Post by Teddy Bear on Feb 13, 2013 17:45:24 GMT
I followed the Archers for a brief time back in the 80's but never had real interest in it. I know it's come in to a lot of criticism recently, one to do with plans to make it more 'multicultural' in line with society. For a small farming village in England its clear the writers are stretching it somewhat to put that in it.
But it does have a following, and the BBC has been running a message board where those interested could post comments on a particular show. It appears that recent ones have attracted quite a bit of criticism. Even according to the BBC, the message board attracts 10,000 views with 1000 regulars posting there, although it doesn;t say over what period of time. But with the recent criticism the BBC response has been to notify everybody that 'due to lack of traffic' they will be closing the boards.
If the BBC were being true to their charter they should welcome the attention their show receives, as well as taking on board any criticism those who pay for their programme have.
But that's not how the BBC operates. They prefer to stifle the criticism under some pretext. Clearly many of those who have been regular contributors are upset by the BBC action, and I have to say - I'm glad. More people will wake up to what the BBC are really about.
But it does have a following, and the BBC has been running a message board where those interested could post comments on a particular show. It appears that recent ones have attracted quite a bit of criticism. Even according to the BBC, the message board attracts 10,000 views with 1000 regulars posting there, although it doesn;t say over what period of time. But with the recent criticism the BBC response has been to notify everybody that 'due to lack of traffic' they will be closing the boards.
If the BBC were being true to their charter they should welcome the attention their show receives, as well as taking on board any criticism those who pay for their programme have.
But that's not how the BBC operates. They prefer to stifle the criticism under some pretext. Clearly many of those who have been regular contributors are upset by the BBC action, and I have to say - I'm glad. More people will wake up to what the BBC are really about.
Ambridge umbrage! Archers fans are up in arms as BBC 'censors' criticism of racy plotlines
By Paul Revoir
Fans angered by the increasingly racy storylines in The Archers say their views are being censored by the BBC.
From next week, critics of the Radio 4 soap will be prevented from posting their views online when the show’s messageboard is shut down.
BBC bosses claim not enough people are using it, but fans have accused them of trying to censor their comments.
One angry listener said the BBC could not take‘constructive criticism’ while another said they were ‘insulting their most loyal customers’.
The online forum currently has 10,000 users and attracts posts from listeners all over the UK. But the comments posted have become increasingly critical as fans complained about ‘sexed-up’ storylines. One compared the cost of the messageboard with one of BBC1’s Saturday night shows, saying: ‘£22million on The Voice but they can’t keep our little community going.’
Others vented their anger on Twitter. One wrote: ‘BBC is closing down the Archers Message Board. Terribly sad, an insult to their most loyal customers.’
What Listeners Are Saying
Explaining the decision in a blog, Radio 4 interactive editor Nigel Smith wrote: ‘Traffic to the messageboard has reduced greatly. While there are around 10,000 regular visitors the number of people who contribute actively has dropped below a thousand.’
One particular Archers episode has been singled out for criticism. Based on the wartime film Brief Encounter, it was described by one listener as a ‘lame, utterly humourless parody’. Titles of discussion threads on the site include ‘That really was a new low...’ and ‘Worst Episode Ever’.
pugh
There has also been criticism of this week’s return of Heather Bell to the role of Clarrie Grundy, whom she last played in 1979. Miss Bell replaced Rosalind Adams, who had played Clarrie for 25 years.
Other fans have complained about continuity errors in the script and criticised scriptwriters. On Monday users of the service were informed that web discussion pages would be closed in two weeks because use of the site had ‘reduced greatly’.
They were also told that the number of ‘active’ contributors had dropped and that they should use Facebook or Twitter to talk about the programme.
Many believe the decision to axe the service is due to the increasingly vocal criticisms on the messageboards about poor storylines and unhappiness at the general direction of the farming soap.
Following the announcement, hundreds used the messageboard to attack the BBC over the decision.
Fans are raising a petition which they hope to send to Culture Secretary Maria Miller in a bid to get the move reversed.
Underneath a posting directing fans to Mr Smith’s blog, there were more than 380 comments, most of them negative.
One read: ‘I can only conclude that the BBC does not like the way certain storylines have been received here.’
- The BBC has decided to shut down the Radio 4 show's online forum due to lack of traffic
- Angry viewers claim that the BBC cannot deal with 'constructive criticism'
By Paul Revoir
Fans angered by the increasingly racy storylines in The Archers say their views are being censored by the BBC.
From next week, critics of the Radio 4 soap will be prevented from posting their views online when the show’s messageboard is shut down.
BBC bosses claim not enough people are using it, but fans have accused them of trying to censor their comments.
One angry listener said the BBC could not take‘constructive criticism’ while another said they were ‘insulting their most loyal customers’.
The online forum currently has 10,000 users and attracts posts from listeners all over the UK. But the comments posted have become increasingly critical as fans complained about ‘sexed-up’ storylines. One compared the cost of the messageboard with one of BBC1’s Saturday night shows, saying: ‘£22million on The Voice but they can’t keep our little community going.’
Others vented their anger on Twitter. One wrote: ‘BBC is closing down the Archers Message Board. Terribly sad, an insult to their most loyal customers.’
What Listeners Are Saying
Explaining the decision in a blog, Radio 4 interactive editor Nigel Smith wrote: ‘Traffic to the messageboard has reduced greatly. While there are around 10,000 regular visitors the number of people who contribute actively has dropped below a thousand.’
One particular Archers episode has been singled out for criticism. Based on the wartime film Brief Encounter, it was described by one listener as a ‘lame, utterly humourless parody’. Titles of discussion threads on the site include ‘That really was a new low...’ and ‘Worst Episode Ever’.
pugh
There has also been criticism of this week’s return of Heather Bell to the role of Clarrie Grundy, whom she last played in 1979. Miss Bell replaced Rosalind Adams, who had played Clarrie for 25 years.
Other fans have complained about continuity errors in the script and criticised scriptwriters. On Monday users of the service were informed that web discussion pages would be closed in two weeks because use of the site had ‘reduced greatly’.
They were also told that the number of ‘active’ contributors had dropped and that they should use Facebook or Twitter to talk about the programme.
Many believe the decision to axe the service is due to the increasingly vocal criticisms on the messageboards about poor storylines and unhappiness at the general direction of the farming soap.
Following the announcement, hundreds used the messageboard to attack the BBC over the decision.
Fans are raising a petition which they hope to send to Culture Secretary Maria Miller in a bid to get the move reversed.
Underneath a posting directing fans to Mr Smith’s blog, there were more than 380 comments, most of them negative.
One read: ‘I can only conclude that the BBC does not like the way certain storylines have been received here.’
