BBCA pulls Eastenders unceremoniously
Written: Oct 21 '03
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Programming Quality: |
 |
|
| Program Cycle: |
|
|
| Commercial Interruption: |
 |
|
|
Pros: BBCA has the potential to be a great station by showing classic British (BBC) programming
Cons: Loyal Eastender viewers are discontinuing subscription to BBCA due to cancellation of show.
The Bottom Line: BBCA is NOT providing the best of British programming.in the US because Eastenders, which is the #1 award winning program in Britain, was cancelled.
|
|
|
| melinda96815's Full Review: BBC America |
I am extremely disappointed with BBCA. Pulling Eastenders off the air was bad enough but the way in which it was done seemed mean spirited and underhanded. The online Chat with David Bernath (VP of programming) was a farce. In addition to being evasive in his responses to selected questions he came across as patronizing and condescending. It also appears that he had decided when he took the job one year ago to make it his personal mission to rid BBCA of Eastenders. Mr Bernath's departure to London on 9/29/03 (and staying till 10/6/03) appeared convenient and part of the plan. He didn't even stick around to respond to the fans or take responsibilty for his actions.
In the chat Mr. Bernath mentioned that BBCA provides the best of British programing. I beg to differ. I lived for the past 2 years in Europe and was an avid fan of BBC 1, BBC 2 and BBC World. BBCA bears no resemblance to these stations and the programming is disappointing at best. I was hoping for more varied fair like some Simon Schama, maybe David Attenborough or some of the great BBC documentaries. I was extremely pleased that Eastenders was on the schedule and subscribed to Digital primarily for that. There are too many repeats of the same old Ground Force and Changing Rooms, which, by the way, are constantly advertised while I have yet to see ANY ads for Eastenders. It is very obvious to me that Eastenders has been set up to fail by airing it as it is without promotion. Most people time shift their programing these days by digitally recording or taping the program since the 2.5 hour block is difficult for most people to watch at a single sitting. Therefore, the time it is on really shouldn’t matter too much.
The rationale of Nielsen ratings is invalid as the Nielsen group even state themselves that tracking cable stations is inaccurate. There are only 5100 Nielsen boxes distributed. How many of these actually have BBCA which is such a niche market? The smaller number would logically skew the results. (as opposed to the major Broadcast Networks such as ABC, NBC and CBS) Also Nielsen does not appear to have a system set up for monitoring Digital. This is a direct quote from their site.
How does Nielsen Media Research plan to measure digital television?
Nielsen Media Research is in the process of testing a new metering system capable of identifying analog and digital transmission. This system relies on audio and video coding technologies. We are conducting a test of this new meter in the Northeast, and we plan to roll out this technology as the digital environment unfolds.
The average BBCA viewer is either a British Expat (and there are lots of them around) or American Anglophile looking for good British Programing. There is a lot of tape sharing among these people and they would never be included in any ratings numbers.
Eastenders is the #1 soap in the UK and just won 8 awards. It has developed a very loyal following around the world (50 countries). American soaps on the other hand are vapid and the characters are plastic in my opinion. Eastenders is gritty and real and is a slice of London life. 17 Million viewers, not to mention the power surge, in the UK when Den returned speak volumes. All soap operas have loyal followings or they wouldn’t be on the air as long as they run. Can you imagine the hue and outcry if CBS announced in the middle of ‘The Young & the Restless’ that this was the last episode? That’s what BBCA did.
Mr. Bernath pointed out that the British pay licensing fees and implied that we didn’t pay. Everyone receiving BBCA is paying an additional charge so that isn't even a valid point.
As I send this to you there are over 13,000 signatures since 9/27/03 on the online petition!!! (and these are the ones with internet access who know about the petition) This would appear to be the tip of the iceberg.
Please read some of the comments. There is a common theme:
1. Many people signed up for BBCA just for Eastenders
2. Many people are discontinuing BBCA
3. People are thoroughly fed up with constant reruns especially of Ground Force and Changing Rooms.
4. Eastenders was NOT promoted and put in a 'bad' time period. Promotion for Ground Force, Changing Rooms was continuous and never ending.
5. Eastenders is the BEST SHOW on BBCA
BBCA, I think it is time to reassess your programing. Not just the Eastenders issue but the entire schedule. Your fans are talking . It is time to pay attention.
Recommended:
No
Average Program Rating: TV G -- general audiences
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
melinda96815
|
|
Reviews written: 1
Trusted by: 0 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.