Learning on ScreenChannel 4 and Educational Programming
The channel’s commitment to schools programming however, was fatally undermined in 2001, when education became part of the (now discontinued) 4Ventures, a commercially run arm of the broadcaster. It was moved from being a core area of public service content to an activity expected to make money. This was a controversial diversion. As a result, specific educational content targeted at teenagers, the 14-19 year olds, went into sharp decline, the low point marked by a Teen Big Brother, in which a couple had unprotected sex. This policy was abruptly abandoned in 2006 when the channel’s managing editor and acting head of education Janey Walker took the matter in hand.
Channel 4 realised it had drifted too far from its public service duties. Also, hardly any teenagers were watching its morning programmes. The new commissioning team headed by Matt Locke, brought in from the BBC, with editor Alice Taylor, have laid plans for a complete revamp, to migrate much of the fresh content onto the web using social networking sites, and gaming techniques. These will lead eventually to programmes on the themes of careers, entrepreneurship and privacy aimed at 14-19 year olds, and other web content based on Channel 4 programmes, such as history.
Two thirds of the current £6 million schools budget is being invested in cross platform commissions during 2008. However, the 330 hours of schools programmes a year will continue in the morning, to pay lip service to the channel’s licence. Meanwhile Channel 4 continues with its tradition of more general educational programming, for example, Richard & Judy’s wine club and book club, though Channel 4 is expected to start reintroducing more bracing educational programming.
Maggie Brown
