Mac's Musings
ITV's tarnished media image
19/10/2007A good media image is every bit as important to media giants like ITV as it is to smaller firms. So how come ITV boss Michael Grade got it so wrong last night?
His interview on Channel 4 News last night was far from his finest hour. While apologising for the fact that a variety of programmes had fraudulently fleeced viewers of tens of millions of pounds, he said the motive was not to make money. Do us a favour, Michael!
He told an incredulous Jon Snow that the programme makers' motives were entirely high-minded and that low greed had played no part in this criminal activity. Grade then ducked and weaved and hawed and hummed as he received the roasting he thoroughly deserved. His body language gave it all away.
Worse still, he seemed to feel that this appalling episode - perhaps the lowest point in the history of British TV - was a matter for the regulator rather than the police. He's wrong. It's now time to call in Mr Plod and to make sure that all those senior executives who knew what was going on are drummed out of the business.
If you or I had done it we would have been banged to rights quicker than you can say Ant n Dec.
