News has emerged that the UK may be about to get a new TV channel launching in early 2021 that could offer a contrast from the BBC/SKY/ITV/Channel 4 mediocrity.
My old pal, Kelvin MacKenzie, (I met him, once, when we were both doing a BBC programme!) tweeted out that Rupert Murdoch was investing £20m in a TV news channel to be called “GB news”. It is suggested that Andrew Neil and Nigel Farage may sign up to front this operation.
Superficially it seems welcome news, although the fact it may call itself “GB news” is a bit of an insult to the 2m or so British citizens that reside in Northern Ireland. (This is just a working title and may change, of course) After all, many people are sick to the back teeth of the left-wing narrative endlessly recycled by all other UK media outlets. The BBC has always been vile but Sky aka SlyNews has become just as woke, just as useless. ITV News is unwatchable and the putrid Channel 4 News is something I would not inflict on my worst enemy. Collectively these alleged News channels push an anti-Brexit, pro-EU, rabidly anti-Trump, slavishly pro Biden, anti-Boris (unless he’s getting us all masked up) and pro “forensic” Sir Keir, pro gender pronouns and anti-normality agenda at every twist and turn.
So the logic suggests that an alternative would be welcome. Andrew Neil is undoubtedly our finest political interviewer, scrupulously impartial and tenacious in his questioning of politicians. Nigel Farage is charismatic and has most definitely his finger on the “conservative” pulse. Having figures like this presenting programmes that actually present a balanced political picture would be appealing. Murdoch runs the very successful FOX NEWS network in the US and also runs TalkRadio in the UK. The latter has a few good no-holds-barred presenters such as Mike Graham, although it is a bit bland and increasingly woke on its TalkSports channel (which blocked me on Twitter, incidentally, for calling it out over its fanatical support of Black lives Matter)
But we live in a digital age. Many of the younger age demographic get their almost entirely news from social media. They don’t really tune into any traditional TV news programmes, as viewing figures demonstrate. So who is going to watch this new news channel? Is it going to be a more mature audience? Will it allow for those voices banned from the likes of the BBC and others an opportunity to put forward their ideas? How will it differentiate itself from the others? How will it make money from this new channel? Is this all too little and far too late? Time will tell.
