The Ofcom report made a real impression on the media. The figures were startling – only 1% of the 113,000 hours of content on UK kids’ TV is new UK produced programming. Budgets have been cut, production has been slashed and UK kids and their parents are able to identify what they are losing – home grown dramas and factual programmes in particular. In a round of newspaper, magazine, TV and radio interviews SKTV and campaign supporters made real headway in getting the public to understand just what their kids are losing and how this will affect us all in future.
There have been flurries of press interest in the past – but nothing as effective as a “newsday” – which October 3rd & 4th certainly were. On the morning of the 3rd Ofcom’s report itself made most of the running but inevitably the media were looking for comment – so Breakfast News, News 24, and a host of local and national radio programmes were interviewing Save Kids’ TV and PACT spokespeople throughout the day. By the morning of the 4th when many had thought the story would be over – several national newspapers ran it again with particular emphasis on SKTV and our celebrity supporters. Philip Pullman, Michael Palin and Tony Robinson featured in several articles, including in the Sun and the Times.
Floella Benjamin was extremely busy in print on TV and radio throughout the 2 days and did a brilliant job at getting the issues across from her individual perspective as a performer and producer of kids’ TV and as a long-time campaigner for children’s rights. On Sunday the Observer Review carried a full article very much supporting the campaign.There will also be follow-up in some national parenting magazines.
For Save Kids’ TV the biggest thanks have to go to Liz Morris, our PR representative who stepped in at the last minute to co-ordinate the campaign and worked tirelessly on our behalf.
We have finally captured the attention of the press – the story is legitimate, urgent – and it’s about our kids, so it matters. Now we need to keep up the momentum and point the public to the Downing Street petition to achieve the ultimate purpose – pressure on politicians who’ll decide over the next 6 months or so whether they want to solve this problem or not.
