Dominic Crossley-Holland on Broadcasting
The News Review:
- Dominic Crossley-Holland on Broadcasting
- Calderdale and Huddersfield extends home grown PAS
- Anti-Drug Team Busts Jackson County Home Grown Operation
- A daily dose of postings from The Chronicle’s technology blog…
- Straight-talking McCain vows to fix world’s view of the ‘ugly…
- Cornishman wins asparagus ‘race’
Dominic Crossley-Holland on Broadcasting
The Independent – Independent – Mar 19, 2007
“Cynics might say it all sounds a bit like his predecessor Charles Allen, and that Grade’s fine words merely fly up while his real thoughts remain below. But his words do reflect a re-energised ITV and bear at least passing similarities to the spring offensives from Channel 4 and Five, which also stress innovation and risk-taking, and the championing of commissioned programmes. And it’s home-grown, quality productions and familiar faces that have delivered some of the biggest hits of the past few months. Channel 4′s Grand Designs opened its new season with a whopping 5. 5 million viewers, one in four of everybody watching TV at the time. ITV’s Morse spin-off Lewis, starring Kevin Whately, has been drawing audiences of between seven and eight million; BBC2′s Top Gear ended its series with almost eight million viewers; and on Sky One, Terry Pratchett’s Hogfather drew one of the highest ratings ever in December and was the most popular UK-commissioned programme the channel has shown. So, with the prices of American imports and acquisitions going Sky high since Murdoch snatched Lost from Channel 4 for a rumoured £20m a series, are we seeing the beginning of a new emphasis on home-grown programming? Kevin Lygo has already said that as part of his new, more strategic, role he’ll look at whether the current spend on American acquired programming is sustainable… ITV has built up its acquisition team and made a point of buying from all the studios last year. Five is hugely dependent on CSI and now has its new digital channel Five US, while Channel 4 has found success with its latest import Ugly Betty. But maybe, just maybe, we’re seeing a spring for home-grown and more aspirational programming too. An interesting nugget came from Five’s chief executive Jane Lighting at last week’s Commons media committee hearing. While most of the heat and light was generated by the quiz TV debate, the original purpose of the hearing was the future of public service broadcasting. Lighting seemed far from wanting to wriggle out of the channel’s commitments. In her view, “the moment you drop important areas like the news, or children’s, you fail to have that breadth of coverage.
Calderdale and Huddersfield extends home grown PAS
E-Health Insider – Mar 19, 2007
The trust was able to extend the PAS system which is now used in all areas of the three hospitals using InterSystems Cache integration engine. Previously the foundation trust been operating with different PAS systems at its various sites – the Calderdale Royal Hospital in Halifax, the Huddersfield Royal Infirmary and St Luke’s Hospital in Huddersfield. According to InterSystems Cache the foundation trust has improved its ability to manage its business more effectively and meet its NHS targets. Working with different PAS systems resulted in duplicate patient records, repeated data entry and a burden for staff that needed to work at more than one site… Previously the foundation trust been operating with different PAS systems at its various sites – the Calderdale Royal Hospital in Halifax, the Huddersfield Royal Infirmary and St Luke’s Hospital in Huddersfield. According to InterSystems Cache the foundation trust has improved its ability to manage its business more effectively and meet its NHS targets. Working with different PAS systems resulted in duplicate patient records, repeated data entry and a burden for staff that needed to work at more than one site. As a new foundation trust hospital, Calderdale and Huddersfield needed to ensure that new statutory reporting commitments could be met. Continued use of disparate systems would make it difficult to meet these reporting commitments. The trust worked with the SHA, Connecting for Health and its LSP to determine that the implementation of a single unified PAS could deliver significant benefits to the organisation, until CfH products are available to support it. The Calderdale Royal Hospital site was already running a successful locally developed PAS solution based on database technology from InterSystems.
Anti-Drug Team Busts Jackson County Home Grown Operation
WILX-TV – Mar 19, 2007
A Blackman Township police officer was called to a home in the 12-hundred block of Winifred Street Sunday afternoon. if (self['plpm'] && plpm['Mid-Story Ad']) document. write(plpm['Mid-Story Ad']);} else { if(self['plurp'] && plurp['97']){} else {document… “He had his own drying system set up, air quality system was wired into the house, all the lights and power inverters were directly wired into the house which was vented through the heating system,” said Blackman Township Detective Chris Boulter. “This is a very intricate scenario compared to other cases in the county. ”
Police say they also found more than a dozen long guns in the home. A 52-year-old suspect is awaiting charges.
A daily dose of postings from The Chronicle’s technology blog…
San Francisco Chronicle – Mar 19, 2007
Yeah! The categories include Most Creative — Innovative and Cutting Edge Video, Most Inspirational — Things That Make You Think or Feel, Best Series — The Best in Serial Entertainment, Best Comedy — They Had Us in Stitches, Musician of the Year — Celebrating YouTube’s Home-Grown Musical Talent, Best Commentary — The Bloggers Who Caught our Attention and Most Adorable Video Ever — So Cute It Hurts. It sure does hurt, don’t it? So, get your cute kitty videos in there. Or just go out in the backyard and have someone hit you in the crotch with a bowling ball. Just make sure the camera’s running, huh? Oh, and here’s the obligatory pap from YouTube: “Our community was at the forefront of the most creative and popular user-generated content in 2006,” said Mia Quagliarello, director of programming for YouTube, in a statement. “On a daily basis, new videos were created, uploaded, discovered and popularized through the site.
Straight-talking McCain vows to fix world’s view of the ‘ugly…
Telegraph.co.uk – Mar 19, 2007
He was predictably full of praise for Tony Blair, but said that he also looked forward to working with Gordon Brown if he is confirmed as prime minister. “We have a uniquely special relationship that will survive any bumps in the road, so it really doesn’t matter too much who the British prime minister is. He said that the scale of the “titanic struggle” against Islamist extremism was brought home to him when Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller, the head of MI5, briefed him on Britain’s home-grown terrorists. “I’m not sure that we’re succeeding right now,” he added, “but I’m confident we can. Sen McCain has a reputation for occasional flashes of temper and his age is a constant focus of attention. He will be 72 during the election and, if successful, will be the oldest person elected to the office. But last week, he was in good humour and clearly enjoying the fray as he took questions from his audiences.
Cornishman wins asparagus ‘race’
BBC News – Mar 19, 2007
An unofficial race has developed in recent years between UK farmers to get the season’s first English asparagus into the stores. Tesco spokesman Mike Seymour said UK wide sales of asparagus have grown by 26%. Beaujolais run
He said: “Home grown asparagus is historically popular at this time because it is the first British vegetable of the year and is symbolic of the start of spring. “Although we stock asparagus all year round, British asparagus is the most popular and sales peak in May and June during the UK season. ”
In the past five years, the great asparagus race has been viewed by farmers as similar to the Beaujolais Nouveau wine run in which British vintners race to France to bring back the first bottles every November. Mr Rowe said he was thrilled to win the “race”, when the vegetable was traditionally grown in the Midlands. “But we have such a great microclimate in Cornwall and good soil here, we thought we’d have a go for the first time,” he said.