Category: 91Èȱ¬
Date: 07.03.2005
Printable version
91Èȱ¬ Director-General Mark Thompson today launched an extensive cross-media, audience-focussed project entitled Creative Futures which will produce an editorial blueprint for 91Èȱ¬ programmes, content and services during the next Charter period.
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Following publication of the Government's Green Paper on the 91Èȱ¬'s future last week, Mr Thompson said: "This project is designed to turn the purposes and objectives we set out in Building Public Value and the challenges now laid out in the Green Paper into an inspiring editorial strategy.
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"I want the team to come up with specific proposals to ensure that we're ready for the next chapter in the 91Èȱ¬'s history.
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"We need to meet - and exceed - audiences' rapidly changing expectations, make difficult choices and take calculated risks, while maintaining our commitment to excellence and innovation."
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Mr Thompson will be sponsoring the project personally with the 91Èȱ¬'s Creative Director Alan Yentob.
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A report will go to the organisation's Creative Board in December.
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Mr Yentob said today: "We want a wide-ranging, challenging debate and discussion that will yield ideas which bring the 91Èȱ¬'s purposes to life in a way audiences value and engage with.
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"The conversation will embrace our staff, our audiences, talent inside and outside the 91Èȱ¬ and the independent production sector."
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The initiative will be led by Susan Spindler and Richard Halton.
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Ms Spindler has been a senior Science and Drama executive and was launch director of the 91Èȱ¬'s Making it Happen culture change project.
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She also becomes Deputy Director of the Drama, Entertainment and Children's division.
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Mr Halton is 91Èȱ¬ Television's Controller of Strategy and played a major role in developing the 91Èȱ¬'s digital TV portfolio and interactive strategy.
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The Creative Futures project will look at current and emerging audience needs, market trends and the potential of new technology in order to shape strategies in six genres: Journalism, Drama, Knowledge Building, Comedy, Music and Children and Teens.
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Recent strategic work carried out in Sport and Entertainment will feed into the project so that all editorial genres will be represented, as will thinking on what kind of guides, gateways and navigation the 91Èȱ¬ may need to offer its audiences in the future.
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Notes to Editors
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The six genre teams, drawn from the creative community across the 91Èȱ¬, will be chaired by:
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Journalism - Mark Byford, Deputy Director-General;
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Music - Jenny Abramsky, Director of Radio and Music;
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Drama - Emma Swain, Commissioner of Specialist Factual Television;
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Knowledge Building - Roger Mosey, Head of Television News;
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Comedy - Stuart Murphy, Controller, 91Èȱ¬ THREE;
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Children and Teens - Andy Parfitt, Controller, Radio 1.
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Four other work streams will provide information and insight about changing audience behaviour, technology and markets.
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These will be led by Peter Johnston, Head of Broadcasting, Northern Ireland, and Stuart Knapman, Head of Pan-91Èȱ¬ Research (Audiences); Jeremy Olivier, Head of New Media Strategy (Competitive Market); and Tom Loosemore, (Technology Impact), Richard Deverell, Head of News Interactive, and Lars Mouritzen, Strategy Manager, New Media (Gateways & Distribution).
