The eagerly awaited programme line-up for this year’s Media Guardian Edinburgh International TV Festival is now available.
Highlights include a Top Gear Masterclass with Jeremy Clarkson and executive producer Andy Wilman, the web session How to Make Money Online where internet entrepreneurs will be offering their insight and experience on building commercial businesses; and as commercial broadcasters feel the financial pressure of delivering news the prospect of the BBC being the UK’s only TV news provider will be examined in That Was The News That Was. Chaired by ITV newsreader Julie Etchingham, panellists including Chris Birkett, Executive Editor at Sky News and John Hardie, Chief Executive at ITN will discuss the impact that a news monopoly would have on democracy.
Britain’s rising complaining culture over issues of taste and decency will be examined by comedians including Frank Skinner and Lucy Porter in a lighthearted session entitled Whose Whine Is It Anyway. Using the Ofcom complaints list as a guide, a panel of comedians will explore some familiar - and less familiar - objections working as an ‘alternative’ Ofcom committee to uphold or reject the complaints.
Other key speakers already confirmed include The Chairman and Chief Executive of News Corporation, Europe and Asia, James Murdoch; Gerhard Zeiler, CEO of RTL Group; the BBC’s RTS award-winning Business Editor Robert Peston; Peter Fincham, Director of Television, ITV; Ofcom’s Ed Richards; Ashley Highfield, MD and VP, Consumer and Online, Microsoft UK; ITV stars Ant and Dec; The Wire creator, David Simon and actor Ross Kemp.
To view the 2009 MGEITF Programme click here.