GB News Shows Attracted Zero Viewers after Boycott over Taking the Knee

GB News presenter Guto Harri taking the knee on air on Tuesday. Photograph: GB News
THE GUARDIAN: Channel label Guto Harri’s on-air gesture in solidarity against racist abuse suffered by the England team ‘unacceptable’

GB News attracted zero viewers during some of its broadcasts this week, according to official television audience figures produced by rating agency Barb, after a viewer boycott prompted by one of its presenters taking the knee in solidarity with the England football team.

The channel has now said the decision of Guto Harri to make the on-air gesture on Tuesday in solidarity against the racist abuse suffered by English players was “an unacceptable breach of our standards”.

A GB News spokesperson declined to say whether Harri, a former spokesperson for Boris Johnson, was still with the channel.

Business editor Liam Halligan and former Labour MP Gloria De Piero attracted no measurable audience to their show between 1pm and 1.30pm on Wednesday afternoon. During the same timeslot the BBC News channel attracted 62,000 viewers, while Sky News had 50,000 people watching. » | Jim Waterson | Thursday, July 15, 2021

This country needed this God-damn awful TV channel like a hole in the head! GB News, for those who aren’t aware of it, is the UK’s very own version of Fox News. You could say, ‘nuff said! This channel will be spewing out anti-European, pro-American, far-right garbage to manipulate the masses—the people that they perceive to be “The Little People” – normal people, in other words, the people whose daddies were not squillionaires so were not rich enough to send their little darlings to our most expensive élite schools for a super-privileged education.

I have more than a little experience of watching Fox News. My late American partner was ostensibly ‘addicted’ to it. He had it on a loop, much to my chagrin. I can assure you that YOU DO NOT WANT TO WATCH AND LISTEN to the likes of Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham and many more TV hosts like that for extended periods. Unless, that is, you want a nervous breakdown! They manipulate the unthinking. Now we have a cloned version our side of the Pond.

If you didn’t know it, GB News has surely been set up to indoctrinate the masses into being anti-Europe, especially anti-EU, be pro-America, and to bring its viewers to the point of learning how to enjoy being ‘raped’ by their masters! Wasn’t it Confucius who said, “If rape is inevitable, lie back and enjoy it.” I can’t vouch for the veracity of that statement, but it sure is a good line!

For your information, and for what it is worth, I have never watched GB News and I have no intention of doing so anytime soon. – © Mark

Syrien-Konflikt: TV-Schlacht zwischen Obama und Assad in den USA

Baschar al-Assad in Damaskus (Archivbild)

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Er hält eine Ansprache an die Nation, er gibt sechs TV-Interviews. US-Präsident Barack Obama will für einen Militärschlag gegen Syriens Regime werben. In der heißen Phase hält Baschar al-Assad im US-Sender CBS dagegen - und droht mit Vergeltung.

Washington - Die Debatte über eine mögliche Intervention in Syrien wird auch von einem Kampf um die Deutungshoheit begleitet. Während US-Präsident Barack Obama versucht, seine Landsleute von der Notwendigkeit eines Militärschlags gegen das Assad-Regime zu überzeugen, hat nun ausgerechnet der syrische Machthaber dem US-Sender CBS ein Interview gegeben.

"Es gibt keine Beweise, dass ich Chemiewaffen gegen mein eigenes Volk eingesetzt habe", sagte Baschar al-Assad nach Angaben des US-Fernsehsenders. Es gebe keine gesicherten Hinweise, dass überhaupt ein derartiger Angriff stattgefunden habe. » | hut/AFP/dpa/Reuters | Sonntag, 08. September 2013

Related »

Casualty of Media War: Gulf States Ditch Syrian TV Dramas

French Candidates Lock Horns in TV Debate
French President Nicolas Sarkozy locked horns with his Socialist rival Francois Hollande in a testy television duel that was billed as Sarkozy's last chance to save his chances of re-election on Sunday. Sarkozy went into the gruelling 2.5-hour television debate on Wednesday evening as the rank outsider. Polls show Hollande, who led the first round of the election on April 22, winning Sunday's run-off with between 53-54 per cent of the vote. Al Jazeera Andrew Simmons reports.

Related »

Sarkozy-Hollande : une confrontation sans merci

LE FIGARO: Aucun des deux finalistes de la présidentielle n'a voulu céder quoi que ce soit à son adversaire au cours du duel.

Ils se sont cherchés et ils se sont vite trouvés. François Hollande, en costume soyeux, d'une solennité un peu raide, Nicolas Sarkozy plus direct. Les duellistes se sont livrés aux premiers échanges à fleurets mouchetés, dans le débat du second tour de l'élection présidentielle, d'abord à travers leur mot d'introduction. L'occasion pour Hollande, qui parlait en premier, d'esquisser en creux une première critique du bilan de son adversaire en se présentant notamment comme «le président du rassemblement». «Pendant trop d'années, les Français ont été opposés les uns aux autres», assure le candidat socialiste. L'attaque n'échappe pas à Sarkozy qui, pour son introduction, juge la présentation de Hollande «assez classique. C'est ce qu'on dit à chaque débat, “je serai un président extraordinaire, et mon prédécesseur était nul”». L'affrontement se noue. » | Par Charles Jaigu, Nicolas Barotte, Solenn de Royer, François-Xavier Bourmaud | jeudi 03 mai 2012

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Präsidentschaftswahl in Frankreich: Beobachter sehen keinen Sieger im Fernsehduell

ZEIT ONLINE: Für Nicolas Sarkozy war es die Gelegenheit, den Umfragerückstand auf Herausforderer Hollande wettzumachen. Doch trotz harter Attacken des Präsidenten blieb der gelassen.

Im Fernsehduell der beiden Kandidaten der Stichwahl um das Präsidentenamt in Frankreich haben Beobachter keinen eindeutigen Sieger ausmachen können. Die Diskussion zwischen dem konservativen Amtsinhaber Nicolas Sarkozy und seinem sozialistischen Herausforderer François Hollande am gestrigen Mittwochabend sei "mehr oder weniger" ein Unentschieden gewesen, sagte der Politikwissenschaftler Emmanuel Rivière vom Umfrageinstitut TNS Sofres.

Allerdings habe Hollande lediglich Fehler vermeiden müssen, um seine Stellung als Favorit zu wahren, sagte Rivière. Dies habe Hollande nach einiger Zeit verstanden und sich daraufhin entspannt. Sarkozy sei es in der Debatte, in der die beiden Politiker neben politischen Argumenten auch persönliche Angriffe austauschten, nicht gelungen, Hollande entscheidend zu treffen. » | Quelle: ZEIT ONLINE, AFP, dpa, Reuters | Donnerstag, 03. Mai 2012

Verwandt »

Sarkozy and Hollande Trade Barbs in Heated TV Debate
FRANCE 24: In the first and only televised debate ahead of Sunday’s vote, incumbent French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist rival François Hollande traded barbs as they faced off on a number of issues ranging from economic policies to immigration.

It was billed as “The Final Confrontation” and that’s exactly what millions of TV viewers across France got Wednesday night as incumbent French President Nicolas Sarkozy squared off against his Socialist challenger, François Hollande, in an intensely contested face-off, the only debate of the 2012 campaign.

With just four days to go before Sunday’s final round of the presidential poll, the stakes were high as Hollande kicked off the debate with a ferocious attack on what he called Sarkozy’s track record of dividing the French people, adding that if he were elected, the Socialist politician would be a “president for justice”.

In a quick rebuttal - the sort that characterised the contentious tone of the debate - Sarkozy shot back: “Bringing people together – what a beautiful idea. But it’s not just words, it’s facts that matter,” before noting that during his tenure as president, Sarkozy managed to implement controversial policies such as pension reforms without massive street protests.

The much-anticipated debate kicked off at 9pm local time at a TV studio north of Paris with the two candidates facing each other across a table mounted with two digital clocks to monitor the speaking time of each candidate.

Moderated by leading French TV presenters, David Pujadas of France 2 and Laurence Ferrari of TF1, Wednesday’s debate was broadcast live by several French TV stations, reaching roughly half of France's 44.5 million voters.

In a wide-ranging debate that included economic policies, immigration issues as well as foreign policy initiatives, the two candidates repeatedly clashed as they reeled out statistics, frequently accused each other of citing incorrect figures, and were not above taking the occasional personal jabs at each other. » | France 24 | Thursday, May 03, 2012

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En direct et en vidéo le débat Hollande-Sarkozy
Regardez le débat en direct ici | mercredi 02 mai 2012
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Nicolas Sarkozy Hopes to 'Explode' François Hollande in Live TV Debate

THE GUARDIAN: Rivals for Élysée Palace meet in traditional set-piece of French presidential race with Sarkozy desperate to rein in Hollande

Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande are to face each other in a live TV debate on Wednesday night – a tense verbal showdown seen as the rightwing president's last chance to swing Sunday's presidential vote in his favour.

The French president is six to eight points behind the Socialist frontrunner Hollande in the polls, despite an aggressive campaign. Sarkozy has reportedly told ministers that he will use the debate to "explode" Hollande. Both candidates have warned they do not view the two-and-a-half-hour standoff as a "boxing match", but French newspapers were billing it as a fight for political survival: The Last Duel or The Final Confrontation.

With an expected 20 million viewers, the presidential TV debate is a classic set-piece in French politics. It makes more impact as a personality clash than a detailed deconstruction of manifestos. In the past it has produced scathing put-downs and killer one-liners, such as Valéry Giscard d'Estaing's snub to François Mitterrand "You do not have the monopoly of the heart", Mitterrand's belittling of Jacques Chirac, or Sarkozy telling the Socialist Ségolène Royal in 2007 that she had lost her nerve. » | Angelique Chrisafis in Paris | Wednesday, May 02, 2012

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Intimate Scenes to Be Banned from Egyptian Public TV
AGI.it: Cairo - A group of Islamic supervisors of the Egyptian Public Broadcaster will be in charge of removing 'immoral ' footage from films the network has in its archives. The ban will apply to scenes featuring hugging, kissing and belly dancing. As reported by the daily Kuwait al-Anba, which quotes sources from inside the Network, such a decision could bring about either the removal of important scenes from movies that are an integral part of Egypt's cinema or their complete ban from any TV programming. » | AGI | Tuesday, April 03, 2012

HT: Robert Spencer @ Jihad Watch »

Pope to Respond to Question of Faith on TV
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: For the first time in the history of the Vatican, the Pope will respond to questions about his faith on a television programme.

Benedict XVI is expected to speak mostly about Jesus – he has just written the second of two volumes on Christ's life, "Jesus of Nazareth", due to be published on Thursday.

He will appear on a religious affairs programme called "In his image", which will be aired on Good Friday - April 22.

It will be broadcast at 2.10pm in Italy (1.10pm GMT), the time recognised by the Catholic Church as the moment that Christ died on the cross after being crucified. >>> Nick Squires, Rome | Tuesday, March 08 2011

Debatte im irakischen TV: Ist die Erde flach?

General Election 2010: Liberal Democrats Surge After Nick Clegg's TV Debate Performance
THE TELEGRAPH: The Liberal Democrats have overtaken Labour in a new poll after enjoying a 14 per cent surge on the back of Nick Clegg's performance in last night's TV election debate.



A unweighted poll of 4,000 people's voting intentions has dramatically propelled the Liberal Democrats into second place in the election campaign.

The poll by ITV/ComRes put Liberal Democrat support at 35 per cent, up 14 per cent. However it has not been adjusted to ensure it is representative of the electorate as a whole.

The Conservatives were at 36 per cent, down 3 per cent compared to before the head-to-head studio debate.

Labour was at 24 per cent, down 3 per cent, and others were at 5 per cent, down 8 per cent.

The poll increases the likelihood of a hung Parliament. >>> | Friday, April 16, 2010

Tweedledee Tweedledum Debate Ignores All Important Issues
BNP: Last night’s Tweedledee Tweedledum TV debate between the leaders of the three old-gang parties ignored every single issue vital to Britain’s future, including the EU, multi-culturalism and the erosion of British identity through mass immigration, said British National Party leader Nick Griffin.

Reacting to the debate, which drew only slightly more TV viewers than the BNP’s appearance on Question Time, Mr Griffin said all three participants went out of their way to avoid discussing any of the real issues.

“Although the very first question was on immigration, all the public were given was more meaningless platitudes about points-based systems and yet more immigration,” Mr Griffin said.

“No-one discussed the figures, which show that given current immigration levels and birth rates, British people are destined to become a minority in Britain within the next 50 years, and most likely within 30,” he said. >>> | Friday, April 16, 2010

53% of Saudi Men Lazy: Study
SAUDI GAZETTE: JEDDAH – Saudi males are lazy, eat too much junk food and spend excessive time in front of the television, all which means they are only likely to get fatter, an Arab health and nutrition expert has said.

Dr. Abdullah Musaiqir, head of the Arab Center for Nutrition, has warned of increasing obesity in the Gulf states and particularly Saudi Arabia, and cites a Saudi study showing that over 53 percent of Saudi males live a “lethargic lifestyle”, with only 20 percent described as leading a healthy lifestyle and engaging in activities that help keep them in good physical shape. Twenty seven percent were described by the study as having a “partially active” lifestyle.

Parents, Dr. Musaiqir said, are advised to cut down on television watching time for both themselves and their children, and to remove television sets from dining rooms and bedrooms. According to Musaiqir, watching television encourages further unhealthy eating practices as the activity is popularly accompanied by the consumption of snack foods.

Musaiqir said the first steps toward promoting a healthier lifestyle should come with awareness programs conducted throughout the Gulf with media involvement, and that school and university curricula should be improved to address issues of nutrition and public health.

Schools, Muqaisir said, should make greater efforts to support and encourage sporting activities both inside and outside the confines of their campuses. [Source: Saudi Gazette] Okaz/SG | Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Britons Are Just a Bunch of Barbarians!
'Barbarians': Jeremy Paxman speaking at the Hay on Wye Festival. Photo courtesy of MailOnline
MAIL Online: TV presenter Jeremy Paxman says Britons are a 'bunch of barbarians' - for watching so much television.

The Newsnight and University Challenge star made the astonishing attack last night on the very people whose viewing habits provide him with his living.

Appearing at the Hay on Wye Festival, Paxman could not hide his contempt for the British love of TV viewing.

He was at the festival to speak about his passion for Victorian art and it was the final question he received from the audience that sparked off his vitriolic rant.

A woman questioned him about why so few people visit art galleries in Britain these days and asked if he thought fuller explanations of paintings on the walls alongside them would bring in more visitors.

Paxman, who had been telling the audience how hugely popular paintings and art galleries were in Victorian times, replied: 'I think the basic problem is that we are a bunch of Barbarians, really.

'It is immensely depressing. Watching TV is the most popular leisure activity in this country now. I find this very depressing. Very depressing indeed. TV Presenter Jeremy Paxman Brands Britons 'Barbarians' for Watching Too Much Television>>> | Sunday, Mail 31, 2009

Television in the UK: BBC TV Begins

Part 2
BBC TV Radio Olympia 1936
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

Turning On TV News a Turn-off for Young and Ethnic Minorities
THE GUARDIAN: · Ofcom says solution could be to axe impartiality rules
· BBC fears lost generation as audiences dwindle
The media watchdog Ofcom warned yesterday that one of the only ways to get young people and ethnic minorities to engage with television news might be to sweep away impartiality rules, ushering in opinionated bulletins and more politicised news channels.

In the US, where there are no rules demanding impartiality in television news, the rightwing network Fox News has won viewers at the expense of traditional bulletins.

Ofcom said that discarding restrictions for broadcasters other than the main public service channels might lead to a wider range of voices and help re-engage viewers turned off by the homogeneity of views elsewhere. It said the requirement for impartiality may have "fostered a middle-of-the-road culture" in mainstream news.

A recent BBC study into impartiality also called for a more sophisticated approach to reflect a wider diversity of views. TV news 'a turn-off for young and ethnic minorities' (more) By Owen Gibson

Mark Alexander