You are currently browsing the daily archive for June 16, 2021.
On Monday, June 14, 2021, I posted about the launch of GB News, a channel that offers balanced content.
On June 15, Guido Fawkes posted the new channel’s preliminary ratings demographics — 70% male viewers and 62% middle and upper middle class viewers:
Guido wrote (emphasis in the original):
According to BARB figures for the first full day on air, GB News averaged over the 18-hour day 74,000 viewers, just behind Sky News’ 78,000. BBC News was well ahead with 138,000. Andrew Neil’s show drew 150,000 for his hour, down from Sunday’s opening 262,000. Let’s see how things settles down in a few weeks. Today the audio technical problems were noticeably fewer…
GB News has been taking some flak over the past few days. It must be over the target.
Someone in the media sniped at Andrew Neil, the channel’s chairman, who has a weekday evening news roundup:
Unfortunately, advertisers are beginning to withdraw their sponsorship, claiming they had no idea their adverts were being shown on GB News. How can that be?
Kopparberg Cider (never heard of it) was the first:
Guido’s post says that Koppaberg pulled their ads because of an appearance by Nigel Farage on Dan Wootton’s first nightly show:
In a bizarre business move, Swedish cider company Kopparberg has suspended all their GB News advertising after a left-wing Twitter user complained they’d hosted Nigel Farage as a guest. Guido has no doubt Kopparberg will also be suspending ads for … ITV and Sky, who have all interviewed Nige’ on numerous occasions…
Nivea is another former sponsor:
Nivea has also apparently announced a boycott, though Guido’s altogether less familiar with brands of moisturiser. Imperial Leather moisturiser seems an appropriate alternative brand…
Guido has contacted Kopparberg for comment.
Then came Ovo Energy:
The thread received this reply:
ITV News must have been rubbing their hands with glee. It’s hard to discount the possibility that the main channels want GB News to fail:
ITV’s article listed more former sponsors (emphases mine):
An Ikea spokesperson told iNews the company “has not knowingly advertised on GB News” and has suspended all paid display advertising while it investigates.“We have safeguards in place to prevent our advertising from appearing on platforms that are not in line with our humanistic values and vision to side with the many people,” they added.
“We are in the process of investigating how this may have occurred to ensure it won’t happen again in future, and have suspended paid display advertising in the meantime.”
Beer producer Grolsch said in response to a message from a campaigner it would “do everything we possibly can” to stop its adverts appearing on the channel.
The controversy comes from the channel’s aims to fight “cancel culture” and present news to audiences that in their view are not reflected in the current British broadcast media landscape.
ITV says that a left-wing campaigning organisation is behind the boycott:
Stop Funding Hate, which has been campaigning to get businesses to pull adverts from GB News said OVO Energy, Ikea, Nivea, the Open University and Grolsh have also all reportedly stopped working with the channel.
Andrew Neil had a go at Ikea, as did one of his followers:
What is wrong with the content and ‘values’ of GB News?
Did advertisers object to the Who’s Roger Daltrey’s take on today’s culture?
Were they upset with Andrew Neil’s ‘Woke Watch’ which explored the new culture at the National Trust?
Neil did take issue with the anti-lockdown protesters who chased the BBC’s Nick Watt in London on Monday afternoon:
The following are Wednesday’s stories on GB News. What is objectionable?
There is a story on council tax hitting those in northern England more than those in London:
A Labour MP criticised the Home Secretary Priti Patel for not helping legal immigrants more:
Liz Truss MP talked about Britain’s new trade deal with Australia:
Sajid Javid MP, former Chancellor of the Exchequer and former Home Secretary, explained why he would like to see the increase of the legal marriage age to 18:
Where is the problem?
Guido Fawkes alleges that an ex-BBC producer could be behind the advertising boycott:
Her company has allegedly created a website, Boycott GB News.
Guido’s post says:
The website BoycottGBNews.org, which has spent the last 24 hours celebrating various corporate boycotts, says it is a “campaigning website from Ripples”. A quick search of Companies House shows Ripples Campaigning was co-founded, and is run, by Louise Wikstrom. Louise, who appears to be their only employee, was a senior content producer at BBC Worldwide for three years.
He included a photo from her Facebook page indicating that she is a supporter of the former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Guido adds (emphases in the original):
Co-conspirators may have theories as to why someone closely linked to the BBC’s commercial arm might want GB News to fail?
… Whilst Guido hadn’t heard of Ripples, it’s clearly a petition site exclusively for left-wingers and FBPEers. They laughably claim that due to their petitions, they prevented: a cut to universal credit; MPs receiving a £3,000 pay rise; an extension of the furlough scheme; and preventing the government from “breaking international law” on Brexit. These past claims are clearly absurd. Their latest busy-bodying attempt is far more malicious…
In closing, I have bought print advertising in the past. There is no way that anyone buying advertising doesn’t know what is going on. It isn’t done independently. I was told what publication to contact for my employer’s ad and how to negotiate the price.
It is disingenuous for these sponsors to say that advertising was placed without their permission. That cannot happen. Yet, if you read their statements, they all claim they did not know they were advertising on GB News.
No doubt Andrew Neil will know how to deal with this. I wish him all the best.
Churchmouse Campanologist 