CMF Taking Action
Summaries of two recent CMF press releases reveal our latest campaign activity. You can keep up-to-date with the CMF's work by visiting the 'Action'page on our website.
Statement on Proposed Changes to CITV
On 29th November 2016 the CMF released a statement in response to ITV’s decision to remove the dedicated CITV Commissioner and fold acquisition and commissioning decisions in to the ITV Channels team, and at the same time the Manchester-based CITV Creative team were replaced with generalists in the London-based ITV Creative. The statement characterised the decision as “detrimental to the quality of children's content on ITV” and urged ITV “to reconsider cutting costs at the expense of quality, range and focus for the children’s audience.” You can read the full statement here.
Open Letter to Channel Five
On November 29th, 2016, the CMF and the new campaign group Save Kids’ Content UK collectively wrote to Channel Five proposing they increase commissioning of original UK content for kids on their Milkshake block. As discussed in Ofcom’s annual review, there has been a noted decrease in the investment in new children’s content that reflects the current and ever-evolving context in which children in the UK live - i.e. shows them themselves. The letter suggested that with the recent appointment of Sarah Muller as Channel Five’s Head of Children’s Programmes, and news of increased profits at Five, it was an advantageous time to introduce live-action commissioned content that is exciting, relevant and helps build audience loyalty. You can read the full letter here.
Ofcom Research on Children’s Media Habits and the Dangers of Calling TV, ‘TV’. Spotlight on the 2016 Children’s Media Yearbook: Animating the Holocaust