One I Plan To Write Later

If this blog has been useful for anything yet, it has crystalised what I want to write my dissertation on.

For those of you new to my blog, I'm a 24 year old MA Broadcast Journalism student at the University of Westminster, and eventually, I hope to pursue a career in children's media.

At present I volunteer at four radio stations, including presenting the children's request at a Hospital Radio Station. Eventually I'm hoping to have my own two hour children's show on one of the hospital radio stations that I work on, but for the moment I'm content just visiting wards, chatting to the kids, and playing their requests.


Anyway, the eventual plan is to pursue a career at CBBC. Despite the recent bashing shows such as Blue Peter have received in the press recently, I'm a firm believer in the fact that the BBC is, and always has been, the best source of good, clean, homegrown children's media.

In spite of this, I must acknowledge the decline in children's media on the whole in recent years. As a child I used to flick between CBBC and CITV, hoping to benefit from the best of both channels, however, nowadays it is as if ITV has surrendered to the competition offered by specialist children's channels, and as a result, the proportion of British-made children's media has been dramatically reduced.

I plan to write my dissertation on the decline of children's media - an issue which has recently attracted the attention of both Ofcom and the Voice of Listeners and Viewers.

In order to research my dissertation, I hope to spend the next six months getting as much children's media work experience.

I hope to speak with Susan Stranks and Baroness Warnock, two of the most prolific figures in the campaign for improved children's media, and two ladies who I was lucky enough to speak with at the House of Lords at a Select Committee on the subject when I was just 17,

I will use this blog to document my findings, and explore the state of children's media today, and in the future.

Save Kids TV and the Call for Homegrown Programming

Following a report by Ofcom into children's television programming, calls have been made to increase the number of homegrown children's television shows.

Whilst exposure to other cultures through television is extremely important, I think it is important that we strike an appropriate balance.

Nowadays kids can access over 20 tv channels devoted to childrens media.

In spite of the enormous increase in programmes available to children, there has been a marked decline in British shows, with most networks chosing to import American TV instead.

Experts and media representatives have flagged up the problem of losing our oultural identity at an early age.

I think the issue goes beyond this.

Television provides children with role models and aspirational futures.

Television is a media by which children can be inspired, challenged and motivated.

Whilst American characters can obviously still achieve these things, I think it is important for children to be able to associate with the characters and presenters they see on TV.

In the same way it is important to reflect the various backgrounds and ethnicities of viewers in the shows, it is also important to form bonds with the audience through shared local knowledge and experience.

I believe it is the duty of the terrestrial channels to maintain these ties with the audience, and show children that homegrown characters and stars can do just as many amazing and fun things as characters thousands of miles away.

A second issue highlighted by the Ofcom report was the dominance of cartoons amongst children's media.

Cartoons now total over 60% of the shows designed for younger viewers.

Again, whilst escapism and imagination are important elements of childhood, it is social interaction and adult communication which helps children grow into young adults.

Cartoons are lazy television.

Great as they may be to relax to, they seldom stimulate or inspire - something which presenter interaction, and young adult drama can achieve.

Recent viewer ratings for BBC kids' shows can be shown to reflect this.

The top five CBBC shows include the magazine style show 'Blue Peter', the current affairs show 'Newsround', and two drama series.