[pushing the limits] 18 doughty street internet talk tv

The set for the first pre-recorded programme

I stared at the amassed material on this new project, had a whisky and decided just to collate it, trim the fat away, then present it below in no particular order. You may say this is laziness, that it throws up nothing new and you may be right and yet it’s perhaps a distillation of salient facts such as this which can focus the mind on what these lads are really attempting to do. Roll on October 10th.

# Tim Montgomerie wrote ... 18 Doughty Street is an anti-establishment, insurgent channel standing up for the little guy against big media, big business, big politics and big and undemocratic international institutions. From our little house in London's Doughty Street we want to challenge the biases of big media, the tendency of some big businesses to act against the public interest, the consensual nature of too much contemporary politics and the unaccountability of institutions like the EU and UN.

# Funding issue: one blogger raised this concern: If a blog (Web TV included) has links to a caucus with political power over me (or a realistic prospect of attaining it) or is backed by parties who have serious financial muscle and can influence those who desire political power over me, I want to know about it.

# Iain Dale replied to Prodicus, I can assure you there is no secret about our funding. It has already appeared in the press that the channel is being funded by Stephan Shakespeare, whose claim to fame is that he jointly set up YouGov. He is the only financial backer. He does not play a day to day role in the running of the station. Email me if you have any further questions.

# We're not just seeking reporters from Britain. Are you an Israeli who is sick and tired of the BBC's coverage of your country? Are you a Muscovite who wants to report on living inside Putin's 'democracy'? Do you work in Brussels and have stories to tell about the EU bureaucracy?

Tim Montomerie. Press on photo to read about him.

# Suggestion by me, James Higham: link to Doughty Street then e-mail Tim at tim.montgomerie@mac.com.

# If you would be interested in submitting regular 60 to 120 second reports to appear on 18 Doughty Street's internet television station please email tim.montgomerie@mac.com and tell us why you should have a camera. If you can use Microsoft Word you'll be able to use our technology. It couldn't be simpler.

# [On set design] I have a rather fetching 5 foot inflatable Big Ben Tower which might look rather good - there should be plenty of hot air to blow it up with! [Matthew Hewitt] What about having an elephant somewhere in the room? [Alex Fear]

# Britain’s first political Internet TV Channel, 18Doughty Street Talk TV will broadcast for four hours a night, Mondays to Thursdays, from studios in London’s Bloomsbury with a mix of live and pre-recorded programmes. It aims to break the mould of current affairs television with a mix of opinionated and controversial programming.

# network of 100 nationwide and worldwide citizen journalist reporters, each equipped with their own camcorder, which they can use to film reports for 18DoughtyStreet to broadcast.

# It will be a website of blogs and daily votes. Comments left on the blogs will shape the content of the programmes. The daily votes will help determine which news stories headline every programme.

# Programme presenters will have access to the blogs during live programming, with the viewer seeing the blog next to the live streaming screen on their computers. All programmes will be available for download after livestreaming.

# The channel’s founders believe that conventional political TV has let down its audience by dumbing down political debate to the lowest common denominator; that no political party truly understands the electorate’s disappointment with the current state of politics.

# It aims to be an anti-establishment channel – championing rebel opinions in all of the mainstream parties and constantly questioning authority.

# Two of Britain’s most successful bloggers are the main presenters – Tim Montgomerie of ConservativeHome.com and Iain Dale, Britain’s best known blogger.

# Tim Montgomerie will present UP FRONT - a fair but opinionated news programme at 8pm every night - based on the output of that day’s blogs.

Iain Dale. Press on photo to read about him.

# Iain Dale’s VOX POLITIX will go out at 9pm with alternate co-presenters Rena Valeh and Zoe-Ann Phillips as well as two sofa-guests. The show will be a mix of news and discussion with the final half hour devoted to a thirty minute debate on a news topic of the day.

# END OF THE DAY SHOW – Live one hour discussion show each night at 11pm – including a long preview of the following day’s newspapers

# ONE TO ONE – a 30 minute interview designed to restore the idea of serious discussion

# PARTY TALK – with Zoe Ann Phillips – a Monday night show previewing the week in politics

# BROUGHT TO BOOK – Iain Dale talks to guests from the world of political books

# SELL THE IMPOSSIBLE will task a panel of expert politicians and bloggers with the job of devising a strategy to sell controversial policies chosen by visitors to the station’s website.

# There will also be specialist programmes – presented by anti-establishment campaign groups – that will spotlight the tax burden, the threat of terrorism and BBC bias.

# The launch night of the channel will include an exclusive interview with Australian Prime Minister John Howard.

# Tim Montgomerie said: internet entrepreneurs will offer a radical alternative to the BBC’s pretence of impartiality, its obsession with personalities and its unwillingness to commit serious amounts of time to the concerns of ordinary voters. Big businesses, self-important NGOs and timid political elites should also start preparing their defences.”

# Iain Dale said: it really will be by the people for the people. We’re not going to get stuck in the Westminster village. We’ll be talking about what’s really being discussed in the pubs and clubs, not what the metropolitan elite think ought to be discussed. We’ll be using our blogs to set our agenda, not focus groups.

# The chaps said: we believe that within the next twelve months people will start watching internet TV through their normal TV screens. Few people realise that every TV screen has a plug in the back to which a computer can be connected.

# 18DoughtyStreet Talk TV will broadcast from purpose built studios at 18 Doughty Street, in London’s Bloomsbury.

# It will use the latest streaming technology to broadcast live programmes on the internet.

# All programmes will be available for later download so people can watch them when they want to.

# Programmes will also be podcastable either on video or with sound only.

# The channel will initially broadcast Monday-Thursday, four hours per night from 8pm until Midnight. It will initially only be available on the internet.

# Yankeewombat commented: Wonderful! It will be interesting to see how 'TV' changes as a medium when put on the net and can turn up on video ipods and such. McLuhan said that every new medium uses the content of an older medium to start - cinema so used the theater, TV the cinema etc. Then the media develops new forms out of the unique potential of the new medium. Unlike broadcast TV your net TV 'station' will be much more two way communication and not time bound or limited to where it can be accessed.

# Matthew Sinclair commented: I agree with Allan that video podcasting has to be worth looking into. I have a video iPod and never use its video function. If this channel were distributed in such a fashion I might well do so.

# FOul had these topic suggestions: 1] Banning Non governmental organizations 2] introduction of 85 percentile speed limits thought the UK 3] Making national insurance an optional tax 4] Banning Trade Unions 5] forceful sterilization of people where neither partner has positively contributed to society in a fixed period of time. 6] Making local government responsible for local taxes and to have some law making powers. 7] Automatic repeal of any law where a petition of more than 10 million names have been collected. 8] Make positive discrimination illegal 9] Introducing televised hanging of celebrities who fail TV shows 10] Turning each county into an independent state