The Privy Council - an ancient body which advises the Queen, and mostly made up of senior politicians - has rejected press proposals for a royal charter. Alternative plans proposed by the government after cross-party talks will now be re-examined, with ministers saying they might consider some of the industry's ideas. Some publications, like the Guardian, say the differences between the two charters are bridgeable. Others, like The Spectator, say it amounts to a 'politicians charter' that they won't be signing up to. Steve Hewlett speaks to The Times editor John Witherow, one of the central characters in the debate, about what happens next, now the newspapers' proposals for regulation have been rejected.The BBC Director General Tony Hall has set out his big plans for the future of the BBC. They include the launch of a BBC One + 1 service, and a revamped, personalised iPlayer, offering a 30-day catch-up period. In his first major interview since his appointment in February, Steve Hewlett speaks to James Purnell - former Labour politician - now the BBC's Director of Strategy and Digital, about how the BBC's future vision can become a reality.Producer: Katy Takatsuki. Published on October 9, 2013.

BBC digital strategy; Press reform

Today the BBC Trust published a report by PwC into the BBC's failed Digital Media Initiative (DMI) technology project. Serious weaknesses were found in the management of the programme. Also, this week the Public Accounts Committee criticised a 'culture of cronyism' at the BBC for allowing excessive payouts to be made to some of its top departing executives. The journalist Simon Jenkins and Jean Seaton, Professor of Media History at the University of Westminster, discuss the culture and future governance of the BBC.

The social sharing news and entertainment site BuzzFeed attracted more than 10 million unique UK users in November. The site is best known for its light-hearted collection of lists such as 'The 24 most important selfies' or 'The 12 most tenuous newspaper headlines about Kate Middleton in 2013'. Luke Lewis, UK Editor talks about BuzzFeed becoming a serious news player.

The Danish public service broadcaster, DR, has enjoyed considerable success with The Killing and Borgen. Danish academic Dr Eva Novrup Redvall, author of a new book 'Writing and Producing Television Drama in Denmark', has spent time observing the writers' room for Borgen. She argues its success is due to the position of writers within the production culture. TV scriptwriter and author Anthony Horowitz, who is currently in production with a new series of Foyles War, talks about the writing process here in the UK.

Producer: Dianne McGregor. Published on December 18, 2013.

BuzzFeed; BBC governance; Danish writers' rooms

The former News of the World editor Andy Coulson has been found guilty of conspiracy to hack phones. His predecessor Rebekah Brooks has been cleared of all charges, in a trial which has been one of the most lengthy and expensive in criminal history. Steve Hewlett discusses what the trial has revealed about the culture of an industry competing to break the biggest stories; the relationship of the press with politicians and public bodies, and asks what damage the scandal has done to Rupert Murdoch's empire. A panel of media insiders also consider how the fallout from the hacking story, namely the Leveson inquiry and new press regulations, has impacted on journalism. Joining Steve is Nick Davies, the Guardian journalist who exposed the phone hacking scandal; Neil Wallis, former Deputy Editor of the News of the World; Lord Norman Fowler, former chairman of the House of Lords select committee on communications; journalist and Executive Director of Hacked Off, Joan Smith; Harriet Harman, Labour's Deputy Leader on her calls for tough regulation, and Peter Preston, former editor of the Guardian. 

Producer: Katy Takatsuki. Published on June 25, 2014.

Hacking trial special

The Director General of the BBC, Tony Hall, has announced plans that have been described as a, "historical moment", for BBC production. He wants to scrap quotas, which currently guarantee 50 per cent of TV programmes are made in-house. Whilst still to be approved by the BBC Trust, it's a move which has been largely welcomed by the independent sector, and rival broadcasters. Steve Hewlett talks to Natalie Humphreys, Controller of BBC Factual & Daytime Production about the proposals, and how it could impact the BBC, and Cat Lewis, Vice Chair of PACT and CEO of Nine Lives Media, a small independent production company.

The team behind the television show Benefits Street has confirmed it will film a follow-up series on immigration in Southampton. The Channel 4 show, with the working title "Immigration Street", will be shown next year. The six-part series is being filmed on Derby Road in the Bevois area of the city.
Channel 4 called it "an ethnically diverse street where the majority of residents were not born in the UK". However, local residents are concerned the programme will bring unwanted attention to the area. We hear from local councillor and resident Satvir Kaur about why she doesn't want a documentary on such an emotive issue being made in her area.

The press regulator IMPRESS has today announced plans for an arbitration service, which it says will reduce legal costs for the press and public alike. A service like this, offering affordable access to justice, was one of Sir Brian Leveson's central recommendations for press regulators in November 2012. Steve Hewlett talks to Jonathan Heawood, Founding Director of the IMPRESS Project, about whether they can offer a viable alternative to the other press regulator IPSO. 

Producer: Katy Takatsuki. Published on July 16, 2014.

BBC commissions up for grabs; IMPRESS regulation plans; Immigration Street

The BBC has come under criticism for the way it covered a police raid on Sir Cliff Richard's home. BBC News decided to film and broadcast a search of the singer's home last week, using a helicopter flying over his home in Berkshire. Since then, the organisation has been accused of breaking editorial guidelines, and will now face questions by the Home Affairs Select Committee. Steve Hewlett talks to Professor Stewart Purvis, former Editor-in-Chief of ITN, about the decision making taken in newsrooms, and crime correspondent for the Times, Fiona Hamilton, about the relationship between crime reporters and the police, especially in a post-Leveson age.

Sky TV has announced plans to improve the representation of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people across its entertainment channels, including Sky1 and drama-focused Sky Atlantic. It's pledged that by the end of 2015, all new shows on Sky entertainment channels will have people from BAME backgrounds in at least 20% of significant on-screen roles, while all original programming will have someone with a BAME background in at least one senior production role. Steve talks to Stuart Murphy, Sky's director of entertainment, about how they'll go about sourcing the talent, and to Simone Pennant who is the founder of the TV Collective, a membership organisation which works to improve diversity on and off screen.

A press freedom group says journalists attempting to report on the protests in Ferguson in Missouri are being restricted by police. We speak to Gregg Leslie from The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press in the US, and Channel 4 reporter Kylie Morris, on her experience of having an officer pointing a gun at her whilst reporting from the protests. 

Producer: Katy Takatsuki. Published on August 20, 2014.

BBC on Sir Cliff; Covering the Missouri riots; Sky diversity targets

As Facebook's latest innovation - Instant Articles - gets underway, we discuss the pros and cons for Facebook, news organisations and the public. Could this innovation be a plan to take over the news business or a way for publishers and broadcasters to reach a larger potential audience more quickly? 
Question: When is Australia part of Europe?
Answer: When it comes to Eurovision.
This year there'll be an Australian entry in the competition. Ingrid Deltenre, Director General of the European Broadcasting Union tell us why - and which other non-European country she'd like to have on next year.

And why UKTV's family of channels is so profitable - could it be all these Top Gear repeats?
Presenter: Steve Hewlett.
Producer: Paul Waters. Published on May 20, 2015.

Facebook Instant Articles, Eurovision evolution, UKTV success

Media Show

BBC Radio 4's topical programme The Media Show, presented by journalist and former TV executive Steve Hewlett, featuring the latest stories and opinion from the fast-changing world of media in all its forms - print, television, radio, online and telecommunications.

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