When I first became an executive producer I used to hate italics.
Let me explain:
After a programme is transmitted on the BBC a few viewers normally
phone the duty log or write in saying how much they enjoyed the programme or
complaining about the programme. The correspondence and a summary of each
phone-call is collected and then forwarded on to the executive producer. Some of these comments are italicised.
Italics indicate that the person leaving the comment has asked for
feedback. As an executive producer, that means that for the next twenty minutes (or longer) I have to draft a response explaining why I have made certain editorial
decisions, or even made the
programme at all.
People often think that faceless automatons answer complaints to the
BBC and we just send out standardised responses. Standard responses can be sent
out if we receive a number of emails, phone-calls and letters raising the same
point, but the executive of the programme or a senior member of the production
team originally drafts even these responses.
It's BBC policy to read and respond to comments, and we owe it to the people who pay
our salaries - the license fee payers - to be as accountable as possible.
I say I used to hate italics because they meant extra time out of
my working day. But over the years I’ve grown to realise that they are
incredibly useful. They force me to think about my programmes in more detail
and can force me to confront an issue that I may not have adequately
thought about while making the programme. They can influence my editorial decisions when making future programmes.
The reason I raise this is because I was on a panel
discussion recently about under-representation of African-Caribbean people
in television. The discussion was lively and the audience raised concerns about
black people on TV across the different broadcasters from the BBC to Sky.
As the audience voiced grievance after grievance about how
television treats black people I asked them if any of them had ever written to
any of the broadcaster about it. Or if they had ever called a channel after
they had watched a programme they were particularly annoyed about. The answer
was a resounding silence.
These were people who clearly felt strongly enough about TV
Diversity to take the time out on a rainy weekday evening to leave their warm
homes to discuss it. But not one of them had raised their concerns with people
who actually mattered.
Some of them may have put comments on their Facebook page about “negative
portrayal of black people in the media” or tweeted about “#LennyHenry and his
Bafta speech”. But no one in the BBC, ITV, C4, C5 or Sky had received the
equivalent of an italicised comment demanding a response. No one in the audience
had made one TV exec stop and think about their editorial decisions, or
possibly influenced an exec’s future editorial decisions.
In the last few days I have seen that TheTVCollective - an organisation
raising concerns around diversity in television both in front of and behind the
camera - has launched an email
campaign for people to email the Minister of Culture Media and Sports Ed
Vaizey supporting Lenny Henry’s Bafta speech calling for ring-fenced money.
Whether you support TheTVCollective’s specific campaign or not I
believe the idea of emailing, phoning and simply letting the people in
positions for power know what you think about TV Diversity is long overdue.
If you see a programme that covers diversity well please call and email the broadcaster about it. I know
from experience that it is easier to get a re-commission if you have a stack of
positive feedback behind you. If you don’t like a programme tell us, it really
does make us think twice. And finally if you have thoughts about television in
general let the broadcasters or people in power know. It’s doubtful your
#Diversity tweet will be read by any TV execs, Director General or Culture
Minister but a comment to the right email address will - especially if you ask
for feedback.
Make my day and fill up my email inbox with italicised emails.
(Don’t know how to contact your ‘favourite’ TV channel? Find the
website links below packed full of
useful email addresses, postal addresses and phone numbers)
Channel 4 www.channel4.com/4viewers/contact-us
Channel 5 www.channel5.com/contact-us
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