The axing of the teatime ‘Newsround’ is a sad day for children’s television
Michael Hogan on the latest blow to a section of the TV industry that has been in crisis for years
For my generation, mention of Newsround immediately conjures up images of dear old John Craven and that distinctive glockenspiel theme tune.
The daily children’s bulletin was launched by jumper-clad journalist Craven in 1972, deliberately sitting in front of his desk so he didn’t remind viewers of a teacher. He went on to host it for the next 17 years, clocking up more than 3,000 episodes.
Now the Newsround era has come to an end. The BBC has axed its flagship teatime edition after nearly half a century, having concluded that children no longer turn on traditional TV channels when they come home from school.
The Corporation will instead shift its focus to producing a morning edition aimed at schools, where it’s often used in classrooms, while investing in the programme’s website. This week, broadcasting regulator Ofcom approved these changes, along with other reforms that will allow the BBC to prioritise iPlayer as the home of its children’s programming.
Yet there is no doubt that the demise of Newsround is another dispiriting development in the increasingly fractured world of children’s viewing. Newsround was smartly curated, knowing exactly which stories would appeal to its target audience of six- to 10-yearolds. It explained complex issues – from the Northern Irish conflict to the Aids crisis, the 9/11 terror attacks and, recently, coronavirus – with
It was smartly curated, knowing exactly which stories would appeal to six- to 10-yearolds
compelling clarity. It mixed in animal stories or “And finally…” items to lighten the tone.
It increased its coverage of environmental issues to reflect the changing interests of children. It was agenda-setting, too, airing investigative reports on youth-centric issues from bullying to Black Lives Matter, from online safety to obesity. The decision to essentially demote
Newsround is the latest blow to a section of the TV industry that has been in crisis for years. The turmoil began in the Nineties, when the rapid proliferation of digital channels meant that programming split into silos according to age and genre. Suddenly there were Disney and Nickelodeon channels for US imports, Cartoon Network for animation, CBeebies and Tiny Pop for preschoolers.
Today’s children are just as likely to browse through TikTok videos or click on the latest vlog from their favourite YouTuber as they are to stream a TV episode via iPlayer, Sky on-demand or Netflix.
There was a time in the late Eighties and early Nineties when some of the bravest programming on-air were children’s dramas. Press Gang and Children’s Ward were edgy and hard-hitting. Their writers – Steven Moffat, Paul Abbott and Russell T Davies – went on to become our foremost prime time dramatists.
In 1983, Grange Hill school bully Gripper sparked a race riot by picking on black and Sikh pupils – a storyline that it’s impossible to imagine getting greenlit today. The show’s gritty 1986 storyline about Zammo getting hooked on heroin spawned the “Just Say No” campaign, which saw the cast invited to the White House.
Occasionally, children’s TV can still cause such a stir. Canadian drama The
Next Step, which airs here on CBBC, is a favourite of my own children. This week, it aired the channel’s first ever same-sex kiss, between teen female characters Jude and Cleo. Ironically enough, this milestone moment was reported on Newsround.
There is some excellent programming around if you hunt hard enough. CBeebies series such as JoJo & Gran Gran, Hey Duggee and Katie Morag are superb. On CBBC, Horrible Histories and Operation
Ouch! brilliantly blend comedy with educational content. Cartoon Network’s The Amazing World of
Gumball is about as creative as TV can get. However, these feel like exceptions. It’s far easier and cheaper to screen cartoons or imports than it is to make original programming.
The biggest shame is that children aren’t watching the same thing at the same time any more. Talking-point TV rarely happens for this age group.
As grown-ups are finding, watching TV is no longer a warm, communal experience. The danger is that many children will never realise this was ever the case.