{"product_id":"9781911239840","title":"Channel 4 A History: from Big Brother to The Great British Bake Off","description":"\u003ch1\u003eChannel 4\u003c\/h1\u003e\u003ch2\u003eA History: from Big Brother to The Great British Bake Off\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003ch3\u003eMaggie Brown\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cb\u003ePerforming Arts \/ Television \/ General\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis book covers a dramatic decade in the fortunes of Britain's quirkiest broadcaster. It opens in 2009, with the realisation that Channel 4's biggest money spinner, \u003ci\u003eBig Brother\u003c\/i\u003e, had become a toxic asset and would have to be discarded, at the same time as advertising revenues were shrinking in the wake of the 2008 financial crash. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMaggie Brown's compelling narrative, which draws on interviews with key players in Channel 4's story and unique access to the broadcaster's archives, takes us inside the boardroom battles, changes in senior management and commissioning teams, interventions by the media regulator Ofcom, and the channel's response to a rapidly-changing media and political landscape. Brown describes how the channel, under its new chief executive David Abraham, successfully fought off the threat of privatisation, which became a reality after the Conservatives' general election victory in 2015.  The price for remaining publicly funded was a substantial relocation of Channel 4's operations, with Leeds announced in 2018 as a new 'regional hub'. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Channel 4 story is also one of ambitious and innovative programming, with a new director of content, Jay Hunt, instigating radical changes in commissioning and scheduling.   Brown traces programming hits and losses during this period, with the departure to competitors of celebrity chefs, \u003ci\u003eBlack Mirror\u003c\/i\u003e and Charlie Brooker, horse racing and Formula 1, and a reappraisal of the remit of institutions such as Channel 4 News and Film 4. But there were successes too, with the 2012 Paralympics helping to restore a public service sheen, and new programmes such as \u003ci\u003eGogglebox\u003c\/i\u003e in 2013 connecting with younger audiences, and, in 2016, the coup of taking \u003ci\u003eThe Great British Bake Off\u003c\/i\u003e from its home at the BBC.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eMaggie Brown\u003c\/b\u003e is one of the UK's leading media writers. Her career includes contributing to\u003ci\u003e The Guardian \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e Observer\u003c\/i\u003e, helping to launch\u003ci\u003e The Independent\u003c\/i\u003e as its first media editor and writing\u003ci\u003e A Licence to be Different: The Story of Channel 4\u003c\/i\u003e, published in 2007, the history of its first 25 years. She lives in London and Wales, UK.\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePublication Date: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e26 August 2021\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePublisher: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBloomsbury Academic\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eImprint: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBritish Film Institute\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eISBN-13: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e9781911239840\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFormat: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePaperback softback\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePage Count: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e304\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWeight (oz): \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e18.72\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e","brand":"Bloomsbury Academic","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51515325251724,"sku":"9781911239840","price":29.7,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/9545\/1788\/files\/getimage_9b30510d-cc44-444f-a5db-8b60d69ebad1.jpg?v=1784692147","url":"https:\/\/fh90cf-fv.myshopify.com\/products\/9781911239840","provider":"Late Knight Books and Services, LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}