thanks for this detailed account it only makes PBS's version of FOYLE'S WAR more puzzling -- because here is a case where a show made for commercial TV is shown *without* commercials, and is nevertheless cut to the point of occasional narrative incomprehensibility mike ---------------------- -----Original Message----- From: Film and TV Studies Discussion List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Darrell Newton Sent: Tuesday, July 15, 2008 9:25 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: [SCREEN-L] query: BBC adaptations Peter and Mike; When considering the disruption of narrative and issues of segmentation, one can’t help but to examine the antics of BBC America here in the States. As you may know, the cable channel was first launched in March 1998, and began its early programming schedule rife with BBC programming and shows from other UK based television sources such as ITV and Channel 4. Sitcoms, costume dramas, science fiction and reality programmes were some of the offerings that supposedly catered to American audiences and their varied tastes. The channel is also advertising-supported (unlike the BBC and its license fees) and all programs and movies are edited for commercial interruption. At its inception, the channel was distributed through Discovery Networks; the parent company of the popular Discovery Channel. They handled the affiliate and advertising sales through the newly-established New York based office of BBC America. BBC America is now under the management of BBC Worldwide Americas. When the service premiered, there were criticisms from viewers and television critics over the heavy repetition of programs ads which ran both during the evening schedule and during the day; creating 11 to 12 hours of content with heavy advertisement. A typical episode of one drama had commercials at 10 past the hour; 20 past, 36, and 44 minutes past the hour, with the show ending at 51 minutes. Nine minutes of information about BBC America helped to fill the hour’s worth of programming. Comedy shows (or "Britcoms" as they were called by early promos for the channel) ran within two hour slots, with one beginning at the top of the hour, and the second beginning 40 minutes in. The third program began approximately 80 minutes after the first, with promos placed in between. Each show also had two to three breaks for ads. Among the many programmes shown (Casualty, Hamish Macbeth, EastEnders, Blackadder, French and Saunders and others), ironically Doctor Who suppposedly “premiered” on BBC America; and advertisements for the show touted Who as being shown "only on BBC America" when in fact the program has run for years on 16 Public Television stations around the country - without commercial interruption. Darrell M. Newton, Ph.D. Associate Professor, The Department of Communication Arts Salisbury University 269 Fulton Hall Salisbury, MD 21801 (410) 677-5060 Office (410) 543-6229 Department http://faculty.salisbury.edu/~dmnewton/ >>> Peter Longworth <[log in to unmask]> 07/14/08 6:23 PM >>> Hello Mike This is an interesting issue you raise. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) which is the equivalent of your BBC here does some atrocious things to programming. They showed the excellently produced 'Bleak House' as 50 minute programming, when they were actually designed to run 30 minutes. I find the 30 minute presentation time favourable to the 50 minute running time - basically two episodes joined together. Worst still is with the way the ABC presents their documentaries. Ten or so years ago they showed documentaries on the architect Franck Llyod Wright, my parents had seen the original documentary while holidaying in America in the mid 1990s and were appalled to notice the ABC were showing the documentary minus 60 minutes of its running time. Other documentaries on famous film composer Bernard Herrmann and Bette Davis "The Stardust" documentaries were savagely cut. I have the Bette Davis documentary on a DVD boxset and notice how severely the cutting of this documentary was. The television stations (PBS & BBC) should be forced to show the full documentary - cut documentaries don't work because: 1) They're inferior 2) It's pretty obvious they've been cut to fit programming schedules 3) It's not how the original director made his work. 4) If a cinema cut a movie to fit running times they'd be in breach of copyright 5) Television stations need to show the full product My advice is to write to the major newspapthe television station etc. Sadly, I'm sorry to say the ABC is very biased in how they handle complaints. They're happy to air their left-wing propaganda on media shows like Media Watch, but when the heat is on them they're selectively ignore airing reports criticising the running of their TV shows. They also seem reluctant to run corrections for mistakes they've made on their shows, Media Watch especially Peter At 11:24 PM 14/07/2008, you wrote: >a question about PBS "masterpiece" presentations of BBC material >[with the usual apologies for duplication] > >i chanced last night to watch the PBS "masterpiece mystery" >presentation of an episode from the BBC's "foyle's war" series, and >there were some aspects of the narrative structure of the program >that seemed to me very peculiar . . . . it's possible that the beeb >[with whose programs i'm largely unfamiliar] uses a different model >of narrative organization than i'm used to -- but i suppose it's >also possible that PBS re-edited the program [for audience and/or >time considerations] and that some of the things i noticed were >distortions of the original . . . > >so . . . does anyone know whether PBS mucks around with beeb >originals before presenting them, or whether they are presented in >substantially original form? > >thanks for any clues > >mike ---- Screen-L is sponsored by the Telecommunication & Film Dept., the University of Alabama: http://www.tcf.ua.edu ---- Online resources for film/TV studies may be found at ScreenSite http://www.ScreenSite.org ---- Learn to speak like a film/TV professor! 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