ITV Knocked For Inappropriate Scheduling
The ITC has upheld complaints against ITV for inappropriate scheduling, after the broadcaster placed a trailer for The Bill during a documentary about the tragic death of James Bulger.
The trailer was screened during a break in Real Life – A Father’s Story a documentary about Ralph Bulger on the 10th anniversary of James Bulger’s death. The ad featured a storyline about the missing daughter of a police detective. The final caption was The Bill: Abduction.
The ITC received complaints from 4 viewers who were concerned at the insensitivity of showing this trailer during a harrowing documentary about a father coping with the circumstances surrounding his son’s murder.
ITV apologised for the mistake, which it claimed was a result of human error, and had slipped through the checking system. The broadcaster reassured the ITC that it takes the avoidance of any insensitive scheduling of promotions very seriously and will be introducing a new checking system to ensure similar mistakes do not occur in the future.
Channel 4 escaped censure from the ITC despite broadcasting scenes of nudity in its reality TV show, The Salon. The show featured a glamour model receiving a tanning treatment and was broadcast at 6pm.
Channel 4 defended the decision, arguing that this was a realistic portrayal of a beauty salon treatment and said they carefully edited the pictures to make them suitable for the transmission time. The ITC concluded the programme was not in breach of the code as the nudity was shown in a non-sexual and relevant context.
The ITC recently unveiled a proposal for the creation of a best practice guide aimed at improving the usability of digital TV, in an attempt to aid the planned analogue switch-off in 2010 (see ITC Pushes For Increased Usability Of Digital TV).
ITC: 0207 306 7743 www.itc.org.uk
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