A strong majority of Britons would like to see a wholesale change in the way the BBC is funded, according to a new survey. The current system charges a license fee to anyone in the UK owning and using a television, and the funds from that tax go to support the government-backed broadcaster. But with the advent of cable and satellite networks, many of which target the same audience as the venerable BBC, the license fee has become increasingly controversial, and it no longer seems certain to continue in perpetuity.
Tag: 03.06.04
Art, Fame, & Unintended Consequences
Winning Australia’s $35,000 Archibald Prize is one of the fastest ways for an artist to get a stunning amount of media exposure, so it’s no wonder than so many enter. But as any Hollywood celebrity will tell you, fame ain’t all it’s cracked up to be. “Winning the annual portrait prize has many consequences for the careers and lives of artists, beyond the sudden fame. Doors open, certainly, and commissions might follow. But bruised egos, ruined friendships and a broken marriage have been among its unanticipated results.”
Just Like School, But Without The Pop Quizzes
The civic reading programs that seem to be springing up all across America have a suspicious ring of junior high to them, writes Patti Thorn: “Reading is personal; do we really want to follow a crowd in our march to literacy?” But there does seem to be some merit to the idea of encouraging average folks to dissect the plot of a community-read book the way we all used to hash over the latest episode of Seinfeld, and the book Denver has chosen for its citywide read is uniquely positioned to promote not only literacy, but community as well.
Is The Pop Critic Irrelevant?
“Thanks to fan blogs, artist Web sites and legal (and not so legal) downloadable music that’s often peer-reviewed, a music fan can get instant information – and opinion – about an artist without ever turning to the pages of Rolling Stone. Or a fan’s daily newspaper, for that matter… With so many new outlets for music fans to connect with artists and vice versa, and with the days of hanging with the band on the tour bus for a week more often than not replaced with a 15-minute phone interview of say-nothing sound bites, has the pop music critic become as outdated as an eight-track tape?”
What Defines Good Writing About Art?
Charles Saumarez Smith, director of London’s National Gallery, has just become a juror for a new competition to find the best writing about art. But what defines good writing about art, these days, he wonders…
Courting Oblivion – Are English Court Buildings In Danger?
“A report by the conservation group Save says that Britain is in danger of throwing away a treasury of court buildings, usually the most important civic buildings – architecturally and socially – in their areas.”
Defending The French (Language, That Is)
Two prominent French intellecftuals are brawling over protecting the French language. “The pair’s vitriolic if eloquent spat is the latest expression of a debate that is increasingly dividing French writers and intellectuals: how best to ensure that their language survives intact the onslaught of English at home, and does not disappear altogether abroad.”
Indie Labels Thrive In A Downloading World
“As the bad news keeps befalling the music recording industry giants – downsizing, filesharing, another Britney tour – the struggling major labels are looking for help and are relying more and more on small independent labels to find and nurture new bands. “Instead of signing more baby acts, they are signing more baby labels.”
Met Opera Makes Public Appeal For Broadcast
The Metropolitan Opera broadcasts will continue next year, after the Met raised money to cover the costs. But the company says help will be needed from Met fans if the broadcasts are to continue beyond that. The Met says “the search for another corporate sponsor had been difficult. ‘The corporate community looks at the radio broadcasts and doesn’t believe it’s a good media buy, that we don’t reach enough listeners. They are better off having commercials on big sporting events.’ The Met broadcasts are carried on more than 350 stations in 42 countries, reaching 11 million people, the Met says.”
Is The TV Sitcom Dying?
It would certainly seems so, given what’s currently on the air. And there seems to be little creativity coming along to take the place of the shows going off the air. A panel of TV folk gets together to talk about the state of the art: “Though everyone agreed that the traditional sitcom was coming to the end of its dominant era, they said that what is ahead is visible only in fragments. Forces like talk radio and the Internet have made the tried-and-true development process too slow in responding to the cultural climate; the adult-content comedies available on cable have made conflicting demands on the networks, both to sauce up their offerings and to offer clean-cut alternatives. And financial pressures are always an issue…”