[~bex~]

The BBC has announced that all competitions running across all its services are to be suspended as part of an "action plan" to address breaches of editorial standards.

Mark Thompson, the corporation's director general, delivered a report to the BBC Trust today after an audit of output since January 2005 uncovered "further serious breaches of editorial standards" in BBC programming.

The breaches uncovered by the audit and reported to the Trust were: Comic Relief - in March, where a member of the production team posed as a caller in an on-air competition; TMi - in September 2006, a member of the production team again posed as a winning caller; Sport Relief - in July 2006, a contingency plan was put into effect in which a production team member posed as a caller; further, the competition would have been impossible to run as it was described on air; Children in Need - in November 2005, the name of a fictitious winner was read out on air; The Liz Kershaw Show - multiple times in 2005 and 2006, a competition was presented as-live on a pre-recorded show; White Label - a winner was announced on the World Service despite no winning entries actually having been submitted.

The incidents were reported to the Trust in addition to the previous high-profile Blue Peter phone-in scandal and a recent incident in which a misleadingly-edited cut of an RDF-produced documentary about Her Majesty The Queen was shown to journalists by BBC One controller Peter Fincham.

The Trust said it was "deeply concerned that significant failures of control and compliance within the BBC" had "compromised the BBC's values of accuracy and honesty."

"We are not ready to draw a line under the editorial failures reported to us today," the Trust added.

In a statement, Thompson said: "Nothing matters more than trust and fair dealing with our audiences. The vast majority of the 400,000 hours of BBC output each year, on television, radio and online, is accurate, fair and complies with our stringent editorial standards."

Thompson also made a broadcast to BBC staff today in which he said: "Our values and our editorial guidelines must take precedence over everything else. There is no excuse for deception. I know the idea of deceiving the public would simply never occur to most people in the BBC. We have to regard deception as a very grave breach of discipline which will normally lead to dismissal. If you have a choice between deception and a programme going off air, let the programme go. It is far better to accept a production problem and make a clean breast to the public than to deceive."

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/broadcastin ... tions.html

And from BBC news:

All phone-related competitions on BBC TV and radio will cease from 0000 BST on Thursday, while interactive and online competitions will be taken down as soon as possible.

Goodbye 6 Weeks of Summer and Car Park Catchphrase!!

[foot-loose]

car park catchphrase surely cant be described as a competition.

Well, it can. In fact it is. But even so!


Surely they could keep playing it but without any prizes?

[fish heads]

I'm not 100% sure CPC will be affected, as that isn't like an "What's the name of the prime minister a)Gordon Brown b)Gordon the Gopher c) Harold Bishop" comp, where it then goes to a draw to find the winner, like on this morning or whatever. Its more of a quiz thing. Should be interesting anyway

[~bex~]

I think they have to pull it really. The issue isn't about whether the questions are too easy, it's about faking callers. And they're getting rid of every single competition, so I don't see how they could possibly justify keeping that one. I suppose it is possible they'll continue without prizes, but I still think it's likely to go completely for a while at least.

[S4B]

We'll have to wait and see.

[foot-loose]

Since they are off on holiday - I wouldnt be surprised if they keep playing it with either themselves or their girl / boy friends? Or Andi Peters and Longman - you know, the "we need someone on the phone to laugh at something" crowd!

[S4B]

I'm that person for our local radio stations, whenever they need an opinion or someone to have a laugh with they call me, it's embarrassing now when they callme and I'm listening to Chris so haven't a clue what they're talking about!

[jeddeth]

What about the shuffle? (I know it's not Chris Moyles, but he often joins Jo to play along, so it's kind of related.) Will that be gone too?

[~bex~]

What about the shuffle? (I know it's not Chris Moyles, but he often joins Jo to play along, so it's kind of related.) Will that be gone too?

Yes, EVERY competition will be suspended.

[Gaspode_The_Wonder_Dog]

Over-reaction from the BBC what a shocker. The BBC loves to talk about itself more than anything else it seems.

[Boboff]

No it won't I am sure, they won't do this Bex, I feel sure, really sure that this won't happen.

But time will tell, and if you are right then i will take my metaphoric hat off to you, and if I am right you will satisfy my carnal longings, does that seem ok to you ? ( signature space between word and ? )

[~bex~]

deal

[fish heads]

I think they have to pull it really. The issue isn't about whether the questions are too easy, it's about faking callers.

I didn't say that it was about the complexity of the questions, I said there was a difference between straight up examples that I gave - which is essentially a draw for someone to win a prize with doing little/no work and CPC which is a quiz, rather than competition, in which the callers must interact with the host and others to win.

That said, none of us have seen the BBC guidlines so until tommorow none of us can say for sure. i'm sure they'll get around it somehow

[Console]

Surely all they have to do is not give any prize away. Besides, it not like Moyles doesn't, quite obviously, rig the 'competition' half of the time anyway, so I don't think it will fall strictly under the category of 'Competition'; it's probably just classified as a feature.

[~bex~]

I think they have to pull it really. The issue isn't about whether the questions are too easy, it's about faking callers.

I didn't say that it was about the complexity of the questions, I said there was a difference between straight up examples that I gave - which is essentially a draw for someone to win a prize with doing little/no work and CPC which is a quiz, rather than competition, in which the callers must interact with the host and others to win.

That said, none of us have seen the BBC guidlines so until tommorow none of us can say for sure. i'm sure they'll get around it somehow

I understand what you are saying, but just because there is a quiz element to CPC, does not mean it isn't a competition - it clearly is. 6 Weeks of Summer didn't have easy style questions, and that's been suspended.

[fish heads]

I understand what you are saying, but just because there is a quiz element to CPC, does not mean it isn't a competition - it clearly is. 6 Weeks of Summer didn't have easy style questions, and that's been suspended.

You clearly don't as you are still fixated with the easy question point, which as I have already said is largely irrelevant.

The definition I am using of "competition" is like the a competition you might have seen in a magazine, or on the old episodes of Live and Kicking, where there was a set prize and you sent in your name on the back of a postcard (or as it is nowadays, you just ring in and leave your name on an answerphone, or e-mail) That is where your participation ends, and then providing you qualify with the correct answer, it is essentially a lottery if you win. All of the so called "scandals" that have been unearthed today have been exactly of this nature, no quiz style elements where you have to answer further questions or specifically interact with host in order to win the prize.

CPC is a QUIZ, as there aren't 100s of people ringing up to answer a qualifying question ALONE to win the prize. There isn't a quiz element to CPC, it's a quiz full stop! If anything it's a quiz with a really loose competition element, in the fact that since it's revival this year you win a mug if you win - the preliminary reason it exists is to be entertain, not first and formost to give away a prize which is what a competition is. Therefor, in my opinion, at worst CPC will continue just without the mug givaway (especially since in 2004/5 there was no prize at all the majority of the time). It will be utterly stupid if otherwise.

[S4B]

Are we really discussing CPC as a serious competition? I'm with Console for a change, it's a feature!

[jeddeth]

Sorry for being 6 hours behind... but was 6 weeks of summer definately put on hiatus? I heard Jo do the questions with that cab driver... but I don't listen to Edith too much, but they are still playing the 6 weeks commercials.

[~bex~]

I understand what you are saying, but just because there is a quiz element to CPC, does not mean it isn't a competition - it clearly is. 6 Weeks of Summer didn't have easy style questions, and that's been suspended.

You clearly don't as you are still fixated with the easy question point, which as I have already said is largely irrelevant.

The definition I am using of "competition" is like the a competition you might have seen in a magazine, or on the old episodes of Live and Kicking, where there was a set prize and you sent in your name on the back of a postcard (or as it is nowadays, you just ring in and leave your name on an answerphone, or e-mail) That is where your participation ends, and then providing you qualify with the correct answer, it is essentially a lottery if you win. All of the so called "scandals" that have been unearthed today have been exactly of this nature, no quiz style elements where you have to answer further questions or specifically interact with host in order to win the prize.

CPC is a QUIZ, as there aren't 100s of people ringing up to answer a qualifying question ALONE to win the prize. There isn't a quiz element to CPC, it's a quiz full stop! If anything it's a quiz with a really loose competition element, in the fact that since it's revival this year you win a mug if you win - the preliminary reason it exists is to be entertain, not first and formost to give away a prize which is what a competition is. Therefor, in my opinion, at worst CPC will continue just without the mug givaway (especially since in 2004/5 there was no prize at all the majority of the time). It will be utterly stupid if otherwise.

I do understand - the point I was making is that everything you are saying about CPC - that it requires audience participation rather than being a lottery, etc. - is also true of the 6 Weeks of Summer Competition - which has been put on hold.

And I agree, it is certainly very possible that CPC will continue without the prize.

[~bex~]

Are we really discussing CPC as a serious competition? I'm with Console for a change, it's a feature!

Don't get me wrong, I know it's not exactly a serious competition, but whichever way you look at it, it is a competition.

[~bex~]

Sorry for being 6 hours behind... but was 6 weeks of summer definately put on hiatus? I heard Jo do the questions with that cab driver... but I don't listen to Edith too much, but they are still playing the 6 weeks commercials.

Yes, but only from midnight tonight, so the competition has still been running this afternoon.

[fish heads]

I do understand - the point I was making is that everything you are saying about CPC - that it requires audience participation rather than being a lottery, etc. - is also true of the 6 Weeks of Summer Competition - which has been put on hold.

Not strictly true as the six weeks of summer thing exists because of the prize, and CPC exists in spite of the prize, which is the fundamental difference

[MC]

Please thank the lord no more six weeks of f*cking summer!

Hahaha well done the beeb.

[Gaspode_The_Wonder_Dog]

Does this mean we can get rid of Children in Need and Sport Relief too?

[SAV1OUR]

No because they've only gone and launched PLANET relief