and inform as well as entertain, but to the present generation of
executives this seems too difficult a concept to grasp. "

" We get the television we deserve and what we are getting today is
c**p - visual and verbal fast food that builds in its consumers not
mental muscle but mental fat. "


--
FAQ & Glossary for uk.sci.weather at:-
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/booty.weather/uswfaqfr.htm

"Martin Rowley" wrote in
message ...
The following are extracted from an article in today's (Friday)
"Daily
Mail": ..... I thought it might strike a chord with some here -
as it
did me. The full article was written by Barry Norman, on the
modern-day
television scene. The problem is, does anyone take any notice, or
are
we all to be lumped together as 'boring old fa**s' who have seen
better
days? I hope not.

" I regard myself .... as a fairly bright bloke and when I
embarked on a
career in TV ... I decided to treat my audience as if it were as
bright

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
(see
below)

as me. It was a philosophy that seemed to work for nigh on 30
years ..."

" Increasingly, and alarmingly, television dumbs down and talks
down.
There was a time, and you don't have to be very old to remember
this,
when programmes on specialist subjects were presented by people
who knew
something about them. Now they tend to be presented by people
whose
knowledge consists of what the 18-year old researcher has told
them and
who are there simply because they bounce about, grin a lot and
look good
on TV. "
snip

Couldn't agree more. And I'm, erm, fortunate (I guess) that
I am able to say that to one or two of those TV executives
face to face. But if they don't listen to Barry Norman they
certainly won't listen to me.

I'm doubtful about the subjunctive "as if it were" in the above
sentence (he does say he's "bright" so he should expect to
have his grammar queried), and in any case, an audience can't
really be collectively bright, certainly not in a way that it could
be compared to an individual (i.e. Mr.Norman), so "as if they
were ..." would, in my opinion, be better.

Philip Eden

" We get the television we deserve and what we are getting today is
c**p - visual and verbal fast food that builds in its consumers not
mental muscle but mental fat. "



Not quite sure why we *deserve* the rubbish served up. Maybe by having
watched stuff like Big Brother in demonstrably large numbers. And
unfortunately, as some American once said, no-one went broke underestimating
public taste. But the BBC cannot use this excuse, not being funded by adverts.
Good old Daily Mail, though. Can't even print a rather harmless word like
"crap" without asterisks. On the other hand, Barry Norman needn't have used
it.

Tudor Hughes, Warlingham, Surrey.

So true. Unfortunately, most of the younger generation seem to be suckers.
Well, seems that way to me.

-----------------------------------------------------
"Gianna Stefani" wrote in message
...
Well said that man


"Martin Rowley" wrote in message
...
The following are extracted from an article in today's (Friday) "Daily
Mail": ..... I thought it might strike a chord with some here - as it
did me. The full article was written by Barry Norman, on the modern-day
television scene. The problem is, does anyone take any notice, or are
we all to be lumped together as 'boring old fa**s' who have seen better
days? I hope not.

" I regard myself .... as a fairly bright bloke and when I embarked on a
career in TV ... I decided to treat my audience as if it were as bright
as me. It was a philosophy that seemed to work for nigh on 30 years ..."

" Increasingly, and alarmingly, television dumbs down and talks down.
There was a time, and you don't have to be very old to remember this,
when programmes on specialist subjects were presented by people who knew
something about them. Now they tend to be presented by people whose
knowledge consists of what the 18-year old researcher has told them and
who are there simply because they bounce about, grin a lot and look good
on TV. "

" The often maligned Lord Reith believed that television should educate
and inform as well as entertain, but to the present generation of
executives this seems too difficult a concept to grasp. "

" We get the television we deserve and what we are getting today is
c**p - visual and verbal fast food that builds in its consumers not
mental muscle but mental fat. "


--
FAQ & Glossary for uk.sci.weather at:-
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/booty.weather/uswfaqfr.htm

I gave a talk on the Weather the other day to a group in Richmond, Surrey
and after a very enthusiastic response with plenty of interest in my
display a lady came up to speak to me. She apparently was responsible for
BBC TV weather in the 70s and 80s.
I said to her well you have seen how enthusiastic the public can be on the
Weather if it is put across in the right way. Yet I said these days in the
media time is cut for the forecast and it is often hurried to make way for
programme trailers etc. She agreed and despaired of the modern trends which
brings us back to the initial post re Barry Norman.
On a slightly different point it is amazing that a programme on astronomy
"The Sky at Night" should continue to run after so many years and continue
into this "fast food- flaunt what you have got"- style age yet no comparable
programme exists for meteorology unless you count the daily weather
forecasts. I firmly believe the Weather could be made into one of the
greatest programmes of all if it was done in the right way.
Ian Currie-Coulsdon
www.frostedearth.com

TudorHgh" wrote in message
...
" We get the television we deserve and what we are getting today is
c**p - visual and verbal fast food that builds in its consumers not
mental muscle but mental fat. "



Not quite sure why we *deserve* the rubbish served up. Maybe by
having
watched stuff like Big Brother in demonstrably large numbers. And
unfortunately, as some American once said, no-one went broke
underestimating
public taste. But the BBC cannot use this excuse, not being funded by
adverts.
Good old Daily Mail, though. Can't even print a rather harmless word
like
"crap" without asterisks. On the other hand, Barry Norman needn't have
used
it.

Tudor Hughes, Warlingham, Surrey.

"Ian Currie" wrote in message
. uk...
I gave a talk on the Weather the other day to a group in Richmond, Surrey
and after a very enthusiastic response with plenty of interest in my
display a lady came up to speak to me. She apparently was responsible for
BBC TV weather in the 70s and 80s.
I said to her well you have seen how enthusiastic the public can be on the
Weather if it is put across in the right way. Yet I said these days in the
media time is cut for the forecast and it is often hurried to make way for
programme trailers etc. She agreed and despaired of the modern trends
which
brings us back to the initial post re Barry Norman.
On a slightly different point it is amazing that a programme on astronomy
"The Sky at Night" should continue to run after so many years and continue
into this "fast food- flaunt what you have got"- style age yet no
comparable
programme exists for meteorology unless you count the daily weather
forecasts. I firmly believe the Weather could be made into one of the
greatest programmes of all if it was done in the right way.
Ian Currie-Coulsdon
www.frostedearth.com

Agree entirely. Incidentally I have written to Michael Grade and ordered him
to stop showing all those programme 'adverts' at once. They make me want to
throw an iron bar through the TV.

David

In message
"Philip Eden" philipATweatherHYPHENukDOTcom wrote:


"Martin Rowley" wrote in
message ...
The following are extracted from an article in today's (Friday)
"Daily
Mail": ..... I thought it might strike a chord with some here -
as it
did me. The full article was written by Barry Norman, on the
modern-day
television scene. The problem is, does anyone take any notice, or
are
we all to be lumped together as 'boring old fa**s' who have seen
better
days? I hope not.

" I regard myself .... as a fairly bright bloke and when I
embarked on a
career in TV ... I decided to treat my audience as if it were as
bright

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
(see
below)

as me. It was a philosophy that seemed to work for nigh on 30
years ..."

" Increasingly, and alarmingly, television dumbs down and talks
down.
There was a time, and you don't have to be very old to remember
this,
when programmes on specialist subjects were presented by people
who knew
something about them. Now they tend to be presented by people
whose
knowledge consists of what the 18-year old researcher has told
them and
who are there simply because they bounce about, grin a lot and
look good
on TV. "
snip

Couldn't agree more. And I'm, erm, fortunate (I guess) that
I am able to say that to one or two of those TV executives
face to face. But if they don't listen to Barry Norman they
certainly won't listen to me.

I'm doubtful about the subjunctive "as if it were" in the above
sentence (he does say he's "bright" so he should expect to
have his grammar queried), and in any case, an audience can't
really be collectively bright, certainly not in a way that it could
be compared to an individual (i.e. Mr.Norman), so "as if they
were ..." would, in my opinion, be better.

Philip Eden



I watch very little television these days. Even BBC2 is getting unwatchable,
although I do enjoy the concerts, especially when I can listen to the sound
over the radio through my hi-fi system.

I have long since given up with so-called science programs like Horizon.

Last night our 25 year old televisiom gave up the ghost. I am under pressure
from the to get a replacement tomorrow. I am not keen, although I suppse
Iwill do so for the sake of the rest of the family, who seem unable to live
without it.

And I havent forgotten a time, more than 25 years ago, when we didn't own a
television for a while. The constant pressure from the TV licence mafia, who
didn't beleive that we could exist without TV, was unbelievable. We were
accused of licence evasion over and over agsin!

Eventually I bought a TV set solely for use as a cheap monitor with my
computer. It was less cheap when you added the licence cost, although we did
not use it as a TV receiver.

If I didn't think we were ruled by the mob before that, I did afterwards.
And they wonder why I don't vote!

Martin

--
Created on the Iyonix PC - the world's fastest RISC OS computer.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/m.dixon4/

"Ian Currie" wrote in message
. uk...
I gave a talk on the Weather the other day to a group in Richmond, Surrey
and after a very enthusiastic response with plenty of interest in my
display a lady came up to speak to me. She apparently was responsible for
BBC TV weather in the 70s and 80s.
I said to her well you have seen how enthusiastic the public can be on the
Weather if it is put across in the right way. Yet I said these days in the
media time is cut for the forecast and it is often hurried to make way for
programme trailers etc. She agreed and despaired of the modern trends which
brings us back to the initial post re Barry Norman.
On a slightly different point it is amazing that a programme on astronomy
"The Sky at Night" should continue to run after so many years and continue
into this "fast food- flaunt what you have got"- style age yet no comparable
programme exists for meteorology unless you count the daily weather
forecasts. I firmly believe the Weather could be made into one of the
greatest programmes of all if it was done in the right way.

I have always thought this would be a great idea, but as you say it would
have to be pitched correctly. The Sky at Night manages to be talk to
a general audience without being patronising, so why not the weather?

You could have a programme at the start of every month that would
discuss the previous month's weather. Trends, any records broken etc.
If the month had been particularly thundery for example you could have
a feature on storm formation. And if the weather here had been
non-descript then there's always world events to consider.
They wouldn't run out of material!

We always say in this country that we are obsessed with the weather
but there's no programme for it.

What we do get are those programmes I have heard described as
'weather porn'. All the really exciting stuff with added death and
destruction for our entertainment, like floods and tornados.

Col
--
Bolton, Lancashire.
160m asl.
http://www.reddwarfer.btinternet.co.uk

On Sat, 14 Aug 2004 12:57:41 +0000 (UTC), "Col"
wrote:

What we do get are those programmes I have heard described as
'weather porn'.

We may be closer to that than you think - literally. Naked News has,
apparently, just started in the UK:

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/article/ds15323.html

In the interests of research, I checked the BBC website and found this
article about the original Canadian launch of Naked News:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/1298380.stm

and I quote: "Weather presenter Dianne Foster, however, insists the
news content is important. "I think people are watching it for the
news not the nakedness, after all you can get nakedness anywhere on
the net," she says.

The ultimate dumbing down?

--
Dave