GB News

[R_Squared]

I've not watched it and I don't know anyone who has, so how us it getting on? Have you watched it? Some recent reports said it rates lower than Welsh language Paw Patrol, other that its beating Sky News slightly in the coveted afternoon slots.

Andrew Neil, the chairman is also apparently "taking a break", what's that all about?

The Guardian has been wanking on about it for over a year and so far it seems to have been a bit of a damp squib. At last count there appears to be about 32k daily watchers, that seems about right for a channel that is only interested in "opinion shows", might be a bit high actually.

[BobtheInquisitor]

What is GB News?

even more importantly, what do they call Chickaletta on Welsh Paw Patrol???

[nfe]

GB News is, for all intents and purposes, Fox News UK. The founders believe that UK audiences want a news channel explicitly on the right that comprised of US-style commentary magazine shows based around charismatic 'anchors' - a term that isn't used in UK tv, but that they've specifically used because Andrew Neil, the lead figure, says they're modelling everything on US networks.

They might be right about the appetite, were it executed well, but the channel has been beset with production issues, sound and video problems, and incompetent anchors (almost none of whom have any background in any kind of news, or even live, broadcasting) making a mess of almost everything on a minute by minute basis.

[R_Squared]

Touted as the Fox News of Britain, its an opinion channel for right wingers. Apparently Andrew Neil and his backers were distraught at the bias of the BBC (despite him fronting one of the heavyweight political opinion programmes on the channel) and felt that they needed a space in order to counter the woke agenda.
It has features such as "Woke Watch" and "Media Watch" and is described as an unapologetic partisan right of centre broadcaster featuring presenters with a bit of an edge. Its mostly opinion with "original reporting" and debate. I'm quoting from reports, not seen it myself.
Apparently its popular with retirees.

[Haighus]

I think it is trying to fill a niche that is already well collared by the newspaper market here. Plenty of right-wing opinion pieces masquerading as news in those.

[Mad Doc Grotsnik]

It’s certainly popular with Mike Hunt and Mike Oxlong….

[Herzlos2]

Pranks that even amateur radio shows don't fall for.

[Crispy78]

I'm sure my parents would love it, but I'll be damned if I'll help them set it up on their telly...

[BobtheInquisitor]

So, basically sowing the ground for more antidemocratic government via mass gaslighting and not-technically-hate speech? You’ve already got Brexit and Johnson. I can’t imagine where your country will be with another ten years of this stuff. Who is the British equivalent of Orban?

[R_Squared]

Probably Nigel Farage, but thankfully the frog faced wanker has vanished from the Telly, at last.

[Too Hot To Trot]

Priti Patel is another possibility.

[Mad Doc Grotsnik]

It’s basically just a hard right circle jerk from what I can tell.

Hopefully it disappears off the airwaves before long.

[Herzlos2]

It's been shedding sponsors dramatically. Most of the big sponsors went through an agency, didn't know they were sponsoring them and publicly disowned them.

It isn't going to be able to last long with no money or talent.

[Queen_annes_revenge]

I think it will do ok, and hope it does. It's about time someone in the media started fighting back against the progressive narrative.

[Herzlos2]

Even though most of the existing media is right leaning?

This is just the Daily Mail in TV format.

[R_Squared]

Somehow I'm not sure that GB News is the vehicle to transform the "progressive narrative". It's reliance on an outdated medium for a start is evidence that it really is destined to languish at the bottom of the ratings pile. They may have more success online, but even then their audience is probably still just the statistically small but obnoxiously loud reactionary types.

I think the vast majority of the country have given it a solid ignoring because it's too "Brexity" and that, frankly was fucking exhausting, who wants to endure that sort of atmosphere anymore? The only people who really want to engage with this channel are awful borish gobshites who want to find comfort in the thought that they are not alone. They also need to have some time to waste on their hands. I mean, it's just an opinion channel. How many hours can you fill with opinions?

[Queen_annes_revenge]

Have you considered that not everyone subscribes to your world view? We can deduce from most political outcomes that opinions usually split about 50/50 on most issues. You claim it's 'too brexity' so therefore it will fail, yet brexit was what the country voted in majority for, and I'd argue that the only reason that was 'exhausting' was down to the people who spent 4 years relentlessly trying to have that result overturned at all costs.

[nfe]

We can deduce from most political outcomes that opinions usually split about 50/50 on most issues.

This is testable. Pick five hot political issues and let's have a look. Do you think the UK electorate are split 50/50 on, for instance, gun ownership? Gay marriage? Gender self-ID? Nationalisation? Rent controls?

Maybe it wants to be its own thread, though at least two of those are bugbears of flagship anchors on GB News so I guess have seen some coverage. Protecting statues would be another.


Incidentally, the (relatively sympathetic) Telegraph reporting today that GB News' audience has halved in a fortnight. Presumably a substantial proportion of the initial audience watched for two days out of how bad can it be? curiosity, and a fair chunk of the ideologically aligned audience have gone back to Sky News because of how poor the production values and how incompetent the presenters are.

[Pacific]

One crappy take I have seen shared a few times was around Professor Chris Whitty (who is the chief medical advisor to the UK gov) when he was accosted by a couple of scumbag twats a few days ago. The GB News anchor comments were "I don't think it's massive disturbing." and "I don't think its very nice, but I don't think they are harassing him." This on someone who was essentially being assaulted and pushed around on video (with a police investigation now underway, likely he will need protection going forward).

I think that tells you exactly what kind of 'news' program it is.