Throughout the year, there’s a never ending series of conferences around the country on all sorts of subjects. It’s not surprising as they make lots of money. Fees from delegates easily pay for the conference room facilities and a buffet lunch leaving lots of cash in pure profit. Speakers aren’t usually paid with perhaps only their travel and accommodation paid for. But enough of that.
I’ve had several recent invitations to another conference – The Media Festival. Sounds important doesn’t it? Perhaps I should go?
“We have delegates from TV, film, advertising, online, music, interactive, mobile, games and beyond. Join us today for an unrivalled networking opportunity!”
Umm. Well of course advertising, online, music, mobile, interactive and “beyond” are relevant. But isn’t there at least one major media missing? In fact there are at least a couple. No radio and no press. Perhaps the festival might better be called The TV With A Bit Of Online Festival?
Now I don’t want to sound too overly defensive about the media that I work for. But the trade magazine Broadcast behaves the same way. “Broadcast” refers really to only two media – TV and radio. Everything else relies on different distribution methods. Of course TV is more glamorous and sexy, and there’s more news about it as well (although the fact that UK TV Style has commissioned ten episodes of some makeover programme is on a par with finding out that LBC has changed it’s overnight weekend presenter). But you do have to turn to page 12 of the magazine to reach any radio news this week.
And, er, that page is it. The magazine runs to 36 pages.
Perhaps it’s just the industry we’re in.
Still, it can’t be easy working for Broadcast. The Letters column regularly runs to a single letter which suggests that nobody actually ever writes to the magazine.
At least this week we do get the pleasure of a double page interview with BBC3’s controller Danny Cohen – the man who’s just cancelled the only decent sitcom he’s got left, Pulling.