GB News

[MotCO]

Very successful at LBC ???
Apart of few cranks , his audience was abysmal.

Do you have audience figures for him as opposed to other LBC presenters? If his figures were so bad, why did they give him an extra slot at the weekends - surely they would have got rid of him?

 

[class ep-09]

Nigel’s ex LBC colleague is free to help …

https://www.theguardian.com/austral...el-seven-after-sydney-hotel-quarantine-claims

Considering how both ended up , GB News will follow soon , I guess .

 

[Typhoon]

Nigel’s ex LBC colleague is free to help …

https://www.theguardian.com/austral...el-seven-after-sydney-hotel-quarantine-claims

Considering how both ended up , GB News will follow soon , I guess .

D@mn, they are threatening to deport her; I was hoping they would lock her up!

 

[Scotrail12]

Hopkins is too extreme for them and almost certainly would end up violating Ofcom at some point - I don’t even think much of the audience want her on it. She sealed her fate when she made those comments after Manchester.

 

[brad465]

I also wonder how his £10k bet for Trump’s reelection had panned out …

I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't his money that financed that bet (or at least he "insured" the losses).

Farage has tended to hide away from Brexit troubles that have emerged so far, I wouldn't be surprised if as more troubles emerge he tries to hide away more. This might lead to a short-lived show, or at least he tries very hard not to talk about Brexit at all on his show.

 

[nlogax]

Hopkins is too extreme for them and almost certainly would end up violating Ofcom at some point - I don’t even think much of the audience want her on it. She sealed her fate when she made those comments after Manchester.

I'm not so sure. GBN are beginning to look a little desperate. Hiring Hopkins would be a bit like sending the keeper to the opposing end in the final thirty seconds when a goal down and with nothing else to lose.

 

[Gloster]

Hopkins would get them headlines and possibly a few viewers: people who currently think that the station is too woke, those who want to see the worst of humanity (and are missing Jeremy Kyle) and those who are curious as to how bad she is. However, it will lose even more advertisers.

 

[alex397]

There are right wing commentators who I disagree with but understand their viewport.
And then there’s people like Nigel Farage, who have no journalistic integrity at all and have clearly spread fear and hate. A recent example being his public criticism of RNLI saving the lives of asylum seekers - which has led to the charity receiving a torrent of abuse.

It does look like they are scraping the barrel a bit.
In my opinion Katie Hopkins is only slightly worse than Farage.

 

[BrokenSam]

There are right wing commentators who I disagree with but understand their viewport.
And then there’s people like Nigel Farage, who have no journalistic integrity at all and have clearly spread fear and hate. A recent example being his public criticism of RNLI saving the lives of asylum seekers - which has led to the charity receiving a torrent of abuse.

It does look like they are scraping the barrel a bit.
In my opinion Katie Hopkins is only slightly worse than Farage.

Agreed. I think they both have exactly the same views but Farage can feign better.

 

[thenorthern]

Very successful at LBC ???
Apart of few cranks , his audience was abysmal.

I suppose he can help fishermen by being their representative on the media …

I also wonder how his £10k bet for Trump’s reelection had panned out …

Personally , I rather listen to my teenage son for financial / political advice that him.

For his time slot he did quite well at LBC, his audience was mixture of people who thought he was the messiah and people who thought he was the devil. Global Radio don't really care why people listen though as it's the advertising revenue.

 

[Typhoon]

For his time slot he did quite well at LBC, his audience was mixture of people who thought he was the messiah and people who thought he was the devil. Global Radio don't really care why people listen though as it's the advertising revenue.

It will be the same now, people will tune in to hear what hogwash he is talking. Added to his natural supporters and it will get the numbers up, which is what they will want - no more zero people watching. Because of the situation GBNews is in, he can probably vet what isn't (or is) discussed. He has got a good day to start: wearing masks on public transport (bash Khan), NHS App 'ping', traffic light system for overseas travel (countries moving from one to another - opportunity to have a go at the EU), swipe at Wales and (in particular) Scotland for being more reticent. Thank you and goodnight. (And he's always got the Northern Irish border to fall back on.)

OK all of that will have been on before, but not with Nige.

 

[thenorthern]

It will be the same now, people will tune in to hear what hogwash he is talking. Added to his natural supporters and it will get the numbers up, which is what they will want - no more zero people watching. Because of the situation GBNews is in, he can probably vet what isn't (or is) discussed. He has got a good day to start: wearing masks on public transport (bash Khan), NHS App 'ping', traffic light system for overseas travel (countries moving from one to another - opportunity to have a go at the EU), swipe at Wales and (in particular) Scotland for being more reticent. Thank you and goodnight. (And he's always got the Northern Irish border to fall back on.)

OK all of that will have been on before, but not with Nige.

As far as I know he won't be taking calls like he did on LBC which was what made the show successful as half the callers called him the messiah and half of them called him a fascist which was very popular with listeners. Some of the topics didn't work though like he would talk about Catalonia which didn't get that many good callers as most British people didn't understand what was happening.

I think though we have reached peak Farage now though.

 

[Typhoon]

As far as I know he won't be taking calls like he did on LBC which was what made the show successful as half the callers called him the messiah and half of them called him a fascist which was very popular with listeners. Some of the topics didn't work though like he would talk about Catalonia which didn't get that many good callers as most British people didn't understand what was happening.

I think though we have reached peak Farage now though.

He will have hand picked guests, those that largely agree with him and those he thinks he can work over, if the latter have any sense they will give his programme a wide berth. As you say, he (or at least GBNews) will welcome confrontation - gets the viewers going. A Nigel love-in is not likely to be that interesting. Catalonia - wasn't that Cerys Matthews' band? ('Hi, Nigel. Shame they broke up.')

I live in Kent, I can assure you that I (and more than a few others) reached peak Farage years ago. Still it might keep him out of our local media.

 

[Gloster]

According to The Grauniad Guto Harri has now resigned from GB News. In his resignation letter he is somewhat critical of their actions since he took the knee.

 

[tbtc]

They have decided to chase the massive edgelord market.

I fear your are right

I'd be annoyed if I were right of centre, since this opportunity for a TV version of The Times has turned into a TV version of some conspiracy theory YouTube channel instead - trying to be edgy and controversial rather than giving us the right of centre version of the BBC that was suggested (personally, I find the BBC can be painted as left or right, depending on your own bias, but I could see why people would want a grown up right wing channel)

As someone generally left of centre, I get annoyed when the media use an Ash Sarkar/ Owen Jones to represent "the left", so I imagine it must be annoying if you're a common-or-garden Tory who now sees a channel for "the right" being represented by the fringe elements

I'm no lover of Harri but he worked for both Cameron and Johnson, so I could listen to him as someone who represented mainstream Tory opinion

I think that Wootton is successful there as he's basically a Piers-lite and has a similar appeal as a presenter. They probably need someone who is a bit controversial/loose cannon type to get attention. Love or loathe Piers, his approach did get GMB the viewers because he was entertaining and got people talking with some of the things he said.

My understanding was that Good Morning Britain got lower viewing figures than repeats of Frasier on Ch 4 (and well below BBC Breakfast), but generated a lot more headlines than the more popular BBC show, since Morgan could be guaranteed to go on an attention grabbing rant to get publicity

Do you have audience figures for him as opposed to other LBC presenters? If his figures were so bad, why did they give him an extra slot at the weekends - surely they would have got rid of him?

As above re Morgan - it could be that Farage didn't deliver big numbers for LBC but did get them a lot more attention in the press/ social media than a common-or-garden presented doing phone-ins on Traffic Wardens (that may have had more people listening but wouldn't have generated as much froth on Twitter)

 

[thenorthern]

Now that Donald Trump has gone Nigel Farage will have less to talk about. Nigel Farage had a unique insight into Donald Trump which other people didn't have.

 

[Typhoon]

Now that Donald Trump has gone Nigel Farage will have less to talk about. Nigel Farage had a unique insight into Donald Trump which other people didn't have.

I don't suppose it would stop either of them (how many will watch is a different matter). (I know you were making a serious point but) he will be in pole position to interview the returning president when the election is overturned on 13th August as predicted by Mike Lindell (of My Pillow).

An indication of the organisation at GB News, the website still does not show the arrival of Farage, Andrew Neil is still on at 8 (repeated at midnight), and Dewbs & Co. (who thought that name up?) is still on for 2 hours. You would think they would want to push the programme.

As someone generally left of centre, I get annoyed when the media use an Ash Sarkar/ Owen Jones to represent "the left", so I imagine it must be annoying if you're a common-or-garden Tory who now sees a channel for "the right" being represented by the fringe elements

This is equally relevant to the 'Where did it go wrong for Labour' thread!

 

[dosxuk]

Farage has actually been involved with the channel since week one, as one of a group of panellists hosting their Saturday morning programme. It's almost like they wanted to keep that quiet because of the negative publicity that could generate them, but now, having made the decision to go all-out culture wars, that negative can just be spun as a positive and they welcome him with massive fanfare.

Farage's appointment, and the circumstances of, will cause them issues though with Ofcom. They've already had a couple of investigations, primarily around Dan Wootton's programme, but have not be censured as there was adequate balance across their broadcasts. With one of their higher-profile left-leaning presenters having left under interesting circumstances (especially that he had apparently agreed his on-air taking the knee with channel bosses, only to be thrown under the bus when the complaints came in), and the appointment of Farage to a daily programme, maintaining that balance is going to become a challenge.

 

[EssexGonzo]

With the arrival of Farage in a headline, prime time slot GB Views are now formally nailing their colours to a more extreme right mast than they’ve claimed to thus far. To date, they’ve tried to maintain the “freedom of speech” and “all views matter” charade.

Now, they’re saying they’re openly Brexity and quite possibly a little racist by investing in a grifter like Farage. His Elliott and Russian money must be getting a little low now.

 

[YorkshireBear]

With the arrival of Farage in a headline, prime time slot GB Views are now formally nailing their colours to a more extreme right mast than they’ve claimed to thus far. To date, they’ve tried to maintain the “freedom of speech” and “all views matter” charade.

Now, they’re saying they’re openly Brexity and quite possibly a little racist by investing in a grifter like Farage. His Elliott and Russian money must be getting a little low now.

That would be my take on the matter too. Surely taking the knee is free speech and I think Harri's resignation has made the point that why is what he did wrong but what farage said about it okay?

 

[XAM2175]

Quite ironic considering her stance on people who try to get around immigration rules in this country.
But you tend to find that of course with these right wing "edgelords" who seem to say things just to get a reaction - total hypocrisy in what they say vs what they do.

Yes, somebody who's made their career out of complaining that foreigners don't follow the customs and laws of this country goes to a foreign country and doesn't want to follow their customs and laws. Quelle surprise.

 

[birchesgreen]

Well they generally turn out to be massive hypocrites but their fans never care.

 

[Mojo]

Arlene Foster has joined the channel as a regular political commentator. Interestingly enough, their NI correspondent resigned over the weekend saying it wasn’t for him.

Also last week, Mark Dolan joined the channel, hosting Tonight Live on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Nana Akua will instead host a new show on weekends at 3pm, replacing a slot that was previously filled with repeats from the week’s programming (she continues to do the breakfast show on Fridays). Dan Wootton will now only be on Tonight Live Mon - Thu (instead of Sun - Thu).

 

[AlterEgo]

Arlene is an interesting hire. She's a much more interesting (and nice) individual outside the political bubble.

She's had a strange redemptive story arc this year too, with being shafted by some gross colleagues of hers, along with winning her libel case against that vile Dr Christian Jessen bloke. Still not sure I'd give 2p to hear her thoughts on much but you don't usually see people like her being mainstreamed on British TV.

 

[Sad Sprinter]

Had it on yesterday for quite a while. To be fair, it's quite watchable at times. A couple of the interviews were quite interesting and since they didn't cut in with questions all the time, the interviewee had a lot more space to go into further detail.

I think the problem is the dull sets and the lethargic presenters.

 

[Busaholic]

Arlene is an interesting hire. She's a much more interesting (and nice) individual outside the political bubble.

She's had a strange redemptive story arc this year too, with being shafted by some gross colleagues of hers, along with winning her libel case against that vile Dr Christian Jessen bloke. Still not sure I'd give 2p to hear her thoughts on much but you don't usually see people like her being mainstreamed on British TV.

Agree with you there. Mind you, it's all comparative: how many DUP (or Sinn fein, for that matter) politicians I'd choose to be next to in a situation where some sort of social intercourse was required for two minutes is tiny, though best not to mention intercourse in the context of Arlene.

 

[Scotrail12]

Arlene Foster has joined the channel as a regular political commentator. Interestingly enough, their NI correspondent resigned over the weekend saying it wasn’t for him.

Also last week, Mark Dolan joined the channel, hosting Tonight Live on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Nana Akua will instead host a new show on weekends at 3pm, replacing a slot that was previously filled with repeats from the week’s programming (she continues to do the breakfast show on Fridays). Dan Wootton will now only be on Tonight Live Mon - Thu (instead of Sun - Thu).

Dolan is good for the late night shows and gives a bit of a higher energy style to the network, a few of the others are a bit dull. I think they saw that Dan's show was actually working reasonably well compared to daytime shows so wanted a weekend equivalent in Dolan. Akua's show was a bit incongruous to the weekday offering in that slot from Wootton and she wasn't my cup of tea because of her COVID views anyway.

Noticed that the NI correspondent has left. Fair enough, he stuck around long enough for the station to settle in before deciding it wasn't for him. It's definitely a polarising station and not every political correspondent/journalist will be the right fit.

 

[DarloRich]

As someone generally left of centre, I get annoyed when the media use an Ash Sarkar/ Owen Jones to represent "the left", so I imagine it must be annoying if you're a common-or-garden Tory who now sees a channel for "the right" being represented by the fringe elements

They represent the crank left just as Farage represents the crank right. The problem is the "conservative" party currently in power is, essentially, crank right!

 

[birchesgreen]

Its a shame the NI guy has gone, the only bit of GBN i enjoyed was his reports. I haven't watched for weeks though and probably won't anymore.

 

[option]

I think it'll be here to stay.

You have to understand the business model. This isn't about attracting millions of viewers or making huge profits - it's being funded by various rich foreign people to create a feedback loop of news/opinions so that they can take an unrepresentative tweet, report it on their television station as reflecting some "silent majority", that then allows the Mail/ Telegraph to report it as being a significant opinion (because a television channel has been discussing it), which then allows Tory MPs to raise these "legitimate concerns" in parliament... and so it goes, round and round... just like the way that various "Astroturf" organisations (Taypayers Alliance etc) get views parroted by the Tory press

Funding a TV channel is quite a cheap way of getting your views discussed in parliament as somehow representative of what ordinary people are thinking.

They'll have some fun with some crowd pleasing "woke" stuff (and I despair when I see the easy ammunition that some of the left give to the likes of Titania McGrath, who seems able to ridicule them without ever needing to get out of second gear)

Whilst I am left of centre (or was, before the left started getting extra-weird), I do enjoy some voices on the right - Geoff Norcott's podcast is always worth a listen - but I couldn't do a whole channel of it. And, whilst the initial claims are that it'll be an unbiased channel, it's noteworthy that the reaction to the likes of IKEA boycotting it are along the lines of "oh, so you don't want to appeal to pro-Brexit voters". Mind you, I'm uneasy at the way that people (nominally) on the left start these campaigns/ boycotts, but that's another story!

A big chunk of the money came from John Malone, via Discovery.
However, Discovery is merging with WarnerMedia, which is being spun off from AT&T, & AT&T shareholders will end up with 71% of the enlarged company.
Neither Discovery or Warner do news, so whether they would invest any more into it...

Another investor is Paul Marshall, a hedge fund manager. Maybe he'll want GBNews to give his son a job, now that he's left Mumford & Sons...

Legatum. Well where does that money come from?

Their budget is £60 million compared to BBC news budget of £44 million

They raised £60m, to start a new channel from scratch. Quite different to an ongoing budget of £44m.
From that they've had to equip studios, pay for broadcast carriage on all the platforms, possibly/probably front-load staff contracts, etc etc. £m's.
The carriage & play-out costs are ongoing, so quite a high cash burn rate.



I suspect the investors have been majorly oversold on the potential audience figures & financials.

The profitable part of the Daily Mail is MailOnline, largely celeb/lifestyle/soft news that does well in the US.
The Telegraph no longer have audited circulation figures, their financials are appalling, & they've been up for sale for nearly 2 years.

Wonder if some of the big names involved got spooked by reports that Murdoch was looking at a Fox News UK & they weren't going to be part of it.


Sky News is 30 years old, & has the Sky subscription revenues to support it. Wouldn't be surprised if it's a useful promo outlet for Sky Sports as well. (have to remember that in the early days, Sky needed to get people to switch over from BBC/ITN, just to get people used to having more channels)

Fox News is 24 years old, & uses/used the pre-existing Fox network brand. (Fox had been the fourth US network for a decade by then)