The Media Club · 6 May 2022 · 33 min

Goodbye to Horseferry Rd? Plus ARIAs & newsroom shakeups

With Trevor Dann, Scott Bryan

Listen at themediaclub.com →AppleSpotify

• Channel 4 Privatisation
• BBC Radio Restructure
• ITN CEO Appointment
• ARIAs Awards
• Global and Tim Westwood
• Media Quiz

In this episode of The Media Club, host Matt Deegan is joined by Trevor Dann and Scott Bryan to discuss the week's media news. The main story is Channel 4's proposal to sell its London HQ and move north in an attempt to avoid privatisation, with the panel sceptical about its chances of success. They also review the winners at the ARIAs, the BBC's restructure of its radio and music commissioning teams, and the appointment of Rachel Corp as ITN's CEO. The episode includes a media quiz and discussion of other stories such as Global's handling of the Tim Westwood allegations.

Key takeaways

• Channel 4 proposed selling its London HQ and moving north to avoid privatisation, but the panel believes the government is set on privatisation.
• The BBC announced a restructure of its radio and music commissioning teams, separating commissioning from production.
• Rachel Corp was appointed CEO of ITN, freeing Deborah Turness to move to the BBC.
• The ARIAs celebrated a diverse range of winners, reflecting the growth of podcasting.
• Global faced criticism for telling journalists to avoid reporting on Tim Westwood allegations.

In this episode

• Introduction and News Round-up0:00 · Matt introduces the show and runs through the week's media news.
• Channel 4 Privatisation Discussion5:00 · Panel discusses Channel 4's proposal to avoid privatisation.
• ARIAs Review15:00 · Trevor and Matt discuss the winners at the ARIAs.
• BBC Restructure and ITN CEO20:00 · Panel discusses BBC radio restructure and Rachel Corp's appointment.
• Media Quiz30:00 · Trevor plays the media quiz.
• News in Brief and Wrap-up35:00 · Discussion of Global and Tim Westwood, and final thoughts.

Notable quotes

“I'm here to carry all the money home.”

Anne Robinson's husband · 0:00

“It read to me a bit like a teenager's note to his mum saying, If you don't whack me, I promise that I'll tidy my room and I might wash the car.”

Trevor Dann · 0:00

“I think that's pathetic. And it's very much what the BBC has tried to do, isn't it, over decades? Social media is social. You can't control it in the same way, and trying to makes you look old and silly.”

Trevor Dann · 0:00

“I mean, he looked as though he was searching around for another fridge to get into.”

Trevor Dann · 0:00

Discussed

Channel 4 · BBC · ITN

Also mentioned: Nadine Dorries · Rachel Corp · Deborah Turness · Charlotte Moore · Anne Robinson · Boris Johnson · Piers Morgan · Tim Westwood · Susanna Reid · Paul Brand · Daniel Hewitt · Robert Moore · Colin Murray · Richard Osman · Giles Brandreth · Steve Orchard · John Birt · Emily Maitlis · Andrew Marr · Sharon Osbourne · Tom Newton Dunn · Sam Ryder · Paul McCartney · ITV

Mentioned or recommended

• The Media Club · podcast · Rethink Audio
• Countdown · tv show · Channel 4
• Good Morning Britain · tv show · ITV
• Desert Island Discs · tv show · BBC
• The Weakest Link · tv show · BBC
• Nolan Investigates Stonewall · podcast · BBC
• Eurovision Song Contest 2022 · event
• Wordle · product · Josh Wardle