Race Relations Row

The treatment of the Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty by her fellow housemates Jade Goody, Danielle Lloyd and Jo O'Meara elicited 54,000 complaints and led to effigies being burnt on the streets of India. As the row escalated, Gordon Brown was forced to defend Britain as "a country of fairness and tolerance".

The media regulator Ofcom ruled that Channel 4 had breached the broadcasting code and Channel 4 was also forced to air three apologies ahead of the start of the current series of Big Brother.

Channel 4 said yesterday Celebrity Big Brother would be rested as part of a programming shake-up to refresh the network and reaffirm its public service broadcasting credentials.

Channel 4 has also faced unprecedented scrutiny and criticism, along with other TV networks, after shows including Richard & Judy and Deal Or No Deal were drawn into the call TV scandal.
The decision to rest Celebrity Big Brother is part of a strategy of "creative renewal" that the Channel 4 head of programmes, Julian Bellamy, and director of television and content, Kevin Lygo, are implementing. It forms part of a deliberate move to draw a line under the controversies.

References http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/aug/25/television.channel4

More information on channel 4...

1995 was one of Channel 4's most popular years, with Four Weddings and a Funeral, backed by FilmFour, pulling in ratings of more than 11 million, soap opera Brookside reached nine million with the body-under-the-patio storyline and the launch of teen soap Hollyoaks.

The channel's biggest hit in recent years has been Big Brother. The reality quiz show, where 10 people are locked into a house for up to three months and videoed around the clock, has seen some of the biggest ratings for the station in years. However despite the success of Big Brother, Channel 4's audience share dropped to 10% in 2001, it's lowest since 1991.

Channel 4 also announced its first loss for 10 years in 2001, but has forecast a return to profits in 2002.

Despite seeing its share of total terrestrial TV advertising revenue rise to 23.5% 2001, from 22% in 2000, the group made a loss of £20.6m.

References http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/1959582.stm

Channel 4

Launched: 2nd November 1982 (25 years)
Owned by: Channel Four Television Corporation
Sister channels: E4, More4, Film4, 4Music
Website: www.channel4.com

What is channel 4?
Channel 4 is a public-service television and radio broadcaster in the united kingdom.It is publically owned despite it being commerically self-funded.

As channel 4is a public service it has obligations that it must fulfil; which means they must broadcast a wide range of high quality and diverse programming which, in particular:
•demonstrates innovation, experiment and creativity in the form and content of programmes;
•appeals to the tastes and interests of a culturally diverse society;
•makes a significant contribution to meeting the need for the licensed public service channels to include programmes of an educational nature and other programmes of educative value; and
•Exhibits a distinctive character."
This makes channel 4 authentic in it's programming and creates its large demographic appeal.

Channel Four Television Corporation
Channel four television corporation was formally known as channel 4 televison company when it was part Originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA), between 1982 and 1993. The new corporation, which became operational in 1993, remained publicly owned and was regulated by the new Independent Television Commission (ITC), this was later replaced by Ofcom.

Channel 4 Opening
The first programme to air on the channel was the teatime game show Countdown, produced byYorkshire Television; it is still running as of 2008 and is contracted until 2009.

countdown

Its new style of programming often drew critical attention, with some, such as the public-decency campaigner Mary Whitehouse, claiming the station had overstepped the boundaries of acceptability whilst others argued that the new style of broadcasting had led to a liberalisation of the UK television industry.

The channel became well received both by minority groups and the arts and cultural worlds during this period.
In 1992, Channel 4 also faced its first libel case by Jani Allen, a journalist objected to her representation in the documentary 'The Leader, His Driver and the Driver's wife'.

Recent years
After control of the station passed from the Channel Four Television Company to the Channel Four Television Corporation in 1993 the broadcasting style altered. They began to appeal to a mass market audience by introducing American popular programming such as ER and Friends.

Venturing into radio broadcasting, 2005 saw Channel 4 purchase a 51 per cent of shares in the Oneword radio station with UBC Media holding onto the remaining shares.

On 28 March 2007, Channel 4 announced plans to launch a music channel as a joint venture with UK media company EMAP which would include carriage on the Freeview platform. Channel 4 has since acquired a 50% stake in EMAP's TV business for a reported £28 million.

From 4 December 2006 Channel 4 was officially available to Sky viewers in the Republic of Ireland.

November 1998 saw Channel 4 expand beyond its remit of providing the 'fourth service' in a significant way, with the launch of Film Four. Since then the corporation has been involved in a range of other activities, all in some way associated with the main channel, and mainly using the '4' brand.

E4, a digital entertainment channel previously available on the internet, with a target age-range of 16-34, was launched in January 2001. It features premières of US imports and supplementary footage for programmes on its main channel (most notably extended Big Brother coverage).

More4 is a channel aimed at those aged 35–60. Launched on 10 October 2005, it channel carries news and nightly discussion programmes, such as More4 News, an extension of channel 4 News that attempts to look "beyond the headlines", giving in-depth analysis.

In July 2007 Channel 4 bought 50% of Box Television Ltd for £28 m from Emap plc. Box TV operates 7 music TV stations (4Music, The Box, Smash Hits, Kerrang!, Q, Kiss and Magic). Emap's stake in Box Television Limited was transferred to new owners, Bauer Consumer Media, following Bauer's acquisition of Emap's publishing and radio businesses.

Radio
In June 2006 Channel 4 launched 4radio, offering audio programmes in the shape of podcasts aimed at introducing new public service radio services informed by C4's values of creativity and innovation.

Oneword was a digital radio station featuring the spoken word. In early 2005 Channel 4 purchased a minority stake in it, later that year buying a majority one worth £1,000,000. On 4 January 2007 it was announced that had Channel 4 sold its 51% stake back to UBC Media for £1.

Website
The station's website is channel4.com. The site offers detailed programme information, highlights, and chats with actors and presenters of all Channel 4 channels. It also has in-depth sections including news,films, homes, sport and more. Its learning sections are often used by many for educational needs.

Financial
Channel 4's total revenue for the year to 31 December 2005 was £894.3 million, of which £735.2 million was generated by its main channel, and the remainder by its subsidiaries channels, sales of programming rights to other broadcasters, Film Four and "new media". Operating profits for the year to 31 December 2006 fell 70% to £14.5 million from £56.9 million in 2005.

References http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Channel_4