Panorama Online: The next phase
Today sees the official launch of and I hope you won't mind me saying a few words about it here and seeing whether you think that this is a good use of the web by a TV programme.
So much work goes into a 30 minute Panorama or a one hour special and the website struck me as the perfect platform to showcase the best of our journalism online. Britain's Terror Heartland is a prime example; blog posts from Tom Giles and Jane Corbin provided extra context, while gave those of you interested in the subject an extra perspective. Jane also wrote on the programme and introduced it online in .
I was also very keen for the new Panorama website to be more interactive and responsive to you, the people that use it. You should now find it easier to both with the programme and e-mail us any story ideas too. Where possible, we'll follow them up and see what can be done.
And even if you are already familiar with the website, there's more to read, watch, comment on and contribute to. If you're coming to the website for the first time, hopefully there's enough interesting material - features, picture galleries, short videos, full length films and blog posts - to make it somewhere you would like to come back to again.
While working on the relaunch, Ofcom published its latest which made interesting reading, especially as 26% of those aged 15-24 claim to use the internet for "watching TV programmes", up 16% on the year before. 51% used the web for "watching video clips/webcasts", up by the same amount. But the report also noted an increase across all the age ranges for audio-visual content online and that the fastest growing online community is actually the oldest (although they are still in the minority).
Luckily, we were already planning to reflect this changing attitude to media online, which is why the first thing you'll probably have noticed when you look at the front page is a big embedded video player. This will either have key moments from a current Panorama programme or a reporter's take on the film they've made.
Now, just as I took over the Panorama website, there was a in Broadcast magazine that said that Panorama was going to start doing online "minisodes". Having previously created and produced them for ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Three's award-winning Current Affairs strand, Born Survivors, this was a reasonable assumption to make. However, I felt that the Panorama website needed a wider variety of video footage.
That's why there's a new section called Panorama Video Extras, a mixture of extra exclusive programme footage, original material made by my multiplatform team, re-versioned snippets from the programme, classic clips - and the odd minisode, too.
And after seeing the impact that the Born Survivors Season can have on other platforms outside the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳, I was determined that we have a presence in the appropriate places too. So you can now keep up to date with the latest goings on in Panorama via , check out the and watch some key moments from our films on .
We're now fully integrated with the iPlayer and the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s online programmes pages too, so hopefully when you come to the website you should now find it a lot simpler to catch up on the latest Panorama programme on iPlayer.
But I also wanted to make it easier to watch Panorama online for longer, a full 12 months after they are broadcast in fact. We've actually been doing this for a while, but judging by the e-mails we receive, not a lot of you are aware of this. That's why we've created a new section on the homepage called "Watch previous programmes in full". It does exactly what it says on the tin.
I mentioned blogs earlier, so who can you expect to hear from on the Panorama team? Well, the likes of our online archivist specialist Eamonn Walsh will be thematically linking programmes from the present to the past, giving classic clips a fresh airing and reflecting on the programmes from our past that you still chat about online.
Then from the main production team, there's Panorama Deputy Editor Tom Giles and reporters Jane Corbin, Raphael Rowe and John Sweeney. And of course I look forward to you all joining in the various debates too (indeed, some of you have already). Whether it's on our own blogs or your own, we'll do our best to make it one big (no doubt heated at times) conversation.
There's more...
One of the main things I felt was lacking from the old website was a permanent and prominent space for the reporters. For all their investigative and award-winning endeavours, there didn't seem to be enough information about them online. So we've created and completely revamped all their pages with new pictures, text and the first in a series of bespoke videos that should give you a better idea of what makes the likes of , and want to be a Panorama reporter today.
But I was acutely aware that despite the achievements of Panorama in 2008 and the technological advancements that allow a website to offer so much more, the programme itself has been around for 55 years.
To better reflect Panorama's enduring legacy, you can now find, among other things, a 50th anniversary and ; a that charts Panorama through the decades; a from Panorama's past and a to test your knowledge of the programme.
So all in all, lots of changes and hopefully lots more for you to get your teeth into. As ever, if there's anything you rate or hate, e-mail me at panorama@bbc.co.uk with "website" as the subject - or leave a comment below.
Derren Lawford is Panorama's Multiplatform Editor.
Comment number 1.
At 6th Jan 2009, Howrobden wrote:A podcast would be good as well. Many national broadcasters world wide provide podcasts of their programmes. The ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ is way behind the curve on this.
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Comment number 2.
At 6th Jan 2009, DisgustedOfMitcham2 wrote:What really annoys me about Panorama is the way that I often have to watch trailers for it in the thinly disguised veil of news stories. If you want to show trailers, fine, just do it in the advert breaks between programs.
This has been going on for some time, but it got frankly ridiculous yesterday (Monday) when the lead news story on ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Breakfast News at 8 am was the trailer for Panorama.
The lead story? Seriously guys, this has gone too far. It's not as if yesterday was a slow news day, was it?
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Comment number 3.
At 6th Jan 2009, WAKCoe wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
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Comment number 4.
At 6th Jan 2009, Frankie Roberto wrote:Wow, I didn't realise you could watch them for a year after broadcast either. Way to go! Is this the only programme on iPlayer available for longer than 7 days/series stacked?
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Comment number 5.
At 7th Jan 2009, dennisjunior1 wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
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Comment number 6.
At 7th Jan 2009, dennisjunior1 wrote:Derren:
[But I was acutely aware that despite the achievements of Panorama in 2008 and the technological advancements that allow a website to offer so much more, the programme itself has been around for 55 years.]
Congrats to the 55th anniversary of the Panorama programme; I know that the message is somewhat late....
~Dennis Junior~
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Comment number 7.
At 8th Jan 2009, FRACTIOUS wrote:Panorama has for years been a lightweight, over-hyped programme that rarely ventures from the shallows, and reflecting much of what is wrong with the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳. If more serious effort went into the content and presentation, then your time spent making it available on different platforms might be worthwhile. As it stands Derren, even you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.
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Comment number 8.
At 8th Jan 2009, NutitanicPassenger wrote:Panorama is a top class ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ show in my opinion.
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Comment number 9.
At 8th Jan 2009, Kolgon wrote:The ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ is to be encouraged in finding fresh ways to spread the opinions it carries around the world. For example, what to do in Gaza next? Would it not be right to build the economy, the quality of life, with schemes for improving agriculture and craft production?
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Comment number 10.
At 9th Jan 2009, U13774094 wrote:Terrible episode on sexual bullying. Absolutely laughable. Like it was written by really old men.
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Comment number 11.
At 9th Jan 2009, DisgustedOfMitcham2 wrote:Derren, don't listen to elitists like FRACTIOUS (#7). Remember that the people who take the trouble to contribute to these blogs are, for the most part, intelligent, articulate, and care passionately about quality programming. Let's face it, that's not exactly representative of your target audience, is it?
Quality programmes? Pah. That's so last century. Don't forget the Mission Statement of the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ in the 21st century: "Dumb down, dumb down, and then dumb down again".
Gone are the days when you could afford to make quality programmes and know that most people would still watch them because there was only one other channel available. Look at the choice your viewers have these days! There are things like "I'm a celebrity get me out of here" on the other side, and at least 4 shopping channels on Freeview alone. I hate to think how many there are on Sky.
With competition like that, you just have to move with the times, and remember what your viewers want: sensationalism. And don't forget that first lesson they taught you at journalist school: "Never let the facts get in the way of a good story". Good stories are what it's all about. Snobs who care about the facts can always go and listen to the World Service: that's not your job.
So, here are some tips for how to keep making Panorama relevant in the 21st century.
Crime: OK, we all know it's pretty rare, but it makes a great story. And if you show 3 victims of the same crime in quick succession, your audience will believe it happens all the time. They'll love this.
Children: any stories that have children in them are great. Your target C2 demographic can't get enough of kids.
Sex: sex always sells. You simply can't go wrong if you include sex in the theme of your programme.
Now remind me, what was your last episode about?
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Comment number 12.
At 11th Jan 2009, TrueToo wrote:Be good if the show were available to watch online from other countries. It's one of very few ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ programmes that isn't completely strangled by PC.
Any plans to make it available online outside Britain?
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Comment number 13.
At 13th Jan 2009, miss_disorientated wrote:I disagree with some of the negative comments on here. Panorama is a very interesting and watch-able programme.
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Comment number 14.
At 20th Jan 2009, JTayler wrote:"Ofcom published its latest report on the communications industry which made interesting reading, especially as 26% of those aged 15-24 claim to use the internet for "watching TV programmes", up 16% on the year before."
This figure of 26% will definitely increase over the next few years. I've already begun watching some of my favorite TV shows on the providers websites, so I can only imagine what the 15-24 crowd is doing.
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