Post by Teddy Bear on Aug 24, 2007 17:18:45 GMT
The Oh so opinionated. but Oh so ignorant, and in this case, the Oh so hypocritical PAXMAN is up in the pulpit "to attack the industry's obsession with money and its fixation with "maximising the number of viewers in order to maximise the return".
Consider that this overbloated presenter takes home a MILLION pounds a year (that's $2m for our USA readers) of license fee payers money, and works for a corporation that doesn't have to concern itself with making a profit, it goes to show the blinkard arrogance of him and his kind.
While I might agree with the premise, he'd be the last one I think should be voicing it, much less preaching.
The comments following the article are worth a read - follow the link
Consider that this overbloated presenter takes home a MILLION pounds a year (that's $2m for our USA readers) of license fee payers money, and works for a corporation that doesn't have to concern itself with making a profit, it goes to show the blinkard arrogance of him and his kind.
While I might agree with the premise, he'd be the last one I think should be voicing it, much less preaching.
The comments following the article are worth a read - follow the link
Paxman attacks TV's 'obsession with ratings'
By Nicole Martin Digital and Media Correspondent
Last Updated: 3:13am BST 24/08/2007
Jeremy Paxman will deliver a blistering attack tonight on the television industry's pursuit of ratings.
Jeremy Paxman reportedly earns over £1 million a year
As public trust in broadcasters reaches an all-time low following scandals involving the BBC, ITV and Channel 4, the presenter will make a "plea for the soul of the medium".
He is expected to use the MacTaggart lecture at the Edinburgh television festival to attack the industry's obsession with money and its fixation with "maximising the number of viewers in order to maximise the return".
The Newsnight presenter will also condemn the absence of any "prevailing sets of beliefs" about what television is essentially for.
He will liken his worries about broadcasting to the concerns expressed by Tony Blair about the "feral beasts" of the newspaper industry who, he claimed, sacrificed truth and quality in their pursuit of sales.
Looking to the future, Paxman will call for some "serious heart searching" and strong leaders who will speak out against falling standards.
The presenter will examine the morale of the industry after the scandals involving premium rate phone-in competitions, which culminated in ITV and Channel 4 freezing their phone-in quizzes, and the BBC suspending several senior editorial staff.
His attack comes as ITV lawyers continue their inquiry into how a documentary was advertised as showing an Alzheimer's sufferer passing away when in fact he died three days after the so-called death scene.
The BBC is also in the process of carrying out an internal investigation into incorrectly edited footage of the Queen.
The issue of trust will be at the centre of the three-day television festival, with some of the leading figures in the industry discussing whether "the dash for cash" has destroyed viewers' faith in television.
Sessions include Trust Me, I'm a TV Producer, in which programme makers will look back at the scandals that have hit the industry this year, and Channel 4 on Trial, which will see Andrew Duncan, the channel's chief executive, discuss whether the publicly owned station has lost its way.
Gerry McCann, the father of four-year-old Madeleine, who went missing from Praia da Luz in Portugal on May 3, will also talk about the importance of television in the search for his daughter.
Paxman's criticism of the television industry's obsession with money is likely to be viewed as somewhat hypocritical by many broadcasting executives given the presenter's own hard-bargaining when it comes to his salary negotiations.
The presenter is thought to be one of the highest paid personalities on television.
According to figures leaked to the press he earns more than £1 million a year from the BBC, including £800,000 for presenting Newsnight and another £240,000 for asking the questions on BBC2's University Challenge.
His most memorable confrontation came when he asked Michael Howard, then the home secretary, 14 times if he had threatened to overrule the prison chief Derek Lewis in a row over the suspension of a jail governor.
By Nicole Martin Digital and Media Correspondent
Last Updated: 3:13am BST 24/08/2007
Jeremy Paxman will deliver a blistering attack tonight on the television industry's pursuit of ratings.
Jeremy Paxman reportedly earns over £1 million a year
As public trust in broadcasters reaches an all-time low following scandals involving the BBC, ITV and Channel 4, the presenter will make a "plea for the soul of the medium".
He is expected to use the MacTaggart lecture at the Edinburgh television festival to attack the industry's obsession with money and its fixation with "maximising the number of viewers in order to maximise the return".
The Newsnight presenter will also condemn the absence of any "prevailing sets of beliefs" about what television is essentially for.
He will liken his worries about broadcasting to the concerns expressed by Tony Blair about the "feral beasts" of the newspaper industry who, he claimed, sacrificed truth and quality in their pursuit of sales.
Looking to the future, Paxman will call for some "serious heart searching" and strong leaders who will speak out against falling standards.
The presenter will examine the morale of the industry after the scandals involving premium rate phone-in competitions, which culminated in ITV and Channel 4 freezing their phone-in quizzes, and the BBC suspending several senior editorial staff.
His attack comes as ITV lawyers continue their inquiry into how a documentary was advertised as showing an Alzheimer's sufferer passing away when in fact he died three days after the so-called death scene.
The BBC is also in the process of carrying out an internal investigation into incorrectly edited footage of the Queen.
The issue of trust will be at the centre of the three-day television festival, with some of the leading figures in the industry discussing whether "the dash for cash" has destroyed viewers' faith in television.
Sessions include Trust Me, I'm a TV Producer, in which programme makers will look back at the scandals that have hit the industry this year, and Channel 4 on Trial, which will see Andrew Duncan, the channel's chief executive, discuss whether the publicly owned station has lost its way.
Gerry McCann, the father of four-year-old Madeleine, who went missing from Praia da Luz in Portugal on May 3, will also talk about the importance of television in the search for his daughter.
Paxman's criticism of the television industry's obsession with money is likely to be viewed as somewhat hypocritical by many broadcasting executives given the presenter's own hard-bargaining when it comes to his salary negotiations.
The presenter is thought to be one of the highest paid personalities on television.
According to figures leaked to the press he earns more than £1 million a year from the BBC, including £800,000 for presenting Newsnight and another £240,000 for asking the questions on BBC2's University Challenge.
His most memorable confrontation came when he asked Michael Howard, then the home secretary, 14 times if he had threatened to overrule the prison chief Derek Lewis in a row over the suspension of a jail governor.