The BBC made history with its coverage of Prince Philip – and it pissed off viewers.
A special farewell greeting: Portrait of Prince Philip in the window of a bar near Windsor Castle.
Photo: AFP
Prince Charles was very upset. When his grandmother, Queen Mom, passed away in 2002, BBC news anchor Peter Sison read the news of his death with a burgundy tie – not a black one. Prince Charles punished the station immediately. The heir to the throne said his poignant words (“she meant everything to me only”) into a competing broadcaster’s microphone. Now, Prince Charles’ father has passed away, and the criticism is again on the BBC. This time it is not from the royal family, but from the audience.
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) cut off all broadcasts after the news of the death and changed programs together. Even on CBeebies kids channel the picture froze. A message asked viewers to switch to the main channel. “It tastes a bit like North Korea with mint sauce,” the German TAZ mocked.
The heir to the throne, Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, look at the flowers and messages people left after Prince Philip’s death.
Photo: Keystone
Where’s my soap
The standard list containing obituaries and documentation of the prince did not seem to appeal to the audience. Because of the cancellation of a garden show, finale for “MasterChef” cooking and “Eastenders” soaps, the BBC’s ratings plummeted. The audience turned and got angry – and they searched for a valve. Complaints piled up to the point that the BBC found it necessary to open an online complaint form to report Prince Philip the same night.
More than 110,000 people headed to the station within two days, and several British media outlets claim to have discovered this. Reporting the death of Prince Phillips easily broke the record for complaints from 2005. At the time, 63,000 people complained that the BBC had dared to stage the musical “Jerry Springer: The Opera,” which was criticized as blasphemous. As a result, BBC officials received death threats. Some even had to act at short notice to avoid protests by angry Christians.
“Not so justified.”
This time, of course, the feelings were not high. The “guardian” Published some excerpts from the complaints block. One viewer wrote, perhaps on behalf of many, “The report was certainly justified, but not to that extent.” Another expressed his criticism a little more casually: “The death of Prince Philip was sad news, and I understand the BBC had to take that into account. But on every channel? Why not start a free channel for those who want to listen to the shit and the rest of us can Enjoy some music? ”The BBC commented briefly:“ We are proud of our coverage and the role we play in moments of national importance. ” Even the eagerly awaited official Opinion The complaints were not elaborated. The broadcaster acknowledges at least that some viewers were not satisfied with the decisions taken.
Married since 1947: Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip.
Photo: AP
Prince Andrew causes problems, too
Not all complainants complained about the extensive coverage and lack of program options. Roughly 400 people were upset by the fact that the BBC had shown Prince Andrew that his role in the scandal surrounding late sexual offender Jeffrey Epstein was unclear and that he refused to be questioned by the FBI. 116 It was alleged that the BBC was simply making it too easy for people to file a complaint.
And yes, the choice of clothing has been the subject of complaints as well. 233 viewers found that the moderators and newscasters did not show enough respect to the prince because some were not completely black. After all, no one wore a burgundy tie this time.
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