The South Bank Show is coming back!!

[Chris Newman]

http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/newss...t-for-tv-drama

Well? He would say that, wouldn't he? Lolly.

[MrGongGong]

It's all "product"

[Mr Pee]

It's all "product"

Your point being??

[MrGongGong]

The point being that when these things cease to be profitable they will vanish
not everything should be treated as a commodity
there is a debate to be had about WHAT should and what shouldn't

but its more than a little naive to trust Rupert and chums

[Alison]

How true Mr GG.

[amateur51]

You must be confusing me with a News of The World reader. I believe that is where the problem was.

I think I bought a copy in about 1978, but not since.

Meanwhile, I'll continue to enjoy Sky's superb Classical music and Arts programmes.

You don't know what you're missing.

You're right, Mr Pee! And that suits me fine!

[Mr Pee]

The point being that when these things cease to be profitable they will vanish
not everything should be treated as a commodity
there is a debate to be had about WHAT should and what shouldn't

but its more than a little naive to trust Rupert and chums

It must be awfully difficult to live on your world, Mr. GG, micro-analysing every thing that comes your way.

Here we have a broadcaster tripling its spending on the Arts, with a Channel that broadcasts a huge amount of classical music, dance, opera, and theatre- much of it live- while the BBC is heading in the opposite direction, dumbing down Radio 3, contemplating cuts to the BBC Orchestras, and cutting back on BBC4, and yet you somehow dissaprove because the broadcaster in question dares to make a profit? How else are they going to put all this money into their arts budget?

This is the world we live in, Mr.GG. I think we should just be grateful that at least one broadcaster in the UK supports the arts.

[MrGongGong]

did I "disapprove" ??

don't think so

[Chris Newman]

Here we have a broadcaster tripling its spending on the Arts, with a Channel that broadcasts a huge amount of classical music, dance, opera, and theatre- much of it live- while the BBC is heading in the opposite direction, dumbing down Radio 3, contemplating cuts to the BBC Orchestras, and cutting back on BBC4, and yet you somehow dissaprove because the broadcaster in question dares to make a profit? How else are they going to put all this money into their arts budget?

This is the world we live in, Mr.GG. I think we should just be grateful that at least one broadcaster in the UK supports the arts.

If we could be sure that all of the profit being spent was legally garnered we might feel a little more confident about following your argument. And apart from that little tip of the iceberg I have never trusted Roopy's political motives (much the same as Silvio's but on an international scale).

[MrGongGong]

Don't worry your little heads though
its only the arts and has NOTHING to do with politics

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

This is the world we live in, Mr.GG. I think we should just be grateful that at least one broadcaster in the UK supports the arts.

I think the point is (and forgive me for "micro-analyzing" here) that the "support" is temporary and entirely cosmetic. Murdoch wants to gain Kudos and some kind of credibility as a "serious" Broadcaster only so that he can continue to undermine the "privileged" (through its funding) position of the BBC. Put bluntly he wants to bring down the BBC so that his own profit-making concerns have an effective monopoly. He holds the Arts in contempt and his Arts programming, whilst at present very tempting, will be shorn once the Beeb is crippled. The parallel with what he did with The Times is striking.

I'm sorry, Mr P: we "lefties" so often shoot you down for being negative on these 'boards it must seem particularly galling when we also jump down your throat when you're being positive about something. But I do believe that your enthusiasm for Sky Arts doesn't recognize the cynical (at best; sinister at worst) motives lying behind that company's output.

Best Wishes.

[Flosshilde]

You must be confusing me with a News of The World reader.

Easily done

You don't know what you're missing.

Well, I did stay in a holiday cottage recently that had access to Sky Arts 2, & I did watch some programmes. They all seemed to have been produced by someone else, & bought in by Sky. & when I looked at the schedules there only seemed to be about half a dozen programmes, repeated on a loop.

[Mr Pee]

I think the point is (and forgive me for "micro-analyzing" here) that the "support" is temporary and entirely cosmetic. Murdoch wants to gain Kudos and some kind of credibility as a "serious" Broadcaster only so that he can continue to undermine the "privileged" (through its funding) position of the BBC. Put bluntly he wants to bring down the BBC so that his own profit-making concerns have an effective monopoly. He holds the Arts in contempt and his Arts programming, whilst at present very tempting, will be shorn once the Beeb is crippled. The parallel with what he did with The Times is striking.

Well, time will tell, won't it? I suggest we wait and see before jumping to conclusions. It seems a shame that music lovers are so cynical about a broadcaster who is so supportive of the Arts.

I'm sorry, Mr P: we "lefties" so often shoot you down for being negative on these 'boards it must seem particularly galling when we also jump down your throat when you're being positive about something. But I do believe that your enthusiasm for Sky Arts doesn't recognize the cynical (at best; sinister at worst) motives lying behind that company's output.

Best Wishes.

I can't win, can I??

But thanks for the good wishes......

[Flosshilde]

I don't think the Murdoch clan is supportive of anything except their own pockets.

[Mr Pee]

Well, I did stay in a holiday cottage recently that had access to Sky Arts 2, & I did watch some programmes. They all seemed to have been produced by someone else, & bought in by Sky. & when I lloked at the schedules there only semed to be about half a dozen programmes, repeated on a loop.

Practically all programmes are produced by outside broadcasters- the same applies to the BBC. The point is who commisioned them in the first place.

I would certainly take issue with the half-dozen programmes- it is the nature of 24 hour broadcasting that some programmes will be repeated over the course of a week or so, and Sky Arts is no exception. And it can be useful- if I miss something the first time around I can usually catch it later in the week- and overall there is a huge range of music and arts on offer- off the top of my head over the past few months I've watched broadcasts of The Ring Cycle, Tristan, Lohengrin,Tosca, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Peter Grimes, Wozzeck- yes, I gave it a go!! - as well as live concerts featuring the BPO, BFO, Martha Argerich, Gidon Kremer, and documentaries on everything from Stradivarius to the history of the RPO, Maria Callas, and a series looking behind the scenes at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. There's plenty more that I can't recall at the moment, but compared to the meagre offerings from the BBC- Proms excepted- it has been a feast indeed.