The Media Show

Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson has been suspended by the BBC following a 'fracas' with a producer on the programme. The BBC has announced that the scheduled episode of Top Gear will not be broadcast this Sunday. Top Gear is one of the BBC's most popular exports worldwide and has a large UK fan base. PR consultant Mark Borkowski will discuss the brand, the decision to pull the show, the relatio...

The Director General of the BBC, Tony Hall, has set out his plans for the "my BBC" revolution; a more personal service that will use data to provide a more tailored experience for users, and enable the BBC to compete more effectively in the digital age. In a speech on Monday, he also spoke of his support for a proposed household levy to replace the current licence fee. In his first interview for T...

The BBC's head of television Danny Cohen has publicly responded to a bid by two independent producers to buy BBC Three. Jon Thoday and Jimmy Mulville have submitted a proposal to the BBC Trust, outlining how their £100m bid would save the TV service from going online-only - a plan which is part of cost-saving measures at the corporation. Steve Hewlett hears from Jon and Jimmy about why they believ...

The chief political commentator at the Daily Telegraph, Peter Oborne, has resigned from the paper, saying its lack of coverage of HSBC and allegations of tax avoidance amounts to a form of "fraud on readers" - a charge the paper strongly denies. Mr Oborne said there had been serious lapses of editorial judgement. It's raised questions about the extent to which advertisers influence editorial decis...

Brian Williams, the most popular nightly news anchor in the USA, has been suspended for six months without pay by his employer NBC. It follows an admittance that a story he told about coming under fire on a helicopter during the Iraq war was not true. NPR's media correspondent David Folkenflik talks to Steve Hewlett about the case, and the power and value of the American news anchor to the network...

The head of the BBC Trust Rona Fairhead has said most people want an independent body to set the level of the licence fee. In her first major speech since joining, she voiced the importance of the public being involved in the BBC's Royal Charter negotiations, which are due to start this year. Steve Hewlett is joined by Tim Suter, former partner at Ofcom and Lis Howell, Director of Broadcasting at...

The job of public service journalism is to provide news, not noise according to a new report by the BBC into The Future of News. The report makes the case that in an internet age, the BBC is more necessary and valuable than ever. It says the internet is magnifying problems of information inequality, misinformation, polarisation and disengagement. So how is BBC News going to deliver on its mission...

Britain's best-selling newspaper The Sun has stopped publishing photographs of topless Page 3 models after 44 years. The paper still hasn't confirmed the move but its sister publication, The Times, reported the change has been approved by owner Rupert Murdoch. It's been hailed a victory for campaigner groups like No More Page 3, who have long said the images are sexist. However, readers can now go...

Whether to publish pictures of Charlie Hebdo's latest cover has raised questions for broadcasters and newspaper titles. This week's edition of the French satirical magazine shows a cartoon depicting the Prophet Mohammed holding a "Je suis Charlie" sign. Decision makers have had to make a call about whether the image warrants publication because of its news value, or decide not to publish because o...

Two stories this week have raised questions about the relationship between the Royal family and the press. There's been extensive press coverage relating to allegations against Prince Andrew, with national newspapers running front page splashes and lengthy spreads, despite the allegations being unsubstantiated. Furthermore, there has also been controversy surrounding the postponement of a BBC docu...

Chat shows have been the staple of TV schedules for decades. The Bee Gees storming off Clive Anderson's show, David Icke claiming to be the 'son of God' on Wogan, Victoria Beckham's 'Golden Balls' confession, and Grace Jones slapping Russell Harty, are considered some of the best of British chat show moments. However, some have lamented the demise of the 'traditional' talk show, where hosts do one...

US entertainment group ABC has brought such classics as Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy to TV. As president since 2010, Paul Lee is responsible for all development, programming and scheduling. He joins Steve to discuss the enduring popularity of Modern Family, the importance of diversity in the commissioning process, and how research into the Great Depression, of all things, has influenced...

Telecoms group BT has entered exclusive talks over a £12.5 billion deal to buy Britain's biggest mobile phone operator EE. It signals BT''s ambitions to dominate the UK's mobile market, twelve years since it left the sector. BT will be hoping to persuade a growing number of homes to purchase all four of its services - home phone, mobile, broadband and pay TV. Steve Hewlett talks to analyst Claire...

The BBC's plans to close BBC Three as a broadcast channel and re-invent it as online service in Autumn 2015 have been submitted to the BBC Trust. The proposals will generate savings of £50 million. Eighty percent of the new budget will be spent on long form programmes like 'Murdered by My Boyfriend' and twenty percent will go on non traditional content such as micro videos and listicles. Tradition...

Retired teacher Christopher Jefferies was wrongly named in the press as the suspect accused of the murder of his neighbour Joanna Yeates in December 2010. His life was turned upside down. He later sued several newspapers for libel, received an apology from the police, and gave evidence to the Leveson inquiry. A new ITV two part drama 'The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies' is to be aired next w...

Shadow Minister Emily Thornberry resigned last week after posting a picture on Twitter showing a house in Rochester draped in the St. George's flag, and a white van outside. The homeowner Dan Ware, in an exclusive interview with The Sun, branded her 'a snob', and had his own manifesto published in the paper. Steve hears from Lauren Fruen, the graduate trainee who secured the story for the Sun, and...

Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen is leading a move to scrap the licence fee. He's sent a letter to the Culture Secretary Sajid Javid, urging him to review how the BBC is funded. In the letter, he says the corporation should be planning for a future without the licence fee and investigating subscription-based payment instead. So, how feasible are his suggestions? And why has the man who led the debat...

BBC One is the UK's most watched channel, with more than 40 million viewers tuning in each week. A BBC Trust review published earlier this year found the channel consistently produced high quality programmes but many viewers felt that the channel appeared to play it safe in programming and scheduling - particularly during peak time. In her first radio interview, since taking up the position, Charl...

The BBC Trust has approved a new service for Radio 1 and 1Xtra, which will see it having its own TV channel on the BBC iPlayer from next week. It's hoped the channel will lead to an incremental 310,000 hours of viewing per month, and help the BBC establish a relationship with its younger viewers. But whilst it can offer the services, can the BBC offer the content that young people want? Steve Hewl...

The Guardian newspaper is launching a new website for its US readers today. It's the latest step in a global digital expansion, which has seen it move into the Australian and American markets. But with a strategy that focuses on being 'open' - not behind a pay wall - and with annual losses of upwards of £30 million a year, how can the group afford to keep content free? Andrew Miller the CEO of Gua...

Two of the founding members of the BBC Trust leave their position this week. David Liddiment and Alison Hastings have seen the governing body through some tough times over the last few years, dealing with upsets like Savile, executive pay and the collapse of the Digital Media Initiative. Steve Hewlett talks to them about the challenges, dilemmas, and their views on the future of what some have des...

The BBC, ITV, Sky and Channel 4 have announced a joint plan to hold three debates ahead of next year's general election. If politicians agree to take part, one debate would see Nigel Farage appearing alongside David Cameron, Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband. The broadcasters have written to the parties with their proposal. However, the plan has been criticised, with suggestions that negotiations will be...

Facebook has apologised to drag queens, and those with transgender status, after it closed some accounts following reports they were fake because they weren't using their legal names. However, a coalition met with Facebook at its headquarters in San Francisco, and they can now use their pseudonyms. Steve Hewlett talks to Lil Miss Hot Mess, who organised a rally in San Francisco against the policy,...

An online investigation published by the Sunday Mirror has led to the resignation of Conservative minister, Brooks Newmark, complaints lodged with press regulator IPSO and The Metropolitan Police and an apology issued from Editor-in-Chief Lloyd Embley to the women whose images were used without consent. Alex Wickham, a reporter for the political blog Guido Fawkes, has been revealed to be the freel...

Whilst the No Vote has halted plans for a full-blown Scottish Broadcasting Corporation, with Charter Renewal on the horizon, the pan-UK public broadcaster is unlikely to escape political pressures to decentralise more power from London. To discuss the ramifications for funding, commissioning and regulation are Tim Suter - former Ofcom and BBC executive, Glyn Mathias - Ofcom content board member fo...