Further to the purchase of my freeview digital box for my analogue TV another BBC channel. BBC PARLIAMENT a specialist channel by the beeb formally called the Parliamentary channel to quote the channels editor "BBC Parliament is the channel dedicated to detailed coverage of Parliament & Politics". ... Read review
Advantages: Informative and relatively unique. Disadvantages: Presentation gets a bit boring.
...for my analogue TV another BBC channel. BBC PARLIAMENT a specialist channel by the beeb formally called the Parliamentary channel to quote the channels editor "BBC Parliament is the channel dedicated to detailed coverage of Parliament & Politics". Some of the information that follows is from the website by Wikipedia. Launched 23.September.1998 and owned by the BBC, it has a low audience rating of almost zero (May 2006).
AVAILABILITY ...represented as part of the BBC on there website at www.bbc.co.uk, the pages are quite interesting and give advise on listings for future broadcasts: showings from 6.00 am - 4.30 am the next day. Also news on yesterdays broadcasts. There are icons for clicking which open into pages on 1. Bill Tracker - keep pace with legislation - key votes of the week. 2. Westminster digest - BBC roundup of proceeding's of the day's stories in Westminster. 3. Virtual ... more
Further to the purchase of my freeview digital box for my analogue TV another BBC channel. BBC PARLIAMENT a specialist channel by the beeb formally called the Parliamentary channel to quote the channels editor "BBC Parliament is the channel dedicated to detailed coverage of Parliament & Politics". Some of the information that follows is from the website by Wikipedia. Launched 23.September.1998 and owned by the BBC, it has a low audience rating of almost zero (May 2006).
AVAILABILITY
Terrestrial - Freeview channel 81. Satellite - Sky Digital channel 504. Cable - NTL channel 128/13. - Telewest channel 612. - Telewest channel 05 (analogue). Also shown on ABC News Radio (Australian parliamentary channel). C - SPAN (US). C PAC (Canadian). The Knesset channel (Israel).
PRESENTATION
WEBSITE
The channel is represented as part of the BBC on there website at www.bbc.co.uk, the pages are quite interesting and give advise on listings for future broadcasts: showings from 6.00 am - 4.30 am the next day. Also news on yesterdays broadcasts. There are icons for clicking which open into pages on 1. Bill Tracker - keep pace with legislation - key votes of the week. 2. Westminster digest - BBC roundup of proceeding's of the day's stories in Westminster. 3. Virtual Tour - Commons, Lords, Parliament, Pictures.
BROADCAST
From the BBC website:
The screen on Digital Terrestrial TV (DTDTV) is broadcast as a quarter screen with text to the left. WHY? DTDTV has the ability to squeeze a number of services into the frequency space that would have been occupied by just one analogue channel. The more pictures the lower the quality of each picture. It is felt to be more efficient use of space to display BBC Parliament within a text format, with the picture a quarter screen, thus enabling the broadcast of other services. This is only possible because the majority of camera shots are one person talking. Digital Satellite TV systems have a far greater capacity and more allowable frequency space therefore more room for full picture broadcasts. This might be a preferred option for people with large screens who like large pictures. I quite like the idea of text. My freeview package allows for screen expansion with a button click, however you loose the text (this is useful for short watching periods - between review writing for example).
MY OPINION
To summarize Peter Knowles the channels editor:
BBC Parliament is a highly specialised channel, which is unlikely to be watched by most people unless they are especially interested in national level politics. The biggest user's of this channel are likely to be "political professionals" (i.e. lobbyists, party workers and corporate monitors), academics, and the media itself. I believe it is healthy that in a "civilized" "democratic" country like ours that citizens should have easy access like this to the centre of the electoral, democratic, and governmental processes. See where your taxes go!
Its nice to have the option, you pay for this service via your TV licence. I think it should stay. Margaret Thatcher was against TV broadcasts live from the commons (I may have got that wrong) when they started in the 1980's. With the development of citizenship in our country and in our educational system (The Citizenship module for lower secondary school students). I think more and more regular TV viewers will check this station out when they get time. Today (Sunday 13:00 hrs) I tuned in to a debate taking place outside the Commons and lords on Russian Democracy, which included comments from US, commentators.
CONTACT
BBC Television Centre London W12 7RJ Head Office 020 8743 8000 BBC Website www.bbc.co.uk/info
Advantages: Subtitling, FREE, Often LIVE Disadvantages: Bordem, no presenters, Repeats repeats
BBC Parliament (BBCP) is a free to air service available on digital, cable and satellite platforms.
Its funded by all of us through the license-fee, now you know why it keeps going up every year having to pay for channels that normal people cant get!
This channel also includes for hard of hearing people subtilting for the first 3 hours of the House of Commons LIVE, Monday-Friday. BBCP is ok for people who are into politics and like watching politions ... ...ok for the Live programes because you can see new laws being approved. BBCP allows viewers to watch various programes which are as follows:
Full live coverage of the House of Commons and there proceedings including PMQ's on Wednesdays,
Recorded 'as live' coverage of the House of Lords and Westminster Hall which is repeated endlessly day after day if there is no other live committee or assembly taking place,
Regular showings of Select Committees, ...
davidfairweather 17.06.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of BBC Parliament - BBC Parliament
Advantages: You see and hear the WHOLE story and facts Disadvantages: Can sometimes be a tedious talk
BBC Parliament is shown only on satelite and cable channels, which is a shame really as the viewer can see and hear the whole sentence a polictian says (and not just jumbled up words for the press to have a field day). It is a channel which can not cut out the vital pieces of information as the news reporters do, and so the viewer is able to see and hear the whole story and get a better view on the situation. Watching this channel certainly shows ... ...politcians don't just sit around daudling all day. It ranges from the talk where members of Parliament are going to sleep to those of heated debate and chuckles (mainly Prime Ministers questions), topics are discussed which the public are oblivious to - ones which should be shown in the news as they are key elements of everyday living and working. Watching this channel certainly open up your eyes to what goes on behind the scenes and what politicans ...
Nataliana 29.03.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of BBC Parliament - BBC Parliament
Advantages: Parliament news as it happens Disadvantages: Audio only
BBC Parliament is a new channel available to digial viewers, yet funded by all of us through the license-fee. It provides coverage of the all speeches and hearings in the Houses of Parliament, House of Commons etc...
It's quite handy if you want to hear parliament-type news first hand, as most boradcasts are live. Examples being new changes to the law, Prime Minister's Question Time etc... The down side is that there is ONLY sound on BBC Parliament, ...
jaffacakemonster 24.09.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of BBC Parliament - BBC Parliament
Advantages: Good use of materials Disadvantages: Not available to all
...general election this year, will BBC Parliament have to monitor it's coverage to ensure that all parties are covered? As a member of the Liberal Democrats (a Third party based in the United Kingdom) I feel that we do not get a fair right to reply on issues, most famously in the Romsey by-election coverage where we won the seat, the new MP's speech was broadcast and then whilst interviewing the party people about the result, they cut into a result ...
Harry_Hayfield 02.01.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of BBC Parliament - BBC Parliament
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The BBC is spending (some would say wasting) hundreds of millions of licence payer's money on 4 digital channels: BBC Choice, BBC Knowledge, BBC News 24 and BBCParliament.
The most worthy, the most dull, and the least viewed is BBCParliament, but no doubt the governors of the BBC had a good eye for what would appease their ultimate lords and masters (no, not us!) when they set it up.
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Well as I'm 13 (nearly 14!!!! Lol.) the license doesn't really affect me. Though I do think that it should stay. BBC1 is by far the best channel, it has an excellent website and also has BBC Choice (soon to be turned to BBC3) BBC Knowledge (Soon to be turned to BBC4) BBCParliamentBBC World (You get it abroad. Its just news though. BBC Prime (You get it abroad) Its old BBC comedies and dramas. And BBC News 24, news 24 hours a day. I've seen all of these channels, Prime and World when on holiday and I think they are all worthwhile. Apart from BBCParliament. For gods sake! I was flicking through on my friends Sky and saw what was on BBCParliament. Scottish Parliament followed by European Parliament. God ...
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://www.skysports.com
Does exactly what it says on the tin! Sports news - but no live matches.
QVC
http://www.qvcuk.com
Yes, the diamonique specialist is available on Freeview. Now available in Wales too!
BID-UP.TV and PRICE-DROP.TV
http://www.bid-up.tv
http://www.price-drop.tv
TV shopping channels.
BBCPARLIAMENT
http://www.bbc.co.uk/parliament/
Coverage of the goings on in the Houses of Parliament and regional assemblies.
TEACHERS' TV
http://www.teachers.tv
Available from midnight till 6am only.
S4C DIGITAL
http://www.s4c.co.uk/
Only available in Wales. Differs from analogue S4C by being entirely S4C output and no Channel 4 programmes squashed into the schedule at odd hours.
S4C2
http://www.s4c.co.uk/
Live coverage of the Welsh Assembly. Sometimes. Not riveting. (Wales only.)
TELE-G
http://www.teleg.co.uk/
Gaelic ...
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