“Andy Duncan, the Channel 4 chief executive, has today said that the broadcaster is not in a ‘survive or die’ situation, despite previously having warned that it could face an annual funding deficit of £150m by 2012. […] ‘We can cut our cloth to fit our means … what will suffer substantially is programming and content spend.”
Tag: 05.06.09
At 75, Glyndebourne Spruces Up
“When the season opens later this month, there will be a new restaurant designed by architecture’s oldest enfant terrible, Nigel Coates. A scheme has been introduced to woo the under-thirties by allotting them cheaper tickets. There’s been a clean-out of the notorious 20-year waiting list for admission to the club which sustains the enterprise, and 4,000 of those in the queue have just been fast-tracked into ‘associate membership’.”
The Big Problem With The Google Books Settlement
Farhad Manjoo: “Rather than satisfy Google’s mission of organizing the world’s information, critics say, the deal gives Google and the publishing industry unrivaled power in the new market for digital books. Looking at the settlement, it’s hard to disagree.”
Garsington Opera Wins £250K Tax Rebate
The company, a summer country-house opera festival along the lines of Glyndebourne (but smaller), “stands to benefit by £250,000 in its 20th anniversary season after winning a dispute with HM Revenue and Customs over its VAT liability.”
In Defiance Of A King, Forgotten Handel Piece Resurrected
“A forgotten piece of music by 18th century German composer George Handel is to be performed for the first time in more than 250 years.” The funeral anthem “was originally commissioned by King George II to be played at the burial of his wife,” after which the king “ordered the music be thrown away and never heard again.” Turns out never is a very long time….
Pa. Republicans Green-Light State Arts Budget Of Zero
“The state budget approved Monday by Republicans on the Senate Appropriations Committee may be nothing more than an opening salvo. But its zero funding for the arts, film offices, selected museums and public television threw a scare into arts leaders and prompted a viral campaign urging protests. The full Senate could vote on the bill as early as today. ‘It’s a disaster,’ said Philip Horn, director of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts….”
Host Departs, So ITV Arts Series Is Canceled After 30 Years
“ITV is to its axe flagship arts strand The South Bank Show after more than 30 years on air next summer, when Melvyn Bragg retires as presenter and series editor.”
A Real-Life Toddler’s Murder: Suitable Topic For Drama?
“The abduction, torture and murder of two-year-old James Bulger is an event that is seared into the public memory. … Now, 16 years on, a play about the murder is due to open in London. Originally written in Swedish by Niklas Radstrom, Monsters has been translated into English and will be performed by four adult actors at the Arcola theatre in Hackney, north London.”
Wedgwood Is In Trouble, But The Museum Is Looking Good
“A museum dedicated to Wedgwood, the world-famous pottery company, has been shortlisted for the Art Fund Prize. The Wedgwood Museum, in Stoke-on-Trent, is one of four museums competing for the £100,000 prize. … The Wedgwood Museum’s inclusion on the shortlist comes months after Waterford Wedgwood went into administration due to the financial crisis.”
In Indian Elections, An Influx Of Bollywood-Star Candidates
“On Thursday, Indian voters in Patna, capital of the unruly state of Bihar, will face a stark choice for the national Parliament: Will it be ‘Shotgun’ or ‘Shaker’? The two aren’t local toughs. They’re Bollywood stars. … The two men are part of a surge of Indian celebrities throwing their hats in the ring this year.”