Ofcom Broadcast Code Consultation

Its bollocks.
I've had 6 different makes of PVRs/freeview boxes so far. All of them have had a PIN option to block channels.
As for there not being a dedicated part of the EPG, all the babe channels have been moved into the channels above 90 in the last month.

I'm confused as to why we're discussing proposed changes to the Advertising code when the broadcasters just payed £250K to not be reclassified as shopping channels.

Did I miss something?


I concur with The Watcher. Is there a DVB-T reciever out there that *doesn't* have a PIN lock?

My 4-year-old IDTV even has PIN protection for crying out loud.

Surely they can’t get away with this? I mean banning an entire set of channels just because of the platform they are on can’t be fair, and why should we be punished for the failings of some parents anyway, I mean little Johnny shouldn’t be up at 1am in the bloody morning flicking through the TV, that’s the responsibility of the parents not Ofcon.

And what about violence on TV? It’s ok to show films like Saw at 10pm yet a channel with a girl and her tits out is somehow worse. I ask you what’s going to “traumatise” little Johnny the most, naked breasts and some ass shaking or a scene In which some one has their rib cage torn from their body?(Saw3).

Once again the minority morality police are left to rule.

Quote:The majority of participants (around three in five) said that the adult sexual entertainment PRS should only be promoted on television in the same way that it is currently promoted. It should remain as long form promotions on dedicated channels within the Adult section of the EPG. This view was particularly common among women.
Those who opted for Option Two were able to apply additional restrictions, if they felt they were necessary. The additional restrictions that could be applied were:
o Must only be on a dedicated TV channel in the Adult section of the EPG;
o Must not be carried on Channel 3, Channel 4 or Channel 5;
o Must not be carried on Freeview;
o Must not feature before certain times;
o Must feature warning about risk of offence;
o Must have appropriate limits on language and nudity.

Almost all applied the following restriction:
o Must only be on a dedicated TV channel in the Adult section of the EPG
Furthermore, unless a genre-driven EPG and parental PIN functionality were available, then the majority thought that the promotion must not be carried on Freeview.

The two restrictions were also supported by a significant, mainly female participants:
o Must feature warning about risk of offence;
o Must have appropriate limits on language and nudity.

I just read that again.

3 in 5 people support this method of regulation and a 'significant proportion' of that 3 in 5 support the additional restriction of 'appropriate limits on language and nudity'.

A 'significant proportion' is less than 'the majority' [a term which *is* used elsewhere in the document]. The majority is greater than 50%.

So, less than 50% of 66% of the people surveyed support restrictions on the levels of nudity and language.

That's approximately 32% of the population at best. NOT *most* of the population as OfCom are asserting. And even they put that restriction secondary to that of a warning about any possible offence that may be caused.

They're trying to manipulate things to fit their own views methinks.

I have spent the past 2-3 hours trying to understand what Ofcom are recommending. They seem to do a complete 180, saying encrypt it all at the start, then seeming to recommed allowing babe channels provided they register as teleshopping channels, are in the adult section, can be locked out, and are late at night. Is this too good to be true?

There are some amazing admissions about general acceptabilty and PIN protection being adequate.

Don't sit back and do nothing. If everyone just assumes Ofcom will go with their preferred option and no-one supports it, the consultation will be hijacked by the pro-censorship lobby. They registered 100+ voices against relaxing the Broadcasting Code and I'm struggling to find any submissions in favour.

BTW Ofcom estimates that 1% of the population regularly watch babe channels. That's 650,000 people. If on the BARB TV ratings system that would put combined babe channels at joint position 24 with Home and Away (Fiver), Grease: The School Musical (Sky 1), Matrix Revolutions (Sky 2) and The Simpsons (Sky 1). Barb Top 30s 12-18 Oct. That's a seriously large audience.

The way I understand the recomendation is that Satellite shows are 'as you were' but freeview shows are going to be completely banned. (Based on the erroneous assumption that the channels can't be locked out on the majority of terrestrial recievers)

But I only read through it once, i'm going to go over it again tomorrow.

[edit]

One last thing before I bugger off, I noticed and can't stop thinking about the fact that the majority of people 'recognised the need for such services'. That's got huge implications that has.

It goes like this...

Recognised need for Adult service + Dislike of financial aspect of babe channels = FREE PRON ON THE TELE!!1!!one!!

The thing that struck me was, how come female votes have any say in what we "the male audience" can see, and can't see, when they clearly have no interest in watching these channels, and when the show's are viwed by a 90% or more "male" audience. I mean how many women are going to whack off watching females. If they were to pole males only, it would be totally different story.

The Watcher, the 'child lock' or 'parental lock' has been a mandatory requirement on all televisual equipment in the EU for over 15 years. I was trying to find the actual Directive yesterday but couldn't - I think it might actually be in the 1989 version of the TVWF. I know when I bought a new TV back in 1991/2 it had a child lock PIN facility (I think the video recorder had too).

There's only one PIN on this stuff, like say a $ky receiver, because it was designed to pevent unauthorised access to the whole system, not individual channels. Ofcom are trying to make out that certain channels need special PIN access, which obviously means they don't understand the intention of the child lock PIN at all.

Now sure, the manufacturers have tried to make the systems a bit more user friendly. You can now choose to lock-out individual channels to prevent accidental viewing however, that doesn't change the fact that, when used as originally intended, the child lock secures the whole piece of kit.

Actually, as there's nothing to buy on freeview, there's no need for a parent to give their child the parental PIN at all. Freeview can be made more secure than $ky.

I'm wondering why Ofcom haven't launched an ad campaign to ensure parents know about all these safety features - protecting the under 18s from nasty things on TV is their job isn't it? But I just realised, if Ofcom don't understand how its supposed to work, then there's no wonder why they haven't told moms and dads what its all about...

Do not expect any change. When Ofcom arrived in place of the ITC - it was heralded as a light touch, transparent organisation.
The initial broadcast review code which I think came out around 2004 was hijacked at the last minute. A serious debate did take place over the broadcast of R18 standard content, however the research on which the decision to continue restriction was flawed - and judged as unsatisfactory and not representative by its own author. Ofcom went into closed session for the final decision and has to date refused to release all the minutes from those sessions. Even after pressure under the Freedom of Information Act only abridged notes have been released and the names of attendees omitted.
Light touch, transparent and unaccountable to you!
Forget it.

So basically Ofcon are talking out of their arse when it comes to being unable to secure access to certain channels on Freeview? (My 4-year-old Goodmans IDTV and 5-year-old Daewoo digital receiver can both lock out individual channels)

Then surely under Ofcon's own admission of PIN protection being adequate, there is no reason to remove these channels from Freeview? All that really needs to happen is for the Channels and Ofcon to make it aware to parents that there is this option for them to block access to certain channels if they feel the need to, and if all else fails that there is this other little know option called the DELETE BUTTON.