General Banter and Random Musings

[pavey1234]

I agree Herring. I was surprised at her post but put it down to emotions running high.
If I remember rightly she said we were criticising someone called Evey, I only remember one comment as in a list of names. There was no photo of a theme park with unpleasant comments made (this isn't Facebook or Instagram).

The attitude of righting wrongs - we are not in the public domain in the same way as Facebook. We are just one forum out there amongst thousands.

To my knowledge there was no libellous comments here, just our opinions. They can correct our inaccurate views but slagging the regulars here off isn't the way to do it. Don't forget that we are potential shopping telly customers who could easily share her post with thousands of people if we chose to. I wouldn't think she would want a post written in anger (where she gave her name) to be shared wider which may be seen by a future employer. To be clear I absolutely would not do that, but some people here might.

We wanted the channel to succeed and when there was misleading comments made on air we commented on them here and Alex picked them up and listened to us.

I'm not apportioning blame for the channel's failure, but we weren't responsible for it.

Not sure where I’ve written anything slagging off regulars / blaming anyone, I’ve written exactly the opposite regarding blame; and I apologise if I offended any regulars, that wasn’t my intention. Of course emotions are running high for everyone involved, we were all hoping for the best. The frustration isn’t with the regulars providing comments and feedback on output, that’s always welcome, the issue is with the few people speaking poorly and or personally about those involved. And please no one worry about my future employment or that I’ve given my name, it’s not a concern for me so shouldn’t be for anyone else, working 8 years in an industry means my name is known across the board already, as is everyones within these channels.

 

[SiRich]

Hello Evey here, I’ve been told to not comment on here or the read the comments about myself and I thank my friends for trying to protect me.

Call me crazy but of course I came on and read the comments … it was upsetting reading things about myself and the thing that I love doing most and also not having them said to my face. I think I was more frustrated with not being about to have a proper conversation about it and it being all being so one sided.

So to explain my personal social media post about the launch of our new channel. I was at ideal world for 18 years. I started as an assistant floor manager and worked my way up to production manager. After being made redundant I was devastated. Ideal world was incredibly toxic towards the end but you stick around for the people and the people I worked with over those 18 years were basically my family. I spent the next 8 months being told by the media industry (magazine, digital, social, tv, film) that I didn’t have the relevant experience which was extremely frustrating. A lot of my friends were also having the same problems.

Fast forward and due to some success on social media I get the opportunity to be the part of a new tv channel and I was so excited. We managed to pull this all together in such a short space of time. Of course I wanted to make a point of what my part in this had played after being told I wasn’t capable for so many months.

You may think what does a tv producer and a tv shopping guest know about starting a new channel? But past business men with loads of knowledge in “business” have tried, failed and also come under heavy criticism from this forum alone.

My vision was a place where everyone could win - staff would be happy, presenters were happy, customers would be happy and suppliers were also happy - there’s enough space in business for everyone to win.

Completely guilty of going into this completely naive of the scale of this, but go into it I did. I was hired to do this job and so I was going to do everything in my power to make it happen.

Yes, money was always going to be a factor. We had no external investor so everything was always done with this in mind.

We have always acted with our staff and customers at the forefront of our decision making. This is the primary reason we had to go to tape in the first instance. You may remember a post by Simon the night before launch where our cameras broke. Since then, it has literally been like a house of cards. Technical issues with no explanation happening every day, so much so that we’ve had to get some external help to figure out how and what has all happened.

Orders are still being fulfilled, I’ve been on our Facebook answering what questions I can and invoices are getting and going to get paid. The majority of our team were freelance and they all started knowing we were a startup.

Thank you to my friends who came on here to defend me and the channel. Like I said, we all in this industry, very much feel like a family and when your family is attacked, you attack back.

I’m sorry this was a long post but I really wanted to come on here and say my piece. For my mental health and my sanity, I probably won’t come back and read for a bit. However, if people would like an adult conversation telling me where I went wrong to my face rather than behind a computer screen, you either have my number or know someone who has my number.

Evey xxx

I don't wish to take sides but that was a decent post and want to wish you good luck, a tip I was told (I have worked for a large PLC for 30 years) in business is to keep the emotion out of situations and stick to the facts. At the end of the day you are in business. Try move on, perhaps put this behind you if you can, one thing in life is you can't please everyone, nor indeed trust everyone, hopefully you came into it with open eyes and will come out of the other side stronger.

 

[Jazzydrury]

I know all the regulars on here really wanted Seen on TV to be a roaring success, obviously not to same levels as staff, but we wanted it to work.

 

[Jazzydrury]

In a way I guess we overlook how it affects staff, while Mollie for example Is young, you have the opposite in Den.

Worked at IW for for over 20 years until It folded, Went to Shop Extra for like a month before that went, Ended up doing relief duties at Create and Craft, then moved to Seen on TV, was nice seeing her on air on Create and Craft again the other day

 

[Muttley]

Not sure where I’ve written anything slagging off regulars / blaming anyone, I’ve written exactly the opposite regarding blame; and I apologise if I offended any regulars, that wasn’t my intention. Of course emotions are running high for everyone involved, we were all hoping for the best. The frustration isn’t with the regulars providing comments and feedback on output, that’s always welcome, the issue is with the few people speaking poorly and or personally about those involved. And please no one worry about my future employment or that I’ve given my name, it’s not a concern for me so shouldn’t be for anyone else, working 8 years in an industry means my name is known across the board already, as is everyones within these channels.

Thanks, it did feel like you were attacking us personally. And we genuinely didn't want the channel to fail. And I only meant that emotive posts can follow you around and unfortunately never go away on social media. Where I work they look at our social media use as we need to be vetted.

 

[Battiola73]

I have Multiple Disabilities to a point I’m in a position, where I mainly just sit in front of my IPad all day, All the posts yesterday I found distressing, But they don’t give a ****

I found it distressing too Jazzy. I’m housebound for a lot of the time so do find myself using my iPad more the ever these days. Thought a lot of the comments were very confrontational. I never watched Seen on TV as it wasn’t broadcast on Virgin.

I thought the majority of comments from regular contributors were very supportive of the new channel. No, I don’t always agree with the comments but everyone is entitled to their own opinions. Most comments are informative, humorous and quite tongue in cheek.

 

[Professor Branestawm]

I have Multiple Disabilities to a point I’m in a position, where I mainly just sit in front of my IPad all day, All the posts yesterday I found distressing, But they don’t give a ****

Me too, Jazzy.
When my MS is bad, I can’t basically do anything and this forum, and its collection of funny, committed, snarky and wonderful people is, literally a life-saver for me. I never know when my hands won’t move whether that’s it and they’ll never move again - which as a watchmaker is pretty scary.
But I come here, and the world is just as it should be.

 

[The Insider]

The majority of our team were freelance and they all started knowing we were a startup.

Although it is welcoming to see you post under your own name this time, do you not realise how insulting that statement is to those who trusted you and Simon to have more business acumen than to think you would make sufficient sales from day 1 to keep bank rolling such huge running costs?

Do you think they would have all joined you if you had been upfront about the lack of cash reserves? From those I've spoken to, the answer is no.

It is also my understanding that the majority of the team were freelance because that was the only option you offered them, minimum risk for Seen on TV and maximum risk for the individuals.

 

[Dr Quincy MkII]

Although it is welcoming to see you post under your own name this time, do you not realise how insulting that statement is to those who trusted you and Simon to have more business acumen than to think you would make sufficient sales from day 1 to keep bank rolling such huge running costs?

Do you think they would have all joined you if you had been upfront about the lack of cash reserves? From those I've spoken to, the answer is no.

It is also my understanding that the majority of the team were freelance because that was the only option you offered them, minimum risk for Seen on TV and maximum risk for the individuals.

I posed the question a while ago when it was mentioned that this channel was in the works. My question was, a pondering, I wondered who is backing Simon? Who are the investors? Because I've never heard of a channel launching like this. I know Mike Saint seemed to be involved in something but it seems very part time (Direct Store TV). But the sheer expense of being on the multiplex had me thinking they had it sussed. I'm not the only one wondering where the ever present Simon disappeared to. I think the channel was great, the ethos of it commendable. It is good to have a dream. But when the dream falls apart you have to own it, this is where everything fell down.

 

[Dr Quincy MkII]

We were getting the blame when they should be looking at Facebook and Insta

Yes I skimmed over the facebook stuff, I think it was relating to a post that Simon Isles made on his Facebook where he is posing with a giant model dinosaur at some theme park or garden centre. That was never on here and did confuse me as some folks were conflating facebook and the forum

 

[Duke of Cheese]

What a thread. Rollercoaster ride of shopping tensions, emotions and aggravations. From the brave and dashing Captain Knowles carrying his sabre knife set over the Nottingham retail trenches, to shadowy insiders, to more people from the industry dramatically revealing themselves. Could be Shopping Telly- The Plinkety Plonkety Musical, so dramatic it has it been. All I wanted was a decent to watch shopping channel with fair price comparisons. I thought we had one with this one. Then, just like that, it was gone. Incredibly sad. Good luck to all who’ve been involved.

 

[Jazzydrury]

Yes I skimmed over the facebook stuff, I think it was relating to a post that Simon Isles made on his Facebook where he is posing with a giant model dinosaur at some theme park or garden centre. That was never on here and did confuse me as some folks were conflating facebook and the forum

I don’t do Facebook, but you can see why that would make people wonder

 

[Dr Quincy MkII]

What a thread. Rollercoaster ride of shopping tensions, emotions and aggravations. From the brave and dashing Captain Knowles carrying his sabre knife set over the Nottingham retail trenches, to shadowy insiders, to more people from the industry dramatically revealing themselves. Could be Shopping Telly- The Plinkety Plonkety Musical, so dramatic it has it been. All I wanted was a decent to watch shopping channel with fair price comparisons. I thought we had one with this one. Then, just like that, it was gone. Incredibly sad. Good luck to all who’ve been involved.

Like that really poor ITV soap answer to Eastenders Albion Market

 

[Duke of Cheese]

I had erased that from my memory until today.

 

[SiRich]

What a thread. Rollercoaster ride of shopping tensions, emotions and aggravations. From the brave and dashing Captain Knowles carrying his sabre knife set over the Nottingham retail trenches, to shadowy insiders, to more people from the industry dramatically revealing themselves. Could be Shopping Telly- The Plinkety Plonkety Musical, so dramatic it has it been. All I wanted was a decent to watch shopping channel with fair price comparisons. I thought we had one with this one. Then, just like that, it was gone. Incredibly sad. Good luck to all who’ve been involved.

....a Hamilton Beach matching set ?!

 

[Jazzydrury]

I quite like my Soaps, but that one looks rank

 

[Glen_C]

I am solely expressing my opinion on the entire situation.

Many Facebook users were left with no information after the initial silence on the page. Reading posts on this forum from Alex and all the various Insiders who posted was their sole source of information. This could have been averted if Simon had of posted a short video message on the Facbook page explaining what was really going on (not every last detail), as soon as the rumours about broadcasting has stopped because either the bill for the freeview capcity had increaed due to missing a clause in the contract, or they couldn't pay the rest of the deposit owed for the freeview channel capcity. For most people, this may well have quelled the rumours and most of the criticism on the Facebook page would have stopped. I can only suggest for most people it would have quelled the rumors because different individuals will have different viewpoints on the situation due to their differing perspectives. I am certain that I can speak for most people when stating that the optics of this entire mess have been terrible.

 

[MurielB]

And one thing I would mention to the throwaways to catch on to is, as @Duke of Cheese puts it: "We take the rise on here of the genre in general".

Grab yer thesaurus and look up: hyperbole, banter, silly, satire, aping (tropes and conventions), etc.

There was a guy who came on here many moons ago in the IW sub-forum who just could not grasp that most of us are not super serious. Most of us are not angry. Most of us aren't miserable (well, not until the goods arrive heh). Most of us* do not spend all day watching, thinking, or obsessing over selly telly. We flick over during ad breaks, we have it on for background noise during the ironing (Polti, obviously), or dip in out of habit for a few minutes every other day. Then we come here for the banter and the levity in observing how ridiculous the microcosm of selly telly can be.

It's honestly not as life and death to us as people who visit for the first time think it is.

Also, do keep in mind that as this is a forum for discussing selly telly it WILL seem like it's all we talk about is selly telly by virtue of the fact …it's a forum for discussing selly telly.

*Except Muriel.

Thank you for the mention dear, but I do not watch Ideal World all the time. I do watch it a lot but I think some of you watch it more than me. I just enjoy buying things I like when I see them for me and my family.
I did see some of the new shopping channel and it is a shame if they have closed down so soon from what I have just read here.
But I like Ideal World and will stay with them if I see something I like.

 

[Jazzydrury]

Thank you for the mention dear, but I do not watch Ideal World all the time. I do watch it a lot but I think some of you watch it more than me. I just enjoy buying things I like when I see them for me and my family.
I did see some of the new shopping channel and it is a shame if they have closed down so soon from what I have just read here.
But I like Ideal World and will stay with them if I see something I like.

Yes Peter you must be really concerned

 

[MurielB]

Ah, that's actually really great to hear! I'm glad they were able to go back to their old jobs.

For me, it was always the crew, Alex, and (after today's shenanigans, only some of) the BTS staff I felt a real gut hit for after the channel fell off air. Awful, but a bit like ripping a band-aid off, it was at least fast. Hopefully, all those lured away from regular/stable work can slot back in where they were, or at least find something comparable quickly.

Unrelated:

Does anyone know if Paul Becque was going to appear at some point? I could've sworn he was mentioned in some of the earlier posts as being part of the presenting team, but he wasn't there on launch day. I've always liked Paul. He seems nice, and while he could be a bit annoying at times on IW2 - KLAXON SOUNDS - always incredibly fun to watch.

Oh, I like PaulB. He is my second favourite after Peter when he used to be on Ideal World.
It would be nice to see him back on Ideal World if he is not going to be on the other new channel that has closed down?