Broadcasters: be Afraid, VERY Afraid

Moral panics rarely make good laws or regulation. The tragic death of Steve Dymond (pictured), who committed suicide after taking a lie detector test on the Jeremy Kyle Show, is the latest example. Ofcom is now proposing to introduce rules… Continue

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No sex please, we’re Ofcom!

Well, not quite…but any explicit sex must be limited and shown late in the schedule. That is the message from three breach findings Ofcom published this week (Bulletin 381) against Channel 5. The broadcaster transmitted three observational documentaries about the… Continue

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KYLE AFFAIR – FOUR THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

ONE: The row over the Jeremy Kyle Show will have come as manna from heaven to some ITV executives. Although the show regularly still attracted one of the channel’s highest morning audiences, after fourteen years its lowbrow image and confrontational style have appeared increasingly tired… Continue

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Ofcom: “When in doubt – censor!”

This week’s Broadcast Bulletin from Ofcom is a bumper one: 132 pages in total, and although the Jimmy Carr decision (on which more later) grabbed the headlines, many of the others are worthy of comment – not least that involving… Continue

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