Guest presenters, guest editors. If a concept is tired, then get ‘em in.

It’s a quick fix that is extremely popular amongst BBC executives as  they alternate the hosts and editors on some of their biggest programmes; Radio 4′s Today Show, Have I Got News For You and Never Mind the Buzzcocks. It’s clear that with the BBC this is a direct appeal to its audience. Freshen up the show with someone/ something a bit different. No problem there.

Is it as easy to call with The Independent, guest edited this week by Elton John on the occasion of World Aids day and generating 10,000 extra sales for the paper?

Proceeds from the paper go straight to the Elton John Aids Foundation; we’re told on the front cover, but I get the feeling that many will question whether this is an altruistic act.

Initially I thought that, in the face of declining sales, it’s merely piggy-backing on a terribly sad and desperate cause. Why ask Elton to guest edit? Surely he could just write a column, Simon Kelner doesn’t get a day off and the proceeds could still go to the charity. It’s been done before too. Bono in 2006, only that time just half the revenue from the edition went to the Global Fund to Fight Aids.

Altruism or not, I don’t think it matters. By featuring a hugely important cause on the front cover and by donating proceeds to EJAF I think that they are entitled to any subsequent spike in sales, should there be any. Elton guest editing certainly doesn’t improve the quality of the paper and it won’t change tomorrow’s paper which ultimately affects circulation figures.

Elton’s day at the office will only contribute to more sales on the day and that’s a great thing. Furthermore the profile of the charity and the cause has been raised on a day when otherwise the blanket coverage goes to cables and snow.

Post written, i’m off to watch Tim Westwood host Never Mind the Buzzcocks on iPlayer

Picture credit: Flickr; Lammy831

Today sees the launch of the new online TV streaming service SeeSaw. The concept is that, in a similar way to Google it doesn’t create content, just aggregate it.

So there’s nothing on it that you couldn’t watch on the sites of the channels it streams, at the minute the BBC, Channel 4 and Channel 5, yet it’s all in the same place. The immediately useful feature is that you can select your content by channel, or by genre; so if you’re in the mood for something factual SeeSaw will offer you programmes originally broadcast on all channels.

It’s also visually very simple and easy to use, closer to BBC iPlayer than Demand 5 in design, and it seems to be using the same strategy as 4OD to get us to re-live great series like Teachers and Queer as Folk.

It’s free to view at the minute and funded by advertising, but according to its controller is planning to charge for some content, like US dramas, as it grows.

I can definitely see the possible uses of the service and am impressed with the design and ease of use, I guess it just remains to be seen, as usual with online services, whether it can attract loyal users and advertisers and make enough money to stick around.

Such a long silence from us… we have been beavering away but it’s been just too long since I’ve blogged so as there’s so much to cover let’s start from scratch with today.

Today we’re off to the BBC for TEDx Manchester and on the way have popped into the lovely café Eighth Day for some veggie food to sustain us through all the talks, debates and general chatter.

Over lunch I’ve been reading a great piece of opinion in The Independent on, funnily enough considering our destination today, the BBC. I agree with Johann Hari; I love the BBC, but more than that I’m proud of the BBC.

I don’t mind in the slightest paying £2.60 a week for all the TV, radio and online content which I consume, and it’s a lot. I don’t love everything that the BBC produces, in fact I probably don’t love most of it, but the bits I chose to watch, listen to and engage with I value very highly.

I once heard a comedian explain that expecting to be able to control all BBC content because you pay the license fee was a bit like getting on a bus, buying a ticket then telling the bus driver to drop you off outside your house and wait for you all night to take you to work in the morning… quite.