GB News

[London Lite]

Latest Guardian piece on GBN suggests that:

- Neil had signed a £700k, four-year contract but agreed to take no payment whatsoever in the end just to get out, while Angelos Frangopoulos allegedly threatened to sue him
- Other presenters are earning up to £200k a year, some of whom could be replaced by right-wing YouTubers
- Simon McCoy continues to be desperately unhappy
- Ex-UKIP MEP Patrick O’Flynn may be tapped up to come in and run the channel
- Some staff have unsurprisingly already made enquiries about joining talkTV

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2021/s...om-gb-news

Whilst undoubtedly some of this may be true, the Guardian hasn't exactly got a perfect track record on the goings-on at GB News so I'd take it with a pinch of salt. An issue with the Guardian and this topic is its natural left-leaning bias which will make it dislike the concept of GB News. Just like you'd have to take it with a pinch of salt if The Sun or Spectator reported at infighting at the BBC or Channel 4.

Private Eye also reports on negative stories about News UK publications and the Guardian, Mirror etc. I doubt they have any bias when it comes to journalists giving them insider stories from their newsrooms to report on.

[RR]

The supposed naivety of Andrew Neil, somebody who knows the industry and the political landscape and chose to ignore the numerous red flags from observers and believe what he was being told just shows how dangerous politically slanted news operations can be.

Of course too when such people realise they're on the wrong side of things it is almost always everybody else's fault. The idea that his reputation was damaged by the technical faults and amateurish launch is still fairly naive - his career was tarnished from the minute he joined GB News.

What's more he was the face of the channel in the weeks leading up to launch, getting it coverage in the press that it is likely that no one else there at the time would have been able to do. Was he as "chairman" taken in by the others, and it is only on launch he saw the programming and what was happening? All very strange. I'm sure one day the full story will be told.

[Fluffy Bunny Feet]

You’d think the prospect of having a rival park their much bigger, slicker and more well-resourced tank on your lawn might prompt GBN to try widening the scope of its programming, but no, sticking very much to type this evening:

https://twitter.com/gbnews/status/143894...31842?s=21

The monologue sounds like someone posted that on Digital Spy or copied and pasted over.

Well as someone who used to work in MSM (ITV and Sky) this is just extraordinary.
You have to ask yourself if he actually believes what he's saying.
This strikes me so much like the Fox/CNN continual on-air spats which was not unexpected but pathetic.
So if Colin Brazier does not like the BBC, don't watch it - and all this harping about them, when the Murdoch owned station is on the horizon does not bode well for his station survival.
Perhaps they should be focusing on what they can improve on their output rather than simply increase the echo from their output IMHO.

[Inspector Sands]

By the way, whatever happened with GB News' radio station? That's gone oddly quiet, they've had the slot, or it's at least been ready for them since July and a September launch was expected

[Fluffy Bunny Feet]

By the way, whatever happened with GB News' radio station? That's gone oddly quiet, they've had the slot, or it's at least been ready for them since July and a September launch was expected

I always thought GBN will go down the Youtube route like LBC too, but as you say no sign of it yet.
Maybe they are trying to focus on the TV output first as it's more expensive then simulcast on radio.

[Jon]

By the way, whatever happened with GB News' radio station? That's gone oddly quiet, they've had the slot, or it's at least been ready for them since July and a September launch was expected

I always thought GBN will go down the Youtube route like LBC too, but as you say no sign of it yet.

I don’t understand this, GBN is on YouTube like LBC. It’s just not on radio like LBC.

[Inspector Sands]

By the way, whatever happened with GB News' radio station? That's gone oddly quiet, they've had the slot, or it's at least been ready for them since July and a September launch was expected

I always thought GBN will go down the Youtube route like LBC too, but as you say no sign of it yet.
Maybe they are trying to focus on the TV output first as it's more expensive then simulcast on radio.

The main cost of radio will be the carriage, and they're presumably paying for that to reserve the slot

[TVViewer256]

Latest Guardian piece on GBN suggests that:

- Neil had signed a £700k, four-year contract but agreed to take no payment whatsoever in the end just to get out, while Angelos Frangopoulos allegedly threatened to sue him
- Other presenters are earning up to £200k a year, some of whom could be replaced by right-wing YouTubers
- Simon McCoy continues to be desperately unhappy
- Ex-UKIP MEP Patrick O’Flynn may be tapped up to come in and run the channel
- Some staff have unsurprisingly already made enquiries about joining talkTV

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2021/s...om-gb-news

Whilst undoubtedly some of this may be true, the Guardian hasn't exactly got a perfect track record on the goings-on at GB News so I'd take it with a pinch of salt. An issue with the Guardian and this topic is its natural left-leaning bias which will make it dislike the concept of GB News. Just like you'd have to take it with a pinch of salt if The Sun or Spectator reported at infighting at the BBC or Channel 4.

You might not like the Guardian, but it does seem to tally with what we've heard about the goings on at the channel elsewhere.

I haven't personally got a problem with The Guardian, and I agree that it gets many things right. However, some 'insider info' (such as Martin Daubney joining) has proven to be wrong which makes you question to what extent everything else is correct or not.

[majesticbass]

You’d think the prospect of having a rival park their much bigger, slicker and more well-resourced tank on your lawn might prompt GBN to try widening the scope of its programming, but no, sticking very much to type this evening:

https://twitter.com/gbnews/status/143894...31842?s=21

I don't understand how this can possibly comply with the rules for impartiality. I see the catch up facility is off line, but I doubt there was any counter point that the BBC is useful or anything like that anywhere in the schedules.

Is OFCOM actually monitoring this, as their idea that it can be balanced over a whole schedule makes it essentially impossible for anyone without the resources to watch 24/7 to make any kind of informed complaint.

[thecorrector]

Latest Guardian piece on GBN suggests that:

- Neil had signed a £700k, four-year contract but agreed to take no payment whatsoever in the end just to get out, while Angelos Frangopoulos allegedly threatened to sue him
- Other presenters are earning up to £200k a year, some of whom could be replaced by right-wing YouTubers
- Simon McCoy continues to be desperately unhappy
- Ex-UKIP MEP Patrick O’Flynn may be tapped up to come in and run the channel
- Some staff have unsurprisingly already made enquiries about joining talkTV

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2021/s...om-gb-news

Whilst undoubtedly some of this may be true, the Guardian hasn't exactly got a perfect track record on the goings-on at GB News so I'd take it with a pinch of salt.

What has the Guardian got wrong in its reporting of GBN? Jim Waterson is very well-connected and it seems like you resent any criticism of the channel.

EDIT: As far as Martin Daubney goes, he was described as a “potential presenter” - the paper never claimed he was a cert to join.

[London Lite]

You’d think the prospect of having a rival park their much bigger, slicker and more well-resourced tank on your lawn might prompt GBN to try widening the scope of its programming, but no, sticking very much to type this evening:

https://twitter.com/gbnews/status/143894...31842?s=21

I don't understand how this can possibly comply with the rules for impartiality. I see the catch up facility is off line, but I doubt there was any counter point that the BBC is useful or anything like that anywhere in the schedules.

Is OFCOM actually monitoring this, as their idea that it can be balanced over a whole schedule makes it essentially impossible for anyone without the resources to watch 24/7 to make any kind of informed complaint.

Ofcom didn't sanction GB News for disinformation spread by Dan Wootton claiming that the channel output throughout the day counteracts any comments made by him, so it's unlikely they'll receive a sanction for bashing the BBC.

[Brekkie]

I don't understand how this can possibly comply with the rules for impartiality. I see the catch up facility is off line, but I doubt there was any counter point that the BBC is useful or anything like that anywhere in the schedules.

Is OFCOM actually monitoring this, as their idea that it can be balanced over a whole schedule makes it essentially impossible for anyone without the resources to watch 24/7 to make any kind of informed complaint.

Exactly, especially when you consider how most people see the content now. Even if the rest of the hour was made up of a full defence of the BBC it is the two minute criticism that the channel retweets, and as seen as the tweet highlighted yesterday if they get someone on to counter an argument they can cut their response off when sharing content on social media. Obviously OFCOM don't regulate that side of things but it is perhaps something they should give more weight too in their judgements as it clearly shows the intentions of the channel.


Whilst I get why OFCOM says things need to be taken as a whole they also need to be taken in context of what the channel is quite clearly trying to achieve. For me balance across a schedule is about trying to allow a range of voices to be heard on a series of programmes, or a special season, where rather than countering an argument within the same broadcast it may make sense to do so across different episodes - for example in election programming where the Tories may be the focus of one episode and Labour the focus of another. Even then though it is rare for a programme to be 100% one sided on the situation.


I struggle though to see how they can say their is even balance across the schedule when they are clearly relegating those with opposing views to lesser slots and bringing in more that toe the company line. Of their highest profile even vaguely left-wing presenters one got the sack and the other was axed from a primetime slot to bring in someone whose views more align with that of the company and those behind it.

[bfgarmy]

You’d think the prospect of having a rival park their much bigger, slicker and more well-resourced tank on your lawn might prompt GBN to try widening the scope of its programming, but no, sticking very much to type this evening:

https://twitter.com/gbnews/status/143894...31842?s=21

Yikes, Colin has gone off the deep end. And this sort of clip just sums up the state of the channel and how it doesn't match the hype it gave pre launch. It said it would cover stories that are undercovered and be all about free speech then you get a presenter ranting that somebody at the BBC has a view they might disagree with and covering a proper 'media bubble' story. Does Donna from Doncaster give two hoots who Jim Waterson and Jess Braemer are or who’s in charge of the BBC News Channel - one big criticism of the current media anyway is that it covers the media far too heavily and GB News seem even worse at that then the usual mainstays.

Frankly Murdoch seems to have outthought GB News. He's let them run first and make a show of themselves and make all the errors and draw all the ire so then he can launch his output and it'll likely draw less ire and have learnt from the lessons of GB News.

[bfgarmy]

Latest Guardian piece on GBN suggests that:

- Neil had signed a £700k, four-year contract but agreed to take no payment whatsoever in the end just to get out, while Angelos Frangopoulos allegedly threatened to sue him
- Other presenters are earning up to £200k a year, some of whom could be replaced by right-wing YouTubers
- Simon McCoy continues to be desperately unhappy
- Ex-UKIP MEP Patrick O’Flynn may be tapped up to come in and run the channel
- Some staff have unsurprisingly already made enquiries about joining talkTV

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2021/s...om-gb-news

Whilst undoubtedly some of this may be true, the Guardian hasn't exactly got a perfect track record on the goings-on at GB News so I'd take it with a pinch of salt.

What has the Guardian got wrong in its reporting of GBN? Jim Waterson is very well-connected and it seems like you resent any criticism of the channel.

EDIT: As far as Martin Daubney goes, he was described as a “potential presenter” - the paper never claimed he was a cert to join.

Indeed some here seem to act as if say The Guardian are just making things up about GB News for shits and giggles. While I've no doubt that The Guardian's views don't align with GB News and they'd happily see it shut down, The Guardian will feel it has a reputation to uphold and won't just go around printing wild untruths particularly around something as minor as GB News. And the fact other outlets are reporting very similar to the Guardian most of the time suggests too there is an element to truth.

Also, just because something they suggested didn't happen it doesn't mean everything they say is false. For all we know Daubney (who I'm not aware of) may well have been considered to join/things may have got to a late stage before he or GB News pulled out.

People on here were very quick to write off the idea that Andrew Neil was getting cold feet on GB News and yet that turned out to be spot on.

[Brekkie]

The Times, The Telegraph and Guido have probably been more prevalent in covering the channel too, and generally not in a positive manner.