BBC to scrap free TV licence fee for over-75s from August July 9, 2020 The BBC is going ahead with plans to axe free TV licences for over-75 year-olds from August, after a two month delay due to the coronavirus pandemic. More than 3m households will be asked to start paying the £157.50 annual fee from 1 August, the BBC announced today. Households that receive Pension Credit will still [...]
JK Rowling among 152 celebrities to criticise ‘cancel culture’ in open letter July 8, 2020 JK Rowling, Margaret Atwood and Salman Rushdie are among 152 public figures across the political spectrum who have signed an open letter warning that the spread of “censoriousness” and “cancel culture” has led to an intolerance of conflicting views. The letter, published in Harper’s Magazine, hit out at how a “panicked damage control” is leading [...]
Mirror publisher Reach to axe 550 jobs as advertising dries up July 7, 2020 Mirror publisher Reach today said it would axe 550 jobs as it seeks to overhaul its business as advertising revenue sank by more than a quarter over lockdown. The newspaper giant said the axed jobs, which account for around 12 per cent of its workforce, would help save £35m annually, at a one-off cost of [...]
Scammers can create fake Facebook and Google ads ‘within hours’ July 6, 2020 Lax controls on Google and Facebook enable scammers to create and post adverts for fake businesses within just a few hours, according to an investigation. Harry Rose, editor of Which magazine, said it was “worryingly easy for fraudsters to create adverts promoting scams for fake products and services”. Which created two linked fake companies – [...]
There will be a V-shaped recovery in some sectors, says Sir Martin Sorrell July 3, 2020 Advertising mogul Sir Martin Sorrell has said that the coronavirus crisis has disrupted the status quo, and companies’ recovery will be dependent on sector. Speaking to City PM’s City View podcast, Martin Sorrell, who has previously spoken of a V-shaped recovery, said the pandemic has pushed services further online, at a consumer level and beyond. [...]
The City View: Sir Martin Sorrell on why Boris is in trouble if unemployment bounces July 3, 2020 In today’s episode of The City View, advertising giant Sir Martin Sorrell talks to City PM’s Andy Silvester about the economic recovery, leading a company through these difficult times and the acceleration of the shift to digital. He also offers his views on the response of firms to increased awareness of racial inequality, the US [...]
BBC announces 450 job cuts and axes Inside Out July 2, 2020 The BBC has announced it will slash 450 jobs from its BBC News England team and will axe its long-running Inside Out show as part of plans to shore up an extra £25m by 2022. The BBC today said it would cut roughly 15 per cent of its BBC England team, as the broadcaster seeks [...]
Struggling to adapt? Look to the creative industries for inspiration July 2, 2020 The outlooks for many sectors remains pessimistic — but if you want inspiration, you’ll find the industries that have been worst hit are setting an example of how to respond. Social distancing restrictions have hit the creative industries, from concert venues to cinemas and museums, more than any others. For some companies, this has exposed [...]
Hong Kong hires London PR firm to improve UK image July 1, 2020 The Hong Kong government has hired a Mayfair-based PR firm in a bid to drown out negative coverage of the territory in the UK media. Consulum has been awarded a lucrative £5m deal to run the city’s “Relaunch Hong Kong” campaign, following a high-profile tender process that involved numerous global PR firms. The London-based PR [...]
Reddit bans long-running Trump fan forum ahead of US election June 29, 2020 Reddit has banned a long-running subreddit channel that supports US President Donald Trump, as US media firms crack down on online hate speech and disinformation in the run up to the presidential election. Reddit has banned its r/The_Donald political hub, along with more than 2,000 other subreddit groups, after the group continued to promote violence, [...]
