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| {{Short description|British internet-based political broadcaster}} | |||
| {{italic title}} | |||
| {{COI|date=November 2017}} | |||
| '''''18 Doughty Street''''' was a |
'''''18 Doughty Street''''' was a British internet-based political broadcaster that hosted a ] as its chief product. It began broadcasting at 18:55 on 10 October 2006,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://18doughtystreet.typepad.com/home/2006/09/18doughtystreet.html |title=Press release for 18DoughtyStreet Talk TV |access-date=2006-10-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061114211253/http://18doughtystreet.typepad.com/home/2006/09/18doughtystreet.html |archive-date=2006-11-14 |url-status=dead}}</ref> from its studio at 18 ] in the ] area of London, and ceased broadcasting at 23:00 on Thursday 8 November 2007. It claimed to be Britain's first internet-based TV station. | ||
| == Birth and |
== Birth and early beginnings == | ||
| Doughty Media Limited<ref>{{cite news|url=http://technology.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,1934633,00.html|title=The word from the street|author=David Hill|date=2006-10-30|location=London|work=The Guardian}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,6-2408853,00.html|title=Sucksters, chumps and blog TV – it's political life, but not as we know it| |
Doughty Media Limited<ref>{{cite news |url=http://technology.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,1934633,00.html |title=The word from the street |author=David Hill |date=2006-10-30 |location=London |work=The Guardian}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,6-2408853,00.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20110622094242/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,6-2408853,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 22, 2011|title=Sucksters, chumps and blog TV – it's political life, but not as we know it |work=The Times |date=2006-10-18 |location=London |first=Daniel |last=Finkelstein}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/5406810.stm |title=Doughty contender |date=2006-10-06 |publisher=BBC News |first=Sean |last=Coughlan}}</ref> was funded by ] and its core presenters at launch included ], ], Rena Valeh, Zoe Phillips and Donal Blaney. ], a director of the company at the time of the launch, was the creator of 18 Doughty Street. He wrote the concept on which the station was based, built the studio, and initially organised the production of the channel. Story developed the idea of creating a news platform that would challenge the dominance of terrestrial TV stations over the course of 2005 when he stood for parliament in ]. He took his idea of an on-line TV station to Stephan Shakespeare during the first half of 2006. | ||
| ⚫ | The station used live ] technology in a ] format to ] from 19:00 until midnight from Monday to Friday, with all programmes being made available to stream again shortly after the programme had aired. Due to the technology of the time, viewers could not download archived videos to their computer or portable device directly from the site, although a video podcast service of all archive videos was offered shortly before the station ceased broadcasting. | ||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | Although it called itself a "]", legally it was not, so did not operate under the ] Broadcasting Code, which requires "due impartiality" and prevents politicians being newsreaders, interviewers or reporters in any news programme.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/12/28/british_political_blogging/|title=Tories spin Web 2.0 to out-Fox Ofcom |date=2006-12-28 |author=Shaun Rolph |publisher=] |access-date=2006-12-28}}</ref> | ||
| ⚫ | The station used live ] technology in a Windows format to ] from 19:00 until midnight from Monday to Friday, with all programmes being made available to stream again shortly after the programme had aired. |
||
| ⚫ | At the point of launch, there were four directors of the company; ], ], ] and ], all ] members and self-described conservatives, but did not represent the Conservative Party in an official capacity on the station.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://18doughtystreet.com/faq |title=18 Doughty Street: Politics for Adults |access-date=2007-02-09 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20070315225914/http://18doughtystreet.com/faq |archive-date=2007-03-15 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In late 2006 Story left as a director of the company, followed by the resignations of Montgomerie around March 2007 and of Donal Blaney in October 2007, followed by Dale later in around December 2007.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://iaindale.blogspot.com/2007/12/moving-on.html |title=Iain Dale's Diary: Moving On |first=Iain |last=Dale |date=3 December 2007}}</ref> The latter three were said to be leaving to focus on other projects. For Story, the aim of the channel was to provide an intellectual and cultural platform to take-on the political orthodoxy of the time; for other directors, the channel was to be narrowly focused on the politics of Westminster. | ||
| ⚫ | Although it called itself a "]", legally it was not, so did not operate under the ] Broadcasting Code, which requires "due impartiality" and prevents politicians being newsreaders, interviewers or reporters in any news programme.<ref>{{cite news|url= |
||
| ⚫ | Montgomerie suddenly left 18 Doughty Street around March 2007 to work on other products and was replaced by ], who became a full-time presenter at the station whilst also acting as executive director of right-wing ] ]. The station also hosted programmes produced and presented by ], ], ], Christine Constable and ]. | ||
| ⚫ | At the point of launch, there were four directors of the company |
||
| On 22 January 2007 a redesign of the ] was launched to promote additional services that ''18 Doughty Street'' wanted to produce: written news and opinion, news links, and what was billed as a series of controversial "attack" adverts that were to be released on a weekly basis. However, only four were ever produced and their cost rumoured to be disproportionate to success. The total makeover was also supposed to realise the ] element of ''18 Doughty Street'' and allowed contributors to submit videos for inclusion in the website publications and live productions. However, this project had no success. |
On 22 January 2007 a redesign of the ] was launched to promote additional services that ''18 Doughty Street'' wanted to produce: written news and opinion, news links, and what was billed as a series of controversial "attack" adverts that were to be released on a weekly basis. However, only four were ever produced and their cost rumoured to be disproportionate to success. The total makeover was also supposed to realise the ] element of ''18 Doughty Street'' and allowed contributors to submit videos for inclusion in the website publications and live productions. However, this project had no success. Against the professional advice of Story, Montgomerie bought 100 Sanyo C5 digital camcorders, but only a handful of videos were received among reports of technical difficulties with the externally developed platform and a lack of editing skills.{{Citation needed|date=December 2016}} | ||
| == Collapse |
== Collapse and shutdown == | ||
| ''18 Doughty Street'' stopped broadcasting on 19 November 2007 claiming that it was being taken off-air to make a range of improvements.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://iaindale.blogspot.com/2007/11/18-doughty-street-set-for-2008.html|title= 18 Doughty Street Set For 2008 Westminster Expansion|date=2007-11-13|author=Iain Dale|publisher=]| |
''18 Doughty Street'' stopped broadcasting on 19 November 2007 claiming that it was being taken off-air to make a range of improvements.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://iaindale.blogspot.com/2007/11/18-doughty-street-set-for-2008.html|title= 18 Doughty Street Set For 2008 Westminster Expansion|date=2007-11-13|author=Iain Dale|publisher=]|access-date=2007-11-25}}</ref> Around the same time Donal Blaney and ] also decided to leave the station<ref>{{cite news|url=http://iaindale.blogspot.com/2007/12/moving-on.html|title= Moving On|date=2007-12-03|author=Iain Dale|publisher=]|access-date=2008-01-19}}</ref> leaving ] as the sole remaining director of the company. With the core team gone, including the resignations or sackings of production and back office staff, and rumours of a lack of interest from potential investors the project finally collapsed completely when main investor Shakespeare decided instead to start PoliticsHome in the same building in partnership with Freddie Sayers and also led by the return of some staff, including former director Tim Montgomerie, who had previously resigned from 18 Doughty Street after a disagreement over its direction. | ||
| ==Other websites== | ==Other websites== | ||
| 18 Doughty Street displayed its brand on a website called The Fisk that featured a variety of contributors critiquing left-leaning commentary and opinion pieces. Following the resignation of Tim Montgomerie from 18 Doughty Street, the website has been re-branded under ] as part of ]'s efforts to move the TV station away from the right-wing area of politics. | |||
| 18 Doughty Street also launched conservative websites CentreRight.com and BritainAndAmerica.com in early 2007, prior to Montgomerie's departure. CentreRight.com still carries 18 Doughty Street branding, whereas BritainAndAmerica has been rebranded under ]. Although it was already operational, CentreRight.com launched again<ref>{{cite news|url=http://iaindale.blogspot.com/2008/01/new-centrerightcom-blog-launches-today.html|title=New CentreRight.com Blog Launches Today|date=2007-01-14|author=Iain Dale|publisher=]|access-date=2008-01-18}}</ref> in January 2008. | |||
| ==Contributors and |
==Contributors and appearances == | ||
| Former leader of the ] and founder of the ] ] ] ] appeared on ''Issue of the Hour'' and ''One to One'' from the |
Former leader of the ] and founder of the ] ] ] appeared on ''Issue of the Hour'' and ''One to One'' from the station's start. | ||
| Other guests |
Other guests included: | ||
| * ] |
* ] ] MP (2006-11-09) | ||
| * Lord Pearson of Rannoch (2006-11-20) | * ] (2006-11-20) | ||
| * ] (2006-11-21) | * ] (2006-11-21) | ||
| * Conservative Peer ] (2006-11-21) | * Conservative Peer ] (2006-11-21) | ||
| * Matthew |
* ], founder of the ] (2006-11-01) | ||
| * Dr ], leader of the Conservative opposition in New Zealand (2006-11-16) | * Dr ], leader of the Conservative opposition in New Zealand (2006-11-16) | ||
| * |
* ] MP (2006-10-12) | ||
| * ] MP (2006-12-13) | * ] MP (2006-12-13) | ||
| * Chairman of the Conservative Party |
* Chairman of the Conservative Party ] MP (2006-12-20) | ||
| * Australian Prime Minister ] | * Australian Prime Minister ] | ||
| * ] (2006-10-18) | * ] (2006-10-18) | ||
| * ] leader ] ] (2006-11-13) | * ] leader ] ] (2006-11-13) | ||
| * |
* ] MP | ||
| * Andrew MacInlay MP (2006-12-14) | * ] MP (2006-12-14) | ||
| * Dr ] | * Dr ] | ||
| * Dr ], Director of the ] | * Dr ], Director of the ] | ||
| ==Ad campaigns== | ==Ad campaigns== | ||
| The channel created a series of adverts intended to raise public awareness on selected issues. Topics included taxation,<ref> |
The channel created a series of adverts intended to raise public awareness on selected issues. Topics included taxation,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.18doughtystreet.com/on_demand/81 |title=18 Doughty Street - Taxation |access-date=2007-02-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070209180232/http://www.18doughtystreet.com/on_demand/81 |archive-date=2007-02-09 |url-status=dead }}</ref> state funding of political parties,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.18doughtystreet.com/campaigns_hq/2 |title=18 Doughty Street - State Funding of Political Parties |access-date=2007-02-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070208015409/http://www.18doughtystreet.com/campaigns_hq/2 |archive-date=2007-02-08 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and the Labour politician and then ], ]. Users of the channel's website were invited to vote between a number of alternative outlines, the winner being made into a campaign advert.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://18doughtystreet.com/campaigns_hq |title=18 Doughty Street - Campaigns HQ |access-date=2007-02-09 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20070210002239/http://18doughtystreet.com/campaigns_hq |archive-date=2007-02-10 |url-status=dead }}</ref> | ||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
| {{Reflist|30em}} | {{Reflist|30em}} | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | |||
| ] | ] | ||
Latest revision as of 19:22, 26 September 2024
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18 Doughty Street was a British internet-based political broadcaster that hosted a webcast as its chief product. It began broadcasting at 18:55 on 10 October 2006, from its studio at 18 Doughty Street in the Bloomsbury area of London, and ceased broadcasting at 23:00 on Thursday 8 November 2007. It claimed to be Britain's first internet-based TV station.
Birth and early beginnings
Doughty Media Limited was funded by Stephan Shakespeare and its core presenters at launch included Iain Dale, Tim Montgomerie, Rena Valeh, Zoe Phillips and Donal Blaney. Alex Story, a director of the company at the time of the launch, was the creator of 18 Doughty Street. He wrote the concept on which the station was based, built the studio, and initially organised the production of the channel. Story developed the idea of creating a news platform that would challenge the dominance of terrestrial TV stations over the course of 2005 when he stood for parliament in Denton and Reddish. He took his idea of an on-line TV station to Stephan Shakespeare during the first half of 2006.
The station used live video streaming technology in a Windows format to webcast from 19:00 until midnight from Monday to Friday, with all programmes being made available to stream again shortly after the programme had aired. Due to the technology of the time, viewers could not download archived videos to their computer or portable device directly from the site, although a video podcast service of all archive videos was offered shortly before the station ceased broadcasting.
Although it called itself a "TV station", legally it was not, so did not operate under the Ofcom Broadcasting Code, which requires "due impartiality" and prevents politicians being newsreaders, interviewers or reporters in any news programme.
At the point of launch, there were four directors of the company; Alex Story, Iain Dale, Tim Montgomerie and Stephan Shakespeare, all Conservative Party members and self-described conservatives, but did not represent the Conservative Party in an official capacity on the station. In late 2006 Story left as a director of the company, followed by the resignations of Montgomerie around March 2007 and of Donal Blaney in October 2007, followed by Dale later in around December 2007. The latter three were said to be leaving to focus on other projects. For Story, the aim of the channel was to provide an intellectual and cultural platform to take-on the political orthodoxy of the time; for other directors, the channel was to be narrowly focused on the politics of Westminster.
Montgomerie suddenly left 18 Doughty Street around March 2007 to work on other products and was replaced by Shane Greer, who became a full-time presenter at the station whilst also acting as executive director of right-wing think tank Young Britons' Foundation. The station also hosted programmes produced and presented by Alan Mendoza, Peter Tatchell, Christian Wolmar, Christine Constable and Claire Fox.
On 22 January 2007 a redesign of the website was launched to promote additional services that 18 Doughty Street wanted to produce: written news and opinion, news links, and what was billed as a series of controversial "attack" adverts that were to be released on a weekly basis. However, only four were ever produced and their cost rumoured to be disproportionate to success. The total makeover was also supposed to realise the citizen journalism element of 18 Doughty Street and allowed contributors to submit videos for inclusion in the website publications and live productions. However, this project had no success. Against the professional advice of Story, Montgomerie bought 100 Sanyo C5 digital camcorders, but only a handful of videos were received among reports of technical difficulties with the externally developed platform and a lack of editing skills.
Collapse and shutdown
18 Doughty Street stopped broadcasting on 19 November 2007 claiming that it was being taken off-air to make a range of improvements. Around the same time Donal Blaney and Iain Dale also decided to leave the station leaving Stephan Shakespeare as the sole remaining director of the company. With the core team gone, including the resignations or sackings of production and back office staff, and rumours of a lack of interest from potential investors the project finally collapsed completely when main investor Shakespeare decided instead to start PoliticsHome in the same building in partnership with Freddie Sayers and also led by the return of some staff, including former director Tim Montgomerie, who had previously resigned from 18 Doughty Street after a disagreement over its direction.
Other websites
18 Doughty Street displayed its brand on a website called The Fisk that featured a variety of contributors critiquing left-leaning commentary and opinion pieces. Following the resignation of Tim Montgomerie from 18 Doughty Street, the website has been re-branded under Conservative Home as part of Stephan Shakespeare's efforts to move the TV station away from the right-wing area of politics.
18 Doughty Street also launched conservative websites CentreRight.com and BritainAndAmerica.com in early 2007, prior to Montgomerie's departure. CentreRight.com still carries 18 Doughty Street branding, whereas BritainAndAmerica has been rebranded under Conservative Home. Although it was already operational, CentreRight.com launched again in January 2008.
Contributors and appearances
Former leader of the Conservative Party and founder of the Centre for Social Justice Iain Duncan-Smith MP appeared on Issue of the Hour and One to One from the station's start.
Other guests included:
- Shadow Home Secretary David Davis MP (2006-11-09)
- Lord Pearson of Rannoch (2006-11-20)
- Michael Ashcroft, Baron Ashcroft (2006-11-21)
- Conservative Peer Gillian Shephard (2006-11-21)
- Matthew Elliott, founder of the Taxpayers' Alliance (2006-11-01)
- Dr Don Brash, leader of the Conservative opposition in New Zealand (2006-11-16)
- Ann Widdecombe MP (2006-10-12)
- Chris Mullin MP (2006-12-13)
- Chairman of the Conservative Party Francis Maude MP (2006-12-20)
- Australian Prime Minister John Howard
- Stephen Twigg (2006-10-18)
- UKIP leader Nigel Farage MEP (2006-11-13)
- John Redwood MP
- Andrew MacInlay MP (2006-12-14)
- Dr Graham Barnfield
- Dr Sean Gabb, Director of the Libertarian Alliance
Ad campaigns
The channel created a series of adverts intended to raise public awareness on selected issues. Topics included taxation, state funding of political parties, and the Labour politician and then Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone. Users of the channel's website were invited to vote between a number of alternative outlines, the winner being made into a campaign advert.
References
- "Press release for 18DoughtyStreet Talk TV". Archived from the original on 2006-11-14. Retrieved 2006-10-17.
- David Hill (2006-10-30). "The word from the street". The Guardian. London.
- Finkelstein, Daniel (2006-10-18). "Sucksters, chumps and blog TV – it's political life, but not as we know it". The Times. London. Archived from the original on June 22, 2011.
- Coughlan, Sean (2006-10-06). "Doughty contender". BBC News.
- Shaun Rolph (2006-12-28). "Tories spin Web 2.0 to out-Fox Ofcom". The Register. Retrieved 2006-12-28.
- "18 Doughty Street: Politics for Adults". Archived from the original on 2007-03-15. Retrieved 2007-02-09.
- Dale, Iain (3 December 2007). "Iain Dale's Diary: Moving On".
- Iain Dale (2007-11-13). "18 Doughty Street Set For 2008 Westminster Expansion". Iain Dale's Diary. Retrieved 2007-11-25.
- Iain Dale (2007-12-03). "Moving On". Iain Dale's Diary. Retrieved 2008-01-19.
- Iain Dale (2007-01-14). "New CentreRight.com Blog Launches Today". Iain Dale's Diary. Retrieved 2008-01-18.
- "18 Doughty Street - Taxation". Archived from the original on 2007-02-09. Retrieved 2007-02-09.
- "18 Doughty Street - State Funding of Political Parties". Archived from the original on 2007-02-08. Retrieved 2007-02-09.
- "18 Doughty Street - Campaigns HQ". Archived from the original on 2007-02-10. Retrieved 2007-02-09.