>Up until now, regulator the ITC has deemed Sky an "unsuitable supplier" for the UK's third terrestrial network, but teaming up with Scottish TV, or possibly Ulster TV, could turn things in their favour.
>
Yet they gave Carlton a franchise. ITN on ITV is not what it was anyway.

>Yet they gave Carlton a franchise. ITN on ITV is not what it was anyway.
Definatley. But ITN's Channel Four News is rather good.

News is better on the radio.

I'm not trying to be big headed or anything, but I told you about this six months ago, in a thread entitled: SKY TO BID FOR ITV NEWS

Yes started by me I would kindly add...
this is VERY old news, if the Guardian cannot get to news faster what is the world coming to...
Anyway, about Sky...
They are without ANY doubt the best 24 hour news service in the UK at the moment, better with breaking news, I did talk to someone at the BBC about this at the time who totally denied that the BBC were slower than Sky- he did however say "we are looking to increase the speed of our news reports"...mmm
Sky have bid for news EVERY time a franchise has been available on ITV - C4 and C5 - admitable the C5 bid wasnt serious.
But I think ITV have finally got over the Brighton Bombings and Sky's total failure there, and they have realised it is an excellent news service, hence the fact it is the "chosen" channel of most of the governments around the world, above CNN or the BBC.
Sky's News at Ten is a good demonstration of how a 24 hour news channel can put together a programme of NAT calibre, showing all the days news in 30 mins, something which rivals BBC or ITN cannot do, im talking about News24 and News Channel of course...
Also, don't forget Sky is the second oldest news channel in the world...the oldest in Europe and it was going to happen that a bid like this would be put in place anyway.
I have always wondered though, how big actually are they? - I mean they seem to have loads of correspondents but they are all in London or the Middle East, it does make you wonder sometimes about the size of them....

>Sky have bid for news EVERY time a franchise has been available on ITV - C4 and C5 - admitable the C5 bid wasnt serious.
>But I think ITV have finally got over the >Brighton Bombings and Sky's total failure there,

What Brighton Bombing? What are you talking about?


>and they have realised it is an excellent >news service, hence the fact it is >the "chosen" channel of most of the >governments around the world, above CNN or >the BBC.

Even though it only broadcast to Europe... On Sky Digital it only broadcasts to the UK and Ireland


>Also, don't forget Sky is the second oldest news channel in the world...the oldest in Europe

Rubbish!

>I have always wondered though, how big actually are they? - I mean they seem to have loads of correspondents but they are all in London or the Middle East, it does make you wonder sometimes about the size of them....

They're not very big at all, their news coverage is done by a third party, Reuters I think.

>>Sky have bid for news EVERY time a franchise has been available on ITV - C4 and C5 - admitable the C5 bid wasnt serious.
>>But I think ITV have finally got over the >Brighton Bombings and Sky's total failure there,
>
>What Brighton Bombing? What are you talking about?
>

Yeah, that was TV-am, Sky didn't exist back then...

>Even though it only broadcast to Europe... On Sky Digital it only broadcasts to the UK and Ireland

Well, not strictly true. Sky News is available on Astra 19E and Astra 28E, pay-per-view both times.

>>Also, don't forget Sky is the second oldest news channel in the world...the oldest in Europe
>
>Rubbish!

Yeah that's crap. There were a fair few news channels in the US before CNN, and don't forget CNNI came before Sky News, and so did C-Span...

>Well, not strictly true. Sky News is available on Astra 19E and Astra 28E, pay-per-view both times.

This comment is utter garbage. What I meant to say was that Sky News is available Free-To-Air, in Analogue at 19E and (a few hours a day) at 1W, and in Digital at 19E and 28E. And probably on other satellites as well....

>Yes started by me I would kindly add...
>this is VERY old news

I had heard it before - I knew about Sky bidding for ITV/C4/C5 news, but I thought it was a significant development that SMG and UTV might be inclined to back such a bid.

>

>>and they have realised it is an excellent >news service, hence the fact it is >the "chosen" channel of most of the >governments around the world, above CNN or >the BBC.

I thought BBC World was the chosen channel! It is certainly available in the White House - don't know if the same can be said for Sky News.
>
>Even though it only broadcast to Europe... On Sky Digital it only broadcasts to the UK and Ireland

I think it is available on many other satellites as well as Astra. And on Astra 2A it is not encrypted so anyone with a bog standard DSat receiver can receive it from that too.

There is also Sky News Australia.
>

>They're not very big at all, their news coverage is done by a third party, Reuters I think.

The BBC are the biggest news-gathering operation, and it really does show when there is a big story in somewhere remote and they can get someone there speedily.

It's a matter of taste, I admit, but I much prefer News 24 in general, and ITN for getting the gist of a story quickly. Sky News does not do it for me, i'm afraid.

>It's a matter of taste, I admit, but I much prefer News 24 in general, and ITN for getting the gist of a story quickly. Sky News does not do it for me, i'm afraid.

Agreed mostly, though Sky News at Ten is good for a round-up of the day's news. What we need is a 24-hour version of Newsnight or Channel 4 News for 'higher quality' coverage.

>Agreed mostly, though Sky News at Ten is good for a round-up of the day's news. What we need is a 24-hour version of Newsnight or Channel 4 News for 'higher quality' coverage.

With Channel 4 rolling out channels like there's no tommorrow (anyone with OnDigital should check out channel 800 for the 4Musak channel) how long before we get N4 or C4N from the fourth.

>(anyone with OnDigital should check out channel 800 for the 4Musak channel)

I think this is just Crystal Palace. It certainly was only CP last week.

>>(anyone with OnDigital should check out channel 800 for the 4Musak channel)
>
>I think this is just Crystal Palace. It certainly was only CP last week.

Is it? Shame. I've found that quite often, this is the best thing on digital!

pardon me but I work for CNN - it did invent 24 hour news thankyou

and Sky is the second oldest you people should 1) get a degree in media like me or two work for a media company, then perhaps you would know something about it

oh and it does actually broadcast to the world as well - ie. Africa - Europe the middle east asia australia etc..
Know what you are talking about fool
And CNNI is a diversified CNN - not a seperate news channel

E4 (the test channel with the muzak) is not just from CP, but from a load of other transmitters - C4 test all their new stuff from a selection of sites only, then expand for launch - that's why some people could get the TV window on 4Text before others.

Unfortunately, C4 will not be launching a News channel, as they don't make any news programmes, ITN do theirs, and they're hardly going to start up a rival channel to ITNNC are they?

>pardon me but I work for CNN - it did invent 24 hour news thankyou
>
>and Sky is the second oldest you people should 1) get a degree in media like me or two work for a media company, then perhaps you would know something about it

Bzzzzzzzzzzt... wrong! OK CNN may have been the first *24-hour* news channel but there have been dedicated news TV channels in the US since way before CNN came on the scene, it was just that CNN was the first to actually take the plunge and go 24-hours. And I wasn't saying that CNNI is a separate channel, but it was broadcasting to Europe before Sky News came along -- QED. Sky News may have been the first European 24h news broadcaster but it was not the first to broadcast to Europe -- in fact it's advertising spiel in the early months attempted to take people from CNN because they claimed they had a more relevant service for the people of Europe, and specifically the UK.

I do know what I am talking about - like I said I work for 'CNNin', so don't try and get clever, CNN went international in 1985 - it was not designed as a European channel - whereas Sky was.
But my arguement is - Sky is better than News24 - hence the fact that Sky has greater viewing reach than News24 - and during the fuel crisis it got a 400% viewing figure increase - and double the audience figure of News24 - even though in the UK, Sky has a lower penetration - about 79% compared to the Beeb's 97% - not because the BBC is better but because they dont charge for News24 carriage.
News24 constantly gets to breaking news far slower than Sky - yes they have the correspondents but they cant break news as fast...
for example the princess. Death was broken first on Sky News - before anyone else, the Concorde Crash - French blockades - Singopore Airlines crash ., basically they get to news faster than the BBC or ITN - all you BBC lovers should take some sort of media degree and spend 2 years analysing bias in news channels - and the conclusion of the majority of the people who have, have the brains to see Sky is better.
BBC World is not the chosen channel in the White just because it is available there! - it is in fact CNN.
also if the BBC are so good then why is it that on ELECTION 97 uk - Sky were first with the correct results?
Stick with the BBC for bias news - and about Reuters- yes Sky chose reuters back in 1989 WHEN TV-AM WAS AROUND AND WHEN SKY DID THE NEWS FOR THEM - (do you even think you know what you are talking about Jase??)
Reuters provide Sky with some but not all of its PICTURES not its reporters.
They did consider ITN but it was deemed too poor - also lf you think the BBC is so good why does BBC World qet a lot of its pictures from Reuters?
If you want to watch SLOW - BIAS news coverage then yes look to the BBC - but look lo Sky ltyou want something that can call itself a news channel - also some of you should head down to MediaUK.com where people such as myself - who know something about the media and read some of the comments in the SkyD forum-
also l forqot to mention Sky is available in Canada - Ireland and parts of S.america / pacific.
and Russia - and during Kosovo was the news channel watched by all involved governments.
Bob Friend cominq to an iTV region near you soon....
and sky have current journalist of the year working for them, I think ive said what I need to.

>Stick with the BBC for bias news - and about Reuters- yes Sky chose reuters back in 1989 WHEN TV-AM WAS AROUND AND WHEN SKY DID THE NEWS FOR THEM - (do you even think you know what you are talking about Jase??)

Well EXCUSE ME c@t (and it's not often we come to blows but...) the Brighton Bombings took place in *1984*, and you're not going to tell me that Sky News was around back then because it was actually a couple of months before even The Sky Channel came on air -- so yes I do know what I'm bloody well talking about so do some research before you start flaming people.

Oh, and another bloody thing. TV-am ONLY started taking news from Sky AFTER they found out they had lost their franchise, at the beginning of 1992, as a cost-cutting measure.

>I do know what I am talking about - like I said I work for 'CNNin', so don't try and get clever, CNN went international in 1985 - it was not designed as a European channel - whereas Sky was.

So you do admit that CNNI was the first News channel to broadcast to Europe? I rest my case. And CNN had a London office before Sky News was but a twinkle in Murdoch's eye -- I remember when The Sky Channel made L!ve TV look high-brow...

And you haven't made comment about C-Span -- technically not 100% a news channel but certainly the first current-affairs-based channel to go international (even though 99.9% of Europeans (myself included) still can't get it!!)

Oh and just one other thing (last one, I promise). The examples of when Sky are 'faster' than the BBC. Sky may have got the correct results of the 97 election before the other news orgs but that was because in many cases they were jumping the gun, and on no less than 19 occasions incorrectly announced results before they came in. And in an election as cut and dry as the last one it was no surprise that a company which took this approach would be the fastest -- CBS/ABC/NBC in the US used the same ratings-chasing tactics and look at the egg on their faces.

And if anyone tells me that Murdoch media doesn't have a bias toward the Conservative party I'll laugh my head off, the number of times they quote The Times as a bastion of news-gathering is enough to make me sick.This is not to say that the BBC is not biased the other way (they of course are) but really, Sky unbiased? Don't you realise that the only reason Sky got the fuel blockade story first is because The Sun was telephoned by that Williams character?

>Oh and just one other thing (last one, I promise). The examples of when Sky are 'faster' than the BBC. Sky may have got the correct results of the 97 election before the other news orgs but that was because in many cases they were jumping the gun, and on no less than 19 occasions incorrectly announced results before they came in. And in an election as cut and dry as the last one it was no surprise that a company which took this approach would be the fastest -- CBS/ABC/NBC in the US used the same ratings-chasing tactics and look at the egg on their faces.

Indeed - the recent American election has shown what a complete farce it is to anounce results that way.

The sheer fact that Al Gore almost conceeded before official results were even announced, scares me. It shows that the US politicans care little what the voters say, but more what the media organisations say.

I'd rather get accurate results from a reliable news source any day.

News 24 may not be the 'fastest' on the block but it tends to get it right.

Sky's football results teletyper is much faster than Grandstand's, and they usually get that right.

Not particularly relevant, I grant you, but I get slightly pissed off at the way the BBC would rather have a computer going bip bip bip bip bip bip bip bip bip bip bip bip bip bip bip much slower than necessary (thanks for the spelling there) than just tell you the fucking results.

Rant over, carry on.

im deeply annoyed as I was in the middle of typing something just ready to be posted and the computer crashed, however...
The main point of what I was about to post was,....
If I can remember,,,

- I did read that Sky had missed the Brigton Bomb but I will take it one your authority that it was in 1984 and of course Sky was not about then...
However, Sky is in my opinion with its interactive news service as well as the main channel still the best when It comes to news/breaking news - incidentally the Tech director of News Active says that there will be an update to it soon with more video screen and a live 24 hour feed to FOX News in the states (oh god help us all)..anyway, oh and another thing, I work for CNNin not CNNI - CNN INteractive!! not international :)
however, Take for example Sky News and News24, News24 graphics are totally up the spout, I do not want 4 dogs, one for each corner of my screen! - I want none, but If I need any i would like a small cluster like Sky or - ITN who have done it superbly, in the corner of the screen.
Taking for example some breaking news I remember quite well about the Singapore Airlines jet...
News24 said NOTHING about it until Sky had had the Breaking News banner up for AT LEAST 15 mins, and when they did they said about 2 mins worth of stuff on it, meanwhile Sky were talking to reporters in Taiwan and their Asia correspondent as well, whilst the BBC were talking about Sven Goran Ericsson (sp).
Also the Chris Woodhead resignation, the BBC didnt realise what a story this was until Sky started running a 30 mins breaking news report on it, with lie interviews etc.
The BBC did a 2 mins piece on it, whilst at the same time Sky were talking to the head to the NUT amongst others and the shadow Home secretary live, and BBC took thier interviews and branded them as thier own, and that isnt right!-
When Legacy won the dome well sort of Sky were the first to speak to the owner of Legacy, in the Live AT Five programme and other people involved with it.
Sunday with Adam Boulton was the show which revealed Mowlem (sp) took drugs whilst all of the other networks were not interested until she said something, Sky have set up this new investigations until - something the BBC have had for a while now, but Sky's seems to be more relevant and interesting.
Also, business news on the BBC is cheap and graphics never work, the sports roundup it typically BBC and poor.
They have no business report in the evenings - except for World Business report with a stupid tit who is not a business reporter and is more like a comidian.
They do weather reports from the middle of a bloody fruit market -it is so noisy.
About bias in the news, the BBC are more bias than any other news org in the UK - they are thought of as being more conservative than any other network,- and when Sky launched Thatcher - ok so its her but..- she said "This is Mr Murdoch who gives us Sky News,. the only unbias news source in the UK" -- thats proof enough.
The fact is yes Sky is a little bias, but no where near as much as the BBC.
If you like the BBC then fine but, I would rather hear, "going now to *** crown court where *** is waiting to talk to us" on Sky than the "We will have more on that as we get it...[PAUSE] here on BBC NEWS24!!!" - I dont want that!! - I want to watch the live interview they are doing on Sky News, not Jane Hill telling me the BBC will find out the facts from Sky- steal extracts of their interview, compile it using a reporter we have never heard of, call it a report and then say that is "more" - when I could have watched all that live and uncut on Sky!.
And if Sky was so bad why was it the first network to say that Major was going to resign - before the BBC or ITN? - this was even before Major said it himself...
Also, have a look at
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/cgi-bin/tso_fx?DB=tso
and then type in Sky News- find the stuff on it, cut through all of the journalist profiles, which some of them can be quite funny - i.e. "Works for the BBC for a nominal fee" - haha
anyway cut through that and find the reports on the media, Sky gets higher viewing figures than news24 - it has more people watching it for 15 mins per day than any other news channel in the UK, Sky News Australia is the most watched news channel in Oz - with the PM making regular appearences on it, and they take their news from not only Sydney, but also from London and main Sky News UK/ World coverage, and it is still the most watched..
It got a 400% viewing figure increase in the fuel crisis as I have said, News24 didnt.
And if Sky is such a tiny little thing who ever said that - why is it that Sky News, not Reuters, but Sky News has bureaus in London and across the Uk - Dublin, Belfast, Washington, New York, LA, J'burg, Sydney, Brussels, Serbia, Moscow, Bejing, Jerusalem , you can find most of them at a website about news bureaus just forgot the address :( - yes the BBC has more but for heavens sake - there are some more Sky ones just cant remember them!
Anyway, some thing to heal the wounds unless you already kno

>Also the Chris Woodhead resignation, the BBC didnt realise what a story this was until Sky started running a 30 mins breaking news report on it, with *lie* interviews etc.

A typing error if ever there was one, I did of course mean LIVE :)

>yes the BBC has more but for
heavens sake - there are some more Sky ones just cant remember them!
Anyway, some thing to heal the wounds unless you already kno

Ok all that was wrong as well, for some reason I cant type today - I meant the BBC has more because it has longer to work on its act, and C-SPAN forgot them are a politcs network and broadcast on BBC Parliament sometimes, but to be honest they are older than Sky yes, but American!
anyway this thing, which I did type but it hasnt appeared it about Sky TEXT...

Go into Sky News channel 501
Press RED on the remote to load ACTIVE
when its loaded press BACKUP *once* -
Wait for the PRESS SKY TO EXIT, dog appears
Press BACKUP again so the DOG goes away
Wait for the DOG to come back saying just ACTIVE on it
Press TEXT on the remote - this may have been said in the forum before but if it hasnt then im first with it...and your not stupid, I was just very annoyed