Bishop Hill Two for BBC watchers
Feb 12, 2012 BBC Climate: Statistics A couple of interesting articles for BBC watchers.
Firstly this update from the Independent on the story about BBC Worldwide accepting programming from environmental groups for free. The BBC is to issue an apology.
The BBC will today apologise to an estimated 74 million people around the world for a news fixing scandal, exposed by The Independent, in which it broadcast documentaries made by a London TV company that was earning millions of pounds from PR clients which it featured in its programming.
Secondly there is an update on the BBC's project to measure the performance of different weather forecasters.
A row between weathermen threatens to wreck a BBC-funded project to test the accuracy of Britain’s weather forecasts.
The study, estimated to have cost tens of thousands of pounds of licence fee payers’ money, has been devised by the BBC’s senior environment analyst, Roger Harrabin.
But seven of the eight forecasters and bodies asked to take part have not agreed, with two blaming Mr Harrabin for undermining the study’s credibility, claiming that his reputation is tarnished by his close links to green groups who believe in man-made climate change.
The Mail says that "Harrabin has accepted money from green groups". This is ambiguous, and it needs to be made clear that there is no suggestion he benefited personally from the Cambridge Media and Environment Programme. As for the weather forecast project, it would be a pity to lose it - I reckon it would demonstrate that nobody can forecast beyond three or four days.
Reader Comments (30)
I think that it depends where you are.
In fairness, weather for the UK is particularly difficult to forecast.
Where I am in Spain, the 10 day forecast is fairly good. I consider it to be more accurate than a 3 day forecast for the UK. Thinking back to when I use to live in the UK, perhaps that should be 2 day forecast for the UK.
In both cases, the BBC would appear to have an institutionalised bias towards a set of core values that goes against its charter condition of impartiality. The lesson is to be more sceptical of those who promote similar values, and to exert positive discrimination in favour of those with who go against the BBC consensus.
Has anybody else in south london had trouble with their BBC digital channels
Last couple of weeks my BBC channels have been freezing up and destorting
I tried watching about Witney Huston this morning on BBC News 24 and i had to turn over to sky news
All the other digital channels are okay except the BBC for some reason
Best of it is on Thursday i got a bloke comming round to fit a box to each of my tellys
I am officially now a BARB researcher guiney pig
They are monitoring me for the viewing figures
F--k knows why they picked me
I have to have a seperate remote control in each room and i have to press in how many people are watching and their ages and income
Theres only me here unless i get lucky on Match.com
I ve had loads of people asking me to watch Hollyoaks and Skins and Shameless and type in 20 people all watching
I get a load of supermarket vouchers for doing it
They havent said how many yet
So you might see a rise in the viewing figures for Adult Channel and Television X Dave Discovery Dmax and QVC
Anyone from BBC secretly monitoring this
Tell your technicians to sort out the Chrystal Palace transmitter or else your viewing figures will be taking a nose dive
Traditional West Highlands weather forecast:
If you can see the islands, it is going to rain.
If you can't see the islands, it is raining.
Feb 12, 2012 at 8:18 PM | Unregistered Commenter jamspid on reception BBC digital channels Sth London.
Over here in Dublin, (sorry it is not Sth London) on Freesat, I've had no problems with reception of any of the BBC channels...other than that they are the BBC channels and I no longer trust things they say!
Peter Walsh
Here too. No problems with reception but major changes in perception. Now I see Monty Python's Ministry of Truth on TV while waiting breathlessly for Richard Black's latest tweet on the net.
Nitpicking on a typo: "storay." [now corrected, thanks. BH]
Or is this the new term for a backsliding apolo-story?
Peter we pronounce it Sooouth lundannnn ( imagine Danny Dyre with a slowed down speech inpediment )
Your lucky in Ireland you aint got the licence fee
You dont have to pay for their crap
But next week Top Gear all 3 of my tellys 20 people each all going at once
Piss off George Monbiot
Last 2 weeks Top Gear been right back on form
200 MPH round Imola where Senna died WOW
So Peter you getting ready for St Paddys night
We got Andrew Strong and the original line up from the Committments Band playing at the O2
jamspid - I don't suppose auto retuning the TV helps?
Not sure what your particular schedule is for transmitters switching off the analogue. (I know mine isn't until April but my son's TV has already been affected and lives only a few miles away ...)
.............. and of course, the Greeks are responsible for the downfall of the Euro ( As told to the BBC in the contract for the "Gift"of £3M ) ,and we are all going to burn in the fires of hell caused by AGW
" I reckon it would demonstrate that nobody can forecast beyond three or four days."
I could not tell you what the weather would be in Aberdeen Scotland in the morning but I have a pretty good idea what it will be in El Campo California in six months time.
I don't understand any of this chit-chat, particularly given that the Scots have perfected the Scottish Weather Forecasting Stone years ago. I am told that it is 100% correct. Perhaps the Bishop could travel down to the Milestone Garden Centre at Newtown St Boswells to verify it.
Isn't the internet great?
One task that lies immediately before us is to find worthy successors and endow them
with considerable authority.
http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rmhttp/radio4/transcripts/1973_reith6.pdf
They missed a huge opportunity by not including 'Chopper Reid's' famous forecasting:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5Z9xZ6wEGc
http://biased-bbc.blogspot.com/
Reaping the Whirlwind.
"......Andrew Montford's masterful analysis of the warmist hijacking of the Royal Society emhpasises yet again the key role in the spreading of warmist propaganda played by Roger Harrabin - as does Autonomous Mind here. As you sow, so shall you reap."
I am actually pleasantly surprised that Roger Harribin's proposed 'experiment' is as sophisticated as you describe.
I would have expected him to be asking for forecasts of yesterday's weather.
I am actually pleasantly surprised that Roger Harribin's proposed 'experiment' is as sophisticated as you describe.
I would have expected him to be asking for forecasts of yesterday's weather.
Feb 13, 2012 at 9:47 AM | michael hart
PLEASE, avoid the use of such words if you are serious. Pocket OED, 1925, "Sophisticated - to spoil the simplicity or purity of, to corrupt or adulterate or tamper with!!!!!! Says it all really. Such words are used in the AGW computer modelling fantasy world, along with simulation, replication, representation, etc. They all mean effectively the same thing - UNREAL!
Jamspid says:
Your lucky in Ireland you aint got the licence fee
You dont have to pay for their crap
True, but we have to pay our licence for the local stations of RTE and if you think the BBC is crap, then try RTE.
They are still back in the "bog" days of the 1950s and I despair at their ineptitude.
As much as I have a dislike of the French (and as mentioned some weeks back by Phillip Bratby as I remember) France 24 is one of the better TV news channels around.
In an attempt to bring an end to the digital TV discussions, can I recommend the excellent site http://www.ukfree.tv/ where you will find advice of every kind. It is best to start by reading the copious FAQs and the homepage for your transmitter before asking your question, but the host is staggeringly hard working and courteous in answering questions from those who are unwilling to do this or simply don't believe the FAQs.
PLEASE, avoid the use of such words if you are serious. Pocket OED, 1925, "Sophisticated - to spoil the simplicity or purity of, to corrupt or adulterate or tamper with!!!!!! Says it all really. Such words are used in the AGW computer modelling fantasy world, along with simulation, replication, representation, etc. They all mean effectively the same thing - UNREAL!
Feb 13, 2012 at 10:26 AM | Unregistered CommenterAlan the Brit
__________________________
Merriam-Webster: Definition of SOPHISTICATED
1
: deprived of native or original simplicity: as a : highly complicated or developed : complex <sophisticated electronic devices> b : having a refined knowledge of the ways of the world cultivated especially through wide experience
"nobody can forecast beyond three or four days"
Really? I thought Piers Corbyn had quite a good track record for the long-term stuff, having been barred by William Hill for out-forecasting the MO on too many occasions! I believe he got the start of the January 2011 cold spell right, almost to the day, months in advance. Not to mention extreme events in N. America and Australia...
Alan
"Sophisticated - to spoil.."
Are you sure? Isn't 'sophisticated' an adjective?
My Wordweb pop-up dictionary (which I heartily recommend) describes it as "Having or appealing to those having worldly knowledge and refinement and savoir-faire", although I agree that doesn't sound like Harrabin.. :-)
From the DM:
"The Met Office says it won’t commit until it is sure the tests are ‘scientifically robust’ and will not cost any more ‘taxpayers’ money’."
Calling Pot - kettle on line 2...
Who could have predicted that?
The BBC's association with green groups has come back and bit them hard. It has damaged their reputation.
Who could have predicted that?
The BBC's association with green groups has come back and bit them hard. It has damaged their reputation.
"The Mail says that "Harrabin has accepted money from green groups". This is ambiguous, and it needs to be made clear that there is no suggestion he benefited personally from the Cambridge Media and Environment Programme." Bishop Hill
Well, he unambiguously made green money from UEA:
"He used the money from the University of East Anglia’s Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research to fund seminars run by an ‘ad hoc’ partnership of himself and a friend." The Mail
"Best of it is on Thursday i got a bloke comming round to fit a box to each of my tellys
I am officially now a BARB researcher guiney pig They are monitoring me for the viewing figures"--jamspid
Hmm. Reminds me of the joke from many years back: "In Russia, they have television in every room...Only it watches you." At the very least, I'd wear a kimono whilst wandering about your flat in the morning....
It is a bit rich for the Met Office to to make a plea for a "scientifically robust" assessment.
According to Paul Hudson who as the BBC weatherman ought to know, the Met Office annual temperature forecast for 11 of the past 12 years has been warmer than the actual measured outcome.
It also forecast in 2010 that at least two years in the next 5 would be warmer than any in the past 30. Already into the third year of this five year period and with no record warmth, this forecast too is beginning to look decidedly ropey.
We should not expect that the Met Office forecasts will always be right, but its errors should not consistently err in the one direction. If it consistently overeggs warming in this way, it can hardly be surprised that public belief in its forecasting is beginning to sag.
How long can having the words climate change in the Met Office title keep it from being privatized
Ive said this before the 2nd biggest cheerleader for climate change is the Met Office
The 1st is the BBC
Why because they depend for their survival from the government
They piss of the government no bye bye license fee bye bye funding their out on arse their down the road
The last time the BBC dare challenge the Government was Dr David Kelly and the Hutton report
That cost Greg Dyke his DGs job
So when it comes to an issue like Climate Change unlike public spending unemployment the deficit the Euro crisis they treat it like all other media does "a good end of the world story with no actual chance of the world actually ending"
Untill you get to Fuel poverty and wind farms and the unrealistic cost and effectiveness of Renewable s
They will kiss arse and then bend over and take it backwards to keep their f--king License fee
Because in the end they ,re all about the f--king money
In their opinion f--k ,democracy, free speech ,scientific integrity, political influence, green taxes causing unnecessary hardship and f--k economic development in the third world so those people cant pull themselves out of poverty and stop disease
The BBC should change its name to The British Broadcasting Corporation and Climate Change
Which is exactly what the Met Office did
Any Tory think tanks and George Monbiot reading this here is an idea
How long can having the words climate change in the Met Office title keep it from being privatized
Richard Verney's first post reminds me of Adrian Croner's "Good Morning Vietnam" weather report. "It's gonna be hot, damn hot!". And right he was!