George Parkin

1. Profile of Big Centre TV
By George Parkin

2.  Parent Company: Kaleidoscope
 Kaleidoscope is the Midlands-based parent company of Big Centre TV,
Kaleidoscope acts as holding company and it is they who control the channel
and hold the licence which grants them the powers to create a channel that
focusers on local broadcast media for the West Midlands.
 Chris Johnson wrote an article in The Guardian confirming this, entitled; Local TV
licence for Birmingham given to Kaleidoscope after City TV collapse:
 “The local TV licence for Birmingham has been handed to a consortium involving a backer of the
company that went into administration earlier this year before launching a service for the city.
Media regulator Ofcom said on Thursday it had agreed to transfer the Birmingham licence
to Kaleidoscope TV after City TV collapsed in August. Kaleidoscope will be required to launch its
service by 28 February.”
 Kaleidoscope was established in 1988 as a voluntary body dedicated to film
preservation, television history, and the exhibition of classic programming:
 “Kaleidoscope TV will launch as part of the government’s initiative for a national network of local
television channels. The licence had originally been awarded to City TV, a company that went
into administration before getting on the air. After administrators Duff & Phelps Ltd took control of
City TV’s assets, numerous bids were received for the company’s licence. Kaleidoscope TV was
the preferred bidder and after a stringent examination of the company’s finances and
programming plans, Ofcom has agreed to transfer the licence to Kaleidoscope. The channel will
produce and air 41 hours of locally produced programming a week from around the region.
Viewers served by the Sutton Coldfield and Brierley Hill transmitters will be able to receive the
service on Freeview channel 8.”
Profile of Big Centre TV

3.  Local Television Station: Big Centre TV
 Availability: Freeview Channel 8 & Virgin Media Channel 159.
 Broadcast Areas Served: Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Walsall, Solihull and the
Black Country.
 Launched: 28, February 2015.
 Slogan: Local Stories with a Global Reach.
 Studios Headquartered: The Goldmine Centre, Walsall.
 Website: www.bigcentre.tv
 Streaming Service: http://www.bigcentre.tv/watch-live
 Predecessor: City TV later City8 (defunct).
 Owner/Parent Company: Kaleidoscope TV Ltd.
 Key People: Chris Perry, Kaleidoscope owner and Big Centre TV channel director.
Mike Price, television executive and continuity announcer for ATV and Central
Television.
Profile of Big Centre TV

4.  Scheduling and Programming :
 The channels remit states that it is obligated to provide at least forty-one hours of
originally programming per week that would be relevant to local audiences.
 Programmes regularly featured include:
 Teleshopping – programming for home shoppers.
 The Bostin’ Bear Club – programming for young viewers.
 The Midland: Morning News Live – the latest news, travel, sport from across the
West Midlands anchored by Bob Hall.
 Bollyheat – an exercise and workout programme.
 Cuppa TV – Monica Prince presents a daily lifestyle show, featuring chat and
celebrity guests, similar to Loose Women on ITV.
 Extra Time – sports discussion programme hosted by Gary James.
 Soundcheck – live music from around the West Midlands.
 Life Stories – Mike Prince talks one to one with inspirational people who’ve led
fascinating lives.
 Sports Legends: Bowls – sports programming.
 Crossroads – repeat episodes of the Midlands set soap opera.
 Love That Car – motoring programming.
Profile of Big Centre TV

5.  Scheduling and Programming :
 Land Rovers Live – motoring programming.
 Music Box with Danny DCS – programming on the Asian music scene hosted by
Danny Choranji.
 Brummywood Yammywood – film review programme similar to Film…(2015) on
the BBC.
 The David Hamilton Show – hosted by veteran radio presenter David Hamilton.
 WASSIFA – programming on the Caribbean music scene.
 Reflections – a religiously themed epilogue.
 Postbag – a feedback show.
 Out of Town – repeat episodes of Jack Hargreaves’ rural documentary series.
 Ivor the Engine – repeat episodes of the children television programme.
Profile of Big Centre TV

6.  Reception:
 The channel has been beset with problems and heavily criticised because of it.
With critics pointing to a litany of technical problems including; poor sound
quality, out-of-focus cameras, shoddy set designs, and rigid delivery by hosts who
sometimes appear as if they cannot see the teleprompter.
 Television critic Roz Laws gave the channel a scathing review in The Birmingham
Mail, writing an article about the first night’s output, entitled; Big Centre TV:
Rushed, repetitive, and not exactly gripping:
 “When Channel 5 launched back in 1997, it burst on to the airwaves with a performance from the
Spice Girls. We weren’t expecting anything like that with the launch of new Birmingham and the
Black Country TV station Big Centre TV, which admits its ambitions are modest. But it could have
arrived with much more of a bang. We had to wait nearly two hours for some blurred fireworks in
an old episode of Crossroads. Instead we got a boring hour-long introduction, a series of serious
talking heads discussing how they put the station together which went on for far too long. Mike
Prince, the programme director and former ATV presenter, even started telling us about how
many cups of tea he drank. I imagine many curious viewers tuning in and fairly quickly turning
over because it had lost their attention.”
 “Our ambitions are quite modest,” admitted channel director and former teacher Chris Perry. “I’m
not expecting it to set the world alight.”
Profile of Big Centre TV

7.  Reception:
 The Birmingham Mail even went as to publish an entire article dedicated solely
to complaints and criticisms of the new channel, entitled; Big Centre TV gets the
big thumbs down from viewers:
 “Viewers have given Birmingham’s newly launched TV channel Big Centre TV the big thumbs
down – labelling it ‘rubbish,’ ‘painfully slow’ and ‘trash.’ The local broadcaster launched last night
(Saturday, February 28) but it appears to have hit a bum note with viewers who also claimed it
was ‘sombre and dreary’. On the Birmingham Mail’s Facebook page Darren O’Donnell posted:
‘You need to retune your TV to pick up the new channel, not worth it though, considering they
had a build up to 6pm, the trash they put out at 6pm was amateurish at best. I gave it 10 mins
then got bored and turned it off, went back later, got crossroads! Wont be going back anytime
soon.’ Pat Kennedy simply said: ‘Rubbish!’ Ray Woods wasn’t impressed with what he saw but said
Birmingham needed a new TV channel. He said: ‘All new TV is slow to take off and this was no
different. I expected it to hit the ground running, but it was painfully slow over intellectualised and
self indulgent.’”
 An article in the Express & Star, entitled; New West Midlands TV channel
experiencing ‘learning curve’, argues boss, discussed the channels technical
problems among other things:
 “Dodgy sound, a row over Crossroads royalties and a launch show that was more corporate video
than glitz and glamour – the newest Freeview TV channel dedicated to the West Midlands has not
exactly got off to the smoothest of starts. […] Big Centre TV’s idea of a big opening night
consisted of interviews with some of its executives sitting in front of their computers and discussing
a business plan before the station was blessed by a clergyman. Veteran broadcaster Bob Hall’s
news bulletin on Saturday was filmed by a camera that seemed to have zoomed out as far as it
would go until someone realised and hit the button in a panic. And the sound was, at some
stages, so poor it may as well have been filmed with a hairdryer by the microphone.”
Profile of Big Centre TV