ITV

Tag: examine

  • US seminar to examine the future of public broadcasting

    MUMBAI: The American Cinema Foundation (ACF) will present Finding the Future of Public Television.

    This is a two-day workshop from 14 -15 October 2005 in Los Angeles and is sponsored by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).

    This event features panelists and special guests who will provide an unusual variety of perspectives and insight on whether or not US pubcaster PBS has the ability to fully represent America’s diverse culture in today’s political and economic climate.

    This forum will explore issues of agenda setting, implicit bias, and cultural prejudices which exist both within and around political party lines. This event will be the first in a continuing series. Each panel will attempt to identify an area of consensus about the future of the public television system. Public television broadcasting has been around in the US for 40 years. The organisers of the event state that it has been one of the most visible expressions of the sense of the common good in arts and education. However there is concern that this sense of a shared culture may be lost in today’s partisanship.

    In one of the session TV producers and writers consider why they and others like them don’t produce more for public television. Why do shows that take on the hot topics of the day (from Bill Maher to Dennis Miller), and shows whose genres originated on public TV, end up on cable? What part does politics play? How can public broadcasting hold its ground? The panellists include Harry Shearer who has written episodes for The Simpsons and Peter Robinson a presidential speechwriter.

    Another session is titled Will You, Won’t You Join the Dance. The Experience of Producing for Public Television. Veteran producers who feel that their programming has been marginalised because they hold viewpoints that fall outside the mainstream of current PBS culture speak. How should stewards of a national trust go about the business of funding and distributing programs that represent a wide spectrum of positions, while maintaining their own personal and political views?

    Public Television Confidential: A Look at Basic Premises examines the question of whether publicly funded programming meets its own high standards, and whether we ask enough of the system that spends our dollars. Is Sesame Street still the utlimate in quality educational programming? Is it fair to ask producers to treat more of the US’ widely held values as legitimate?
     

  • Discovery to examine the relationship between science and film

    MUMBAI: In a bid to add diversity to its programming repertoire Discovery will showcase a series that examines the effect the cult classic Star Wars had on scientists.

    The Science of Star Wars will premiere on the channel in April.
     

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com this evening Discovery brand director marketing Raja Balasubramaniam says, “It looks at how the Star Wars movies sparked off the imagination of a lot of scientists.

    A lot of what they show in the films as science fiction is true today. Then there is Return to Flight. This looks at the workings of Nasa. It looks at how the space organisation regrouped after the disaster.”

    Discovery will also be kicking off a localised show in April called Yatra. This will take viewers to exotic locales around the country. Then there is a show called Days That Shook The World. This will showcase days where importance events like Lady Diana’s death and Martin Luther King’s assassination. Each episode will focus on two days, which have a unique link with each other. Discovery, “
     
     

    In addition for lovers of natural history the channel will air The Year Without Summer, This talks about an volcanic eruption that took place in the 1800s. The effect was s severe the sun was blocked out by particles. The show will look at how there was snow in some areas where the phenomenon does not exist.

    However Balasubraniam adds that the channel is not looking to create new genres of programming. The channel already has blocks like history, wildlife, science and technology and mystery.

    “This is what we specialise in. When you look at current history or ancient civilisation the treatment and the way we look at it will get changed. However we will not move away from our current template which is satisfactory.”

    On the marketing front Balasubramniam says, “For Virtual history most of our promotion has been on air. We will be doing some print activity over the next couple of days and some radio spots. We are not doing a blitz. For Animal Planet we were able to create buzz last year with roadshows. This year the plans are at an evolving stage. Having said doing lots of marketing
    and spending loads of money is often not the best way
    to go about business.”

    Potential for mobile limited: A few days ago indiantelevision.com had reported that Discovery had decided to jump onboard the mobile platform. It teamed up with Volantis. Volantis which supplies intelligent content adaptation solutions and services will develop, deploy, and host Discovery’s all-new
    global mobile portal.

    The rollout begins in Asia later this year. Discovery’s global mobile service will be available through the branded portals of mobile network operators, as well as ‘direct to device’ for subscribers who have Internet access via their mobile phone.

    When asked what the plans for India were Balasubramaniam was doubtful whether Discovery would look at the mobile as a serious revenue source. “There are no immediate plans. The mobile works for SMS messages and contests. For content however my phone is so small that I do not know what you can see. I am more optimistic about broadband being a useful
    delivery platform.

    “With mobile my experience in India is that one might check something out if you are travelling and are bored.” As far as DTH is concerned Balasubramaniam said that the broadcaster has an open mind to joining a platform. When it was pointed that DD wanted channels to join for free he reiterated that a deal would be entered into if it was satisfactory. He also
    maintains that there are no plans to bring in any more channels this year.