- Mon Sep 13, 2021 9:48 pm
#10002
The whole thing with GB News has a stench of circumstances surrounding it very similar to the running and fate of Sound TV.
Don't remember Sound TV? Don't worry, hardly anyone knew or watched it either. It was an attempt at the launch of a new satellite TV channel back in the mid-00's that attempted to (a) bring back the idea of a TV variety show to the masses that was already a dead duck in most TV production circles by the late 80's/early 90's, and (b) an attempt to resurrect the on-screen careers of various (mostly) comedians and TV personalities that were last seen on prime-time BBC or ITV more than a decade beforehand. It had the grand pre-launch title of "The Great British Television Channel" before eventually going with the less grandiose but quite puzzlingly named "Sound TV".
The only high profile celeb of note at the time promoting the channel was Chris Tarrant, whom was a channel executive & appeared in promos but otherwise didn't present in anything produced by the channel other than some storytelling voice-overs. It's most hyped show was "The New Variety Show" which seemed to be filmed at some cabaret club with production values giving change from a £20 note, with an off-shoot show having Gary Bushell helping to judge hopefuls wanting to appear on the big show!
Not surprisingly, the whole thing didn't last long - there were cashflow problems that led to administrators being called in less than 8 months after it launched, and it closed down in the days afterwards.
To me there is similar grifting going on with GB News with a lot of potential has-beens & barely-ever-beens often popping up as talking heads whom at least for the former now appear bitter at having the "mainstream" of the BBC, ITV and even Channel 4, Channel 5 & Sky etc. as well as other popular media outlets having moved on and left them behind, resorting to taking any notable desperate appearance in an attempt to be relevant...
"Remember me?"
"Yeah, now piss off!"
"Grey will never go out of fashion, because it's never been in fashion!"