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Saving Storyville
DATELINE: 30/7/07
The BBC is conducting an intensive internal spending review and, according to well-placed sources, the Corporation is planning to reduce Storyville's annual budget from £2.2m to £1m - a 60% cut. Launched in 1997, Storyville is the BBC and BBC4 showcase for feature-length world-wide documentaries, including acquisitions and commissions. The budget cut will turn Storyville into an acquisitions-only strand by abolishing funding for its UK co-productions. This means there will be some 25 less documentary commissions a year for UK directors and producers.
We cannot let it happen.
With the abolishment of more than a dozen strands over the past decade, single documentaries in the UK have been under grave threat for some time. The loss of this creative habitat is already dire but these new spending cuts will destroy the ecology of creative documentaries in the UK.
Storyville, a jewel in the BBC’s crown and one of its primary sources of truly international programming, is the sole remaining strand in the BBC where directors can produce original work without the constraints of format-led programming or schedule-led commissioning. It must be not only saved but also strengthened by additional funding.
Storyville, indeed the cause of creative documentaries on British TV, needs your help.
Please list your support and get involved:
1 CLICK ON THIS LINK AND SIGN THE PETITION :
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/savestoryville/
2 FORWARD THIS MESSAGE
Open your contact book, spread the word amongst your friends, colleagues, fellow media workers and encourage people to sign the petition, write and email.
3 WRITE A LETTER TO THE BBC*:
Mark Thompson
Director General BBC
Room MC4D1,
BBC Media Centre
White City
201 Wood Lane
W12 7TQ
Jana Bennett
Dir. BBC Vision
BBC Television Centre
Wood Lane
WW12 7RJ
Glenwyn Benson
Controller BBC Knowledge
BBC Television Centre
Wood Lane
WW12 7RJ
Nick Fraser
Series Editor: Storyville
BBC Television Centre
Wood Lane
WW12 7RJ
*Please copy all letters to Mark Thompson
4 GET INVOLVED
We still need people to help organise parts of the campaign. Email Moss at mbarclay@dprs.org for further information.
Thank you.
The Campaign Team
Last modified: Monday, August 13, 2007
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Notices
Events & Announcements
World Press Freedom Day
More reporters are currently imprisoned in Turkey than in any other country in the world. Only a matter of weeks ago lawyers failed to persuade a Turkish court to release a 76-year-old journalist from a Turkish internet news station.
World Press Freedom Day on Friday May 3, 2013 is being marked in Britain by a rally to highlight the dangers facing journalists in Turkey and in this podcast, Nicholas Jones speaks to Barry White, Organiser at the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom, and Sam Bamford, the TUC's policy officer for Eastern Europe and Africa about the importance of a campaign to highlight international press freedom.
The World Press Freedom Day rally is being staged by the National Union of Journalists at the NUJ head office, Gray’s Inn Road, London WC1 on Thursday May 2, 6pm-8pm.
DATELINE: 27/4/13
UK launch of EU media campaign
DATELINE: 13/3/13
The UK launch of a 'European Citizens' Initiative' calling for EU rules against concentration of media power will take place on Thursday March 21 from 11:00am – 12:30pm in Committee Room 4A at the House of Lords, London. Guest speakers will include actor and activist Hugh Grant (pictured), media consultant Claire Enders, Professor Steven Barnett, Barry McCall (President of the NUJ) and Marc Gruber (Director of the European Federation of Journalists).
A European Citizens' Initiative is an official petition, like a Downing Street petition. If it succeeds in gathering a million signatures across the EU, the Commission is obliged to respond.
This petition calls for the EU to act to protect media pluralism and press freedom.
CPBF Annual General Meeting
DATELINE: 1/3/13
Make a note in your diary
Saturday 13 July 2013 from 10.00am
NUJ HQ, 308/312 Gray's Inn Road, London WC1.
Leveson, media ownership, CPBF future work.
DOWNLOAD FREEPRESS NOW
DATELINE: 26/3/10
Download Freepress in PDF, ePub or mobi format. Issue 194 now available.
MEDIA FOR ALL CONFERENCE
DATELINE: 26/3/10
Papers from the Media for All Conference
MEDIA MANIFESTO
DATELINE: 26/3/10
The media’s job is to inform and entertain us but we rely on them too to tell us what our rulers and representatives are up to. In the run-up to the Iraq war the government used spin and disinformation in the media to create panic and mislead people. The truth is coming out now, but we need stronger, more independent media to be able to scrutinise governments and make informed choices.
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Previous stories
Public Service Broadcasting
Stopping Murdoch Now 4
Stopping Murdoch Now 3
A new approach to public service content
PSB a dead theory
BBC - How it must change
Protecting public service broadcasting
Unions call off BBC strike
The media matters
CPBF submission on Public Service to the Culture Media and Sport Committee
Thompson and unions set date for licence fee showdown
BBC licence fee settlement - 'not good enough'
Unions and MPs in last bid to improve licence fee
Countdown to licence fee - but still time to act
BBC Licence fee - only days to act
BBC - How it must change
Murdoch moves in on ITV
Grade abandons ship
Government split over licence fee
MPs to take up campaign against BBC ads
BBC needs realistic funding for switchover costs says DG
Scotland and Digital Switchover : Ready for the Revolution?
Charter Review bypassed Parliament, say Lords
Licence fee decision delayed
Public Service Broadcasting
The BBC's future, our response
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Yes to quality – No to digital surcharge
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