I'm beginning to get a little cynical about social networking sites, however I do have to admit I quite like the sound of BBC3's new project - a show based around social networking, hosted by Lily Allen, and contributed to by her MySpace friends.
Lily Allen rose to fame as a result of the site, and her revealing blogs have shown her to be an approachable and realistic role model for youngsters.
The straight-laced traditionalist in me does quite like a good role model.
As the Ofcom report into Chilren's TV highlighted a few weeks ago, a worrying number of children aspire to be the people they see on TV.
Whilst we can try to tackle this idolistic trend by better educating children as to who to look to as role models, another way to stem it is at the source.
If producers look more carefully at the role models they are providing for children, then hopefully even if children do continue to idolise tv personalities, they will be aspiring to mimic positive traits.
Lily Allen is independent, talented and real.
She appears to eat like a normal person, is not overly concerned with her appearance, and is not photographed drinking, or smoking.
She doesn't promote drugs, and has remarkably appears to have carved herself a successful career without abusing her father's fame.
She also sings and speaks about things which teenagers can understand and empathise with.
Admittedly my straight-laced nature would perhaps prefer her to be a little more well-spoken, and a little more geeky!, howeve, kids like her, a fact which the popularity of her MySpace page has starkly proven.
To build on this success, and use it to enable children to contribute to a show is a great way to improve the multifaceted nature of today's media, and hopefully the BBC will put this popularity to good use.
Showing posts with label children's television. Show all posts
Showing posts with label children's television. Show all posts
Saturday, 10 November 2007
Monday, 29 October 2007
Get Active!
Firstly apologies for the massive gap since my last Blog.
I do have an excuse! I've been on Brownie Pack Holiday!
And it actually fits in rather nicely with the today's hot topic involving children and the media - obesity.
The media are frequently blamed for our nation's ever-expanding waist bands.
Whilst advertising fast food, and promoting couch-hogging as an afternoon activity are obvious ways in which the media can be seen to play a part in childhood obesity, children's television can also be used to promote healthier lifestyles.
Here I return to one of my key 'mantras' of children's television.
Show children what life has to offer!
Show them the challenges, and they will seek them out for themselves.
Last week my Brownies were abseiling off towers, wriggling through man-made caves, and firing bows and arrows.
What they were also doing was burning a heap of calories, but if you asked them the purpose of their activities, they would have told you 'fun'.
Healthy activity can be fun - you just need to show kids that it is.
That's where shows like Blue Peter, my holy grail of children's tv, come in.
When the presenters run marathons, or go sailing or dancing, kids want to follow them.
All we need to do to to reduce the negative links between media and child obesity is to increase the number of active, insiring children's programmes.
Living a healthy life does not mean living a boring one, or one without tv!
I do have an excuse! I've been on Brownie Pack Holiday!
And it actually fits in rather nicely with the today's hot topic involving children and the media - obesity.
The media are frequently blamed for our nation's ever-expanding waist bands.
Whilst advertising fast food, and promoting couch-hogging as an afternoon activity are obvious ways in which the media can be seen to play a part in childhood obesity, children's television can also be used to promote healthier lifestyles.
Here I return to one of my key 'mantras' of children's television.
Show children what life has to offer!
Show them the challenges, and they will seek them out for themselves.
Last week my Brownies were abseiling off towers, wriggling through man-made caves, and firing bows and arrows.
What they were also doing was burning a heap of calories, but if you asked them the purpose of their activities, they would have told you 'fun'.
Healthy activity can be fun - you just need to show kids that it is.
That's where shows like Blue Peter, my holy grail of children's tv, come in.
When the presenters run marathons, or go sailing or dancing, kids want to follow them.
All we need to do to to reduce the negative links between media and child obesity is to increase the number of active, insiring children's programmes.
Living a healthy life does not mean living a boring one, or one without tv!
Saturday, 13 October 2007
Cambridge University's Primary Review
The results of yesterday's review into primary school children have furthered worries about literacy, anti-social behaviour, materialism and the cult of personality.
And rightly so ...
Whilst many primary-age children struggle to even spell their name, when it comes to celebrity identity they are all clued up.
PR and Marketing agencies are appealing to younger and younger audiences, having identified the persuasive influence children have over their parents' spending.
With 'young' versions of adult magazines, and evening television created for an ever expaning age-group, children are growing up far too fast.
The world these days is increasingly materialistic and celebrity obsessed.
And children are being thrown into that world far too early.
You only have to look at the front pages of the very magazines which peddle the cult of personality to see the damaging effects of the world they have created.
Stars are dropping like flies, spiralling into depression, drug abuse, and nervous breakdowns.
Children should be sheltered from the realities of the 21st century, not used to financially support them.
When I was seven I just about knew who Kylie Minogue was.
I had one tape of hers, which I treasured, and the most high-tech item I owned was a propelling pencil, which I thought was awesome.
My happiest memories as a child were making 'perfume' out of rose petals, and learning how to make a cup of tea for my Hostess badge.
I must have been 14 or 15 by the time I properly even thought about celebrities, or realised the female desire to be ever-thinner.
I had a childhood!
Shouldn't we let the next generation have theirs?
And rightly so ...
Whilst many primary-age children struggle to even spell their name, when it comes to celebrity identity they are all clued up.
PR and Marketing agencies are appealing to younger and younger audiences, having identified the persuasive influence children have over their parents' spending.
With 'young' versions of adult magazines, and evening television created for an ever expaning age-group, children are growing up far too fast.
The world these days is increasingly materialistic and celebrity obsessed.
And children are being thrown into that world far too early.
You only have to look at the front pages of the very magazines which peddle the cult of personality to see the damaging effects of the world they have created.
Stars are dropping like flies, spiralling into depression, drug abuse, and nervous breakdowns.
Children should be sheltered from the realities of the 21st century, not used to financially support them.
When I was seven I just about knew who Kylie Minogue was.
I had one tape of hers, which I treasured, and the most high-tech item I owned was a propelling pencil, which I thought was awesome.
My happiest memories as a child were making 'perfume' out of rose petals, and learning how to make a cup of tea for my Hostess badge.
I must have been 14 or 15 by the time I properly even thought about celebrities, or realised the female desire to be ever-thinner.
I had a childhood!
Shouldn't we let the next generation have theirs?
Wednesday, 3 October 2007
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.
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.
Monday, 1 October 2007
I don't hate Blue Peter .... and other commentary on today's Media Guardian
Monday is upon it, and with it the latest instalment of the journalist's bible ... the Media Guardian.
A frequent subscriber to the Independent myself, I decided to strike a compromise with my lecturers, all of whom managed to insert the words 'Media Guardian' into their various disciplines last week, and read the Guardian on my way to university, and the Independent on my way home.
Two stories in particular caught my eye.
Firstly the rather sad statement 'I hate Blue Peter' used as part of a summary of the week in media.
After my last three blogs, I will assume you can all guess my response to this!
Secondly the introduction of KateModern, a new genre of tv series currently screening on Bebo.
Now you'll have to excuse me, because as far as online networking alliances lie, mine are firmly fixed in Facebook.
Whether this is as a result of my age (Bebo has always struck me as a teenage forum) or my Cambridge background (Facebook debuted in England at Oxbridge), I am not sure.
However, in words echoed from one of my introductory journalism lectures, I was pretty sure that Bebo was 'dead'.
Will this new era of interactive tv revive the most mature of the social networking sites, or is it a last ditch attempt to divert attention from its more sophisticated offspring?
Time will tell, however the introduction of KateModern, and the show's inclusion of band 'The Days', appears to echo the shift of focus by the BBC.
Last week the Corporation announced its move towards interractive media for teenagers, including the introduction of new show 'Signs of Life' and the recruitment of Kelly Osbourn.
A frequent subscriber to the Independent myself, I decided to strike a compromise with my lecturers, all of whom managed to insert the words 'Media Guardian' into their various disciplines last week, and read the Guardian on my way to university, and the Independent on my way home.
Two stories in particular caught my eye.
Firstly the rather sad statement 'I hate Blue Peter' used as part of a summary of the week in media.
After my last three blogs, I will assume you can all guess my response to this!
Secondly the introduction of KateModern, a new genre of tv series currently screening on Bebo.
Now you'll have to excuse me, because as far as online networking alliances lie, mine are firmly fixed in Facebook.
Whether this is as a result of my age (Bebo has always struck me as a teenage forum) or my Cambridge background (Facebook debuted in England at Oxbridge), I am not sure.
However, in words echoed from one of my introductory journalism lectures, I was pretty sure that Bebo was 'dead'.
Will this new era of interactive tv revive the most mature of the social networking sites, or is it a last ditch attempt to divert attention from its more sophisticated offspring?
Time will tell, however the introduction of KateModern, and the show's inclusion of band 'The Days', appears to echo the shift of focus by the BBC.
Last week the Corporation announced its move towards interractive media for teenagers, including the introduction of new show 'Signs of Life' and the recruitment of Kelly Osbourn.
Thursday, 27 September 2007
Singing a Tired Song
I promise this blog won't end up revolving entirely around Blue Peter, however, in light of all the recent press slating the show I thought it only fair to write another post.
Ok so the show's producers have made some mistakes, but after 49 years as one of the nation's most loved programmes, surely we can all give it some leeway?
The institution which has arguably played a large role in the formation of most British journalists' childhood, is now being turned on by its 'offspring'.
The show that could for many years do no wrong, now appears, in the eyes of the press, to be able to do no right.
Here I am referring to the furore that has erupted due to the failure to use an original recording of the show's anniversary theme-tune.
Isn't it time we let sleeping dogs (or cats!) lie?
At least another Great British children's television institution is enjoying positive reviews ...........
Ok so the show's producers have made some mistakes, but after 49 years as one of the nation's most loved programmes, surely we can all give it some leeway?
The institution which has arguably played a large role in the formation of most British journalists' childhood, is now being turned on by its 'offspring'.
The show that could for many years do no wrong, now appears, in the eyes of the press, to be able to do no right.
Here I am referring to the furore that has erupted due to the failure to use an original recording of the show's anniversary theme-tune.
Isn't it time we let sleeping dogs (or cats!) lie?
At least another Great British children's television institution is enjoying positive reviews ...........
Tuesday, 25 September 2007
The Way the Cookie Crumbled
No blog about children's media would be complete without some reference to the Blue Peter cat fiasco.
In the wake of the recent phone-in fixing scandals, to suggest more care ought to have been made in the decision to forgo the winning name goes without saying.
However, the reason to ignore the results of the actual vote still appear rather illusive.
If, as multiple sources have suggested, the successful name for the kitten, now known as 'Socks', had in fact been 'Cookie', I am at a loss why the production team decided to ignore the viewer vote.
Surely where a cat is concerned biscuits and clothing are equally obscure sources of name?
Or am I naively ignoring the realities of naming a being?
After all many parents spend 9 months umming and ahhing between two or three names, only to decide on a previously unconsidered moniker the second they see their newborn.
As the CBBC site clearly explains, the production team felt 'Socks' more appropriate once they came to appreciate the kitten's personality.
I will refrain from attempting to suggest how one's personality may be found to embody something you wear on your feet, however, I will suggest that, should this have really been the case, then honesty would have been the best, and simplest, policy.
Honesty is paramount with children.
Children will not respect you, or in fact even listen to you, if they don't feel like you are telling the whole story.
The only thing more patronising than being told half a story, is being told that you cannot hear the other half because you are too young.
To be honest I don't even understand the full story and I'm 23!
Whilst the BBC is to be applauded for its damage limitation - a statement both on the website and on the show itself, and the introduction of a new cat to be christened with the original winning name -some doubts still surround whether 'Cookie' was in fact the name which the crew carefully side-stepped.
Certain sources, including The Sun, have suggested that the winning name had in fact been 'Pussy'.
This version of events does lend itself more to understanding why the production team avoided using the viewers' choice.
Furthermore, as an student whose friends' courses have often seemed to involve 'modules' of sofa-hogging, daytime television endurance, and wasting free mobile-phone minutes, it does not take a great stretch of the imagination to understand how, had 'Pussy' been an option available to voters, the innuendo-ridden name may have quickly become the favourite.
If this was in fact the case, then why on earth was 'Pussy' ever even an option?!
Whilst Blue Peter has arguably very successfully moved with the times, and shed all suggestions of its quaint, twee beginnings, surely some degree of responsibility and decorum must remain with regards to such potential vulgarity? Children these days grow up far too quickly. They are regretfully audience to all manner of adult language, imagery and humour. Blue Peter has always struck me as a haven away from the harsher edges of reality. Like a straight-laced and well-educated, yet energetic and wordly nanny, the show should be there to highlight all the fun and nice elements of being a child, rather than rush children hurriedly into adulthood in the way that many other areas of the media do.
Charly Lester
In the wake of the recent phone-in fixing scandals, to suggest more care ought to have been made in the decision to forgo the winning name goes without saying.
However, the reason to ignore the results of the actual vote still appear rather illusive.
If, as multiple sources have suggested, the successful name for the kitten, now known as 'Socks', had in fact been 'Cookie', I am at a loss why the production team decided to ignore the viewer vote.
Surely where a cat is concerned biscuits and clothing are equally obscure sources of name?
Or am I naively ignoring the realities of naming a being?
After all many parents spend 9 months umming and ahhing between two or three names, only to decide on a previously unconsidered moniker the second they see their newborn.
As the CBBC site clearly explains, the production team felt 'Socks' more appropriate once they came to appreciate the kitten's personality.
I will refrain from attempting to suggest how one's personality may be found to embody something you wear on your feet, however, I will suggest that, should this have really been the case, then honesty would have been the best, and simplest, policy.
Honesty is paramount with children.
Children will not respect you, or in fact even listen to you, if they don't feel like you are telling the whole story.
The only thing more patronising than being told half a story, is being told that you cannot hear the other half because you are too young.
To be honest I don't even understand the full story and I'm 23!
Whilst the BBC is to be applauded for its damage limitation - a statement both on the website and on the show itself, and the introduction of a new cat to be christened with the original winning name -some doubts still surround whether 'Cookie' was in fact the name which the crew carefully side-stepped.
Certain sources, including The Sun, have suggested that the winning name had in fact been 'Pussy'.
This version of events does lend itself more to understanding why the production team avoided using the viewers' choice.
Furthermore, as an student whose friends' courses have often seemed to involve 'modules' of sofa-hogging, daytime television endurance, and wasting free mobile-phone minutes, it does not take a great stretch of the imagination to understand how, had 'Pussy' been an option available to voters, the innuendo-ridden name may have quickly become the favourite.
If this was in fact the case, then why on earth was 'Pussy' ever even an option?!
Whilst Blue Peter has arguably very successfully moved with the times, and shed all suggestions of its quaint, twee beginnings, surely some degree of responsibility and decorum must remain with regards to such potential vulgarity? Children these days grow up far too quickly. They are regretfully audience to all manner of adult language, imagery and humour. Blue Peter has always struck me as a haven away from the harsher edges of reality. Like a straight-laced and well-educated, yet energetic and wordly nanny, the show should be there to highlight all the fun and nice elements of being a child, rather than rush children hurriedly into adulthood in the way that many other areas of the media do.
Charly Lester
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