Text on Text

With the three wise fourm type pages ending tomorrow it has been a week-end of goodbye message on Vibe,Chatterbox and Backchat. Actully only backchat has got an esspecially enthusastic and sentimental response. No-one can get very passionate about TV. Music a touch more. But an open fourm with a dedicated readership seems to get a very passionate response, albiet from a small number of people.

Infact this very site(Blogger) is now hosting a web-version of backchat and there is an online petion a foot to return Backchat to text. Links at the side of the page. Incase I forget though the name is backchatforever inside the usual blogger adress. If you unfamilar with that just look at the adress of this page. I have to say I'm quite sure if the way it's currently formatted is going to be viabible. The paramount mailbox is a good example of how it could be done. But I suppose that would be more difficult it blog form. It's got a mention from text backchat anyway so it should get more hits than your average blog.

I don't know if there will be another issue of backchat, vibe or chatterbox(crap name) or if they will die in the night, but goodbye to them etheir way.

PS: As a Northern Irish person I think it's law I have to pay tribute to George Best. Hyperbolic media coverage aside though, a true legend.

My last post was about pages being cut from Teletext's(company) teletext service. Well no this one. This is about Ceefax cutting a substanial number of pages from it's entertainment service. It's reorganizing though, not revamping, so it's not just mindlessly doing something to appear on the ball.

The most noticable things being changed is probably(because I like them) the three letter/comment page things being merged. Previously we had Chatterbox(TV bitchin'),The Vibe(Music whinin') and Backchat(adolescent talk and odd older people); now, or at least as of the 28th of November, we will have Have Your Say. An all purpose comments page for entertainment. The loss of these pages themselves doesn't amount to much but it does make Ceefax less of an interesting magazine with charcater and more of a bland yellow information service.

The reviewing is also being cut back on. I don't often read the film ones but it is noticable in the music reviews that they are actully unique with0in the BBC. There not copied from the internet or the digital service. Anyway single reviews are gone, album reviews are cut back, as are film reviews.

Those aside the genral vibe(it's nearly a pun) is to cut back on quizzes, comments, reviews and previews. Basicly anything which could dare raise a smile or indeed interest. Have a look at Ceefax explaining it in their own words. If you can't you can see them below, hopefully. If I'm going to whine about something even less important than the removal of a few teletext pages it's the fact that irritating sub-pages are added all over the place. Grr.

Main entertainment page sub-page on the "reorganizing". Good genral overview.



The music explanation. No Vibe? What am I paying my liscene fee for?



And the end of Backchat.Oh and other stuff. Theres an early post where I eulgoise about Backchat. It's really not that good but it is an exuse to laugh at others stupidy and problems.


That concludes the gallery section. The one thing that really worries me is the teletext services tedency to copy each others revamps and reorgs. I mean a Ceefax style cut back on the Teletext channels (ITV+C4) would mean an end, or sevre cutbacks, crappening if you will, of planent sound, Mega-Zine, Bamboozle and that TV thing. Not to mention those polls compleated by neo-conversative pensioners!

Bamber at least should be safe. He's evn crossed over to digital text. Or rather the game has. Unfortunitly digitext can't support our host. Or even an interactive-press the button to anwser the question interface.Ametuers.

As I've mentioned numerous times before the word "Revamp" when used by Teletext really means "pages to be replaced by adverts." ITV isn't too affected but channel four certainly is. The notices have been up for around a week but initally I didn't think it warrented mention here as all that seemed to be happening was page moving. Today though scrolling through the 300's.(Start at 350, read music stuff, get 380 read Zine stuff,gulity pleusure,read childrens pages for amusing, blocky worm drawings) I noticed the entire kids section was being withdrawn as of the 18th of November. It was at least an honest explanation, that charminly started "Dear kids and parents." It basicly explained that fewer kids are watching/reading/using the section and due to the switchover to digital, pages like this would have to be removed. I'm not explaining this well but I'm afarid I don't have a functioning TV near me at the minute. If it really were National Teletext Month I would be very angry. I was still very angry when I first read it, but I can see the logic to it. I can't envisage many 5-10 year olds pressing text going to page 390 to read some jokes, look at sent in pictures displayed in teletext graphic or read about the mis-adventures of Turner the Worm and Glug the Slug. Then again they may do. If any 5-10 year old kids are reading a blog about teletext please inform me.

Once I'd shouted at the screen for a bit I followed the link to p270 which conatined all the "revamparations"(not a real quote or word). It was then I realised the scale of the thing. 8 pages long! And a table included at the end to simplify things. Most things are only moving, in some cases so it matches the ITV Teletext, a good thing. Certain things are being removed though. I can't remember all of them now but the main three are

• 390's-Kids-I never liked it, even as a kid but it is sad to see it go as it's one of the more attractive things about teletext. The quaint pages that don't really work as concepts(Sent your pictures to be shown on teletext with it's blocky graphics and 7 colours?)
• 160's-Cricket-Considering cricket is now more popular with the genral public than it has been for around 60 years this may seem like odd timing. But considering how Channel Four has lost the rights to live cricket indefintly you may reconsider.
• 690's-World of Work-It's main claim to fame may that it occupies the highest pages on teletext, asides from the newly created cars, but it is actully one of the few pages that helps people. It's given me better careers advice than any careers teacher I've ever had. It's also actully interactive. People write in with there problems concerning how and where to get work and get answers. A little more effective than choosing wetehr to watch easterenders clips or listen to some woman blabber on about Charlotte Church and Pete Docherty( See music+film reviews on BBCi, real TV isn't an option MUST be interactive). More of a genuine loss than the others, though probably won't really be noticed be the vast majorty.
• Page-not sure-Crimestoppers- Just remembered this one. I flick past it every now and again but can't remember the page. It's a good idea though and surely doesn't cost that much to maintain or take up much space. No digital equivlent to it etheir, or WoW(World of Work, what an abbriviation!)

It's all inevitable of course. And thats the tone adopted in the explanation from teletext. In fact considering said tone and the fact Teletext the company has around 70 other busnues interests now I do wonder when they will pull the service entirly. I had always half-assumed it would die gracfully with it's live-in lover anolouge televison. But once entire regoins begin to stop recieving teletext the probably already meagre profit made by the teletext service run by Teletext the comapany(This would be so much easier if they had thought of an original name) will decrease massivly. It's likley Teletext will end it's service when the regional turn-offs begin in 2008. Ceefax may hang around longer since it does not need to turn a profit. Then again uber-trendy, attention seeking BBC types couldn't imainge being behind the times. Certainly not to ITV, the only thing less cool than Geri Halliwell.

If you wait for a bus for ages and then three come at once you really should complain to the bus company. Now who should I complain too about this? Three teletext stories recently after a verrry barren run.

Apparntly very few people are aware that the anolouge switch off is actully happening. 2/3 couldn't tell you the date.Of those over 40 something 63% ahd never heard of it. While 90% of pensioners said "Whats all this commontion?".Or words to that effect. SwitchCo is ready to start a massive PR campagin though. Well thats my life compleated. If you look at reports on the BBC website for the switchover you'll notice a pattern heres you stories in the related headlines section.

• UK not ready for switch-off
• Digital incentives urged
• Viewers may be paided to go digital
• BBC says switchover still on target

The fact that the BBC are sayng that shows doubt. Oh and the story I'm actully reading
"Doubts raised over digital switch." You'll also notice from that story that the deadline for ending anolouge transmissions has increased by 2 years in the last year. Find a mathmatian whi can explain that. (Overdoses on smugness, hits self with near by phone)

The other story is a rare thing. Advertising for teletext. Televised advertising too. It's all for Teletext Cars, the new boy. It's also for the web-site and digital text version but you take whta you can get. 2 mil spent on it appearntly.

Linky

Thats all and frankly it's enough. My longest post in quite a while and since it's back to school on Monday probably my last in quite a while. Have fun!

The title of a Coldplay song I used to be able to play on a keyboard. But thats not the issue. As anyone from the UK might know a few days ago(Saturday I believe,early Sunday really) the clocks went back an hour. Asides from the usual pointless discussion over wether it is correct to do this or not there was some Teletext related news. Ceefax apparntly forgot to chnage the clocks. I say "forgot", heres a rather tedious article inw hich the BBC are at pains to point out they didn't forget:http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=16313351&method=full&siteid=66633&headline=bbc-get-ticking-off-for-clock--name_page.html. No, of course not. There equitments just a steaming pile of shit.

You'd think no-one would care, but they do. Videoplus, a number-based video recording, er, thing uses Ceefax as their clock. Somehow. So a bunch of people didn't see what they wanted to tape at 2 AM on a Sunday morning. Does beg the question, what were they watching?

Videoplus is screwed come 2012, when Teletext ceases to exsist, I suppose. No more news on that by the way. I assume those TV execs are still being givens classes to ease their confusion by Tessa "so many jobs, so little meaning" Jowell.

I may have missed one important teletext milestone (see last post)but I have noticed my own blog is approaching fifity posts. I probably not notice that etheir so I'd thought I'd mention it now. Theres some champagne n offer but only two glasses.