Pop of the Flops: Bye Bye Popworld
DiS asks: What the crunk is going on...?
Last week we heard news of the Popworld magazine launching then rather sharply being closed after a mere 9,000 first edition sales. Now Channel 4 have decided to cut the cord and axe the TV show too.
Channel 4 told the Daily Mirror "We've decided not to recommission Popworld. The series has performed very successfully but we're keen to use our T4 platform as a launch pad for new music formats that reflect our audience's tastes and the way they consume music."
This news follows the still echoing death knell of jumped-ship-at-the-perfect-time Simon Amstell (pictured) whom with Miquita Oliver launched the pop show, with a funny cynical Dennis Pennis-esque slant, six years ago. It is also a massive blow for the world of pop and popular culture in general which finds itself now without a real flagship show since the loss to terrestrial TV in recent times of both CD:UK (which wasn't that good any way) and Top Of The Pops (which had become devoid if personality or anything exciting for a long while). So, DiS ponders over a cuppa, is TV as a whole actually dead?
Well, the beginning of the end is at least in sight. When we get home from gigs it's just orange people presenting quiz phone-ins and snooker. TV viewing figures are fracturing and falling around the world, with a whole generation getting what they want online. It is not completely unconnected that Channel 4 are also reporting news today that a whopping one million people have downloaded their on-demand content, which is free from channel4.com/4od. It makes you wonder whether Popworld, as an established cult show could have been perfect as an on-demand show, with even less boundaries online. DiS wouldn't be shocked if some clever corporate brand came along to give the show a new home online...
DiScuss: What now for hungover observers of mass culture to consume pop on a weekend Doesn't T4 currently just show Goldfrapp and Moby every other week, alternating them with terrible NME-approved indie bands like The Enemy? Does this leave you without a career choice if you wanted to be the next presenter? What was your favourite Popworld memory?
From the archive
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The Mars Volta: a well-dressed "pop corpse"
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The Auteurs and their part in Britpop's downfall
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"It wasn’t meant to end up like this" by Mogwai's Stuart Braithwaite
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I wanted to be the next Simon Amstell. I loved the feature they did called 'Lemar, from afar'. Pure genius.
My ex keeps a log on popworld features in his head, he loves it.
Is there any pop shows on TV now?
This proves one thing
Alex Zane should not be on telly.
Favourite Popworld moment
has to be Simon Amstell interviewing The Kooks
"Did you ever call her Katie Manure, in the bad times?"
Slow Death
It plummeted when "Alex and Alexa" took over. She's randomly attractive but annoying and Zane's got that kind of shit eating grin and idiotic banter that makes you want to smack the curly haired pixie right in the kisser. POW!
Plus, with this being axed, Zane is moving to do Breakfast at XFM, how long is it before that tired piece of shit radio station decides to stop operating. No, i don't want to hear Razorlight followed by Snow Patrol and the Fratellis. What the hell is X Rated about The Enemy? Nothing you cunts
the tv model
Good, interesting, tongue-in-cheek music show -> TV bosses put keeping record company execs and advertisers happy above making decent TV by making said show safer and blander -> Viewing figures fall -> TV bosses blame on 'changing consumption of music' -> Repeat
Don't knock the Snooker.
Light Saturday morning TV needs programmes like Popworld. They would fanny about with artists/bands I never usually have an interest in, but the manner in which it was produced always appealed. Any word on what will replace it? Transworld Sport probably.
or anywhere near
anywhere where he can voice his opinion on music. By his, I obviously don't mean his...I mean "his"...as in what he's told is his opinion. makes no sense....BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE
the new model should/will be
1. online tv show gains cult audience
2. media begins to write about online show
3. online show bought up by tv networks
4. mainstream audience extremely confused
5. show axed by gained much bigger audience online
6. show sustains itself from advertising and sponsorship forever more.
It's the indie band signs to major label model over over again. I just wonder if the cost of making a show in the first place is going to be too prohibitive, don't think DiS aren't thinking about making our own magazine-style show. I already know who I want to present it.
I'd go one further
and suggest that Alex Zane just shouldn't be.
>>
i'd really like to believe that it was axed cos none of 'the kidz' could stand the 2 twatty bumholes known as Alex & Alexa. But that wouldn't explain how Transmission is still going strong despite the presence of bunny raping charm offender Steve and celebrity buttschnoozeler Lauren. THEY are the true face of music related tv evil
"I listened to the first one,
and that was enough to make me vomit up my own liver."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NbwTQu6P78
Hail Amstell. He is King.
Fav popworld memory
...Well apart from the ones mentioned has got to be the Milburn interview where Simon Amstell just takes the piss out of post-production and enless camera angles
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Te42Th04qpM
I watched Popworld about twice, I think
Can't say I'm bothered it no longer exists. I didn't particularly like Amstell either. Whatever.
if only
transworld sport is bleedin' genious... or at least it was in the early 90s ;->
Gutted.
It still has its moments... Alex is a dick but Alexa is great. Although she hasn't worn tights in about two months so I've stopped watching. (Yes, I'm that shallow.)
My favourite Popworld memories were of course the Kooks interview, and Alexa's Moby interview.
Popworld after Simon Amstell:
Papers please
[stamp stamp STAMP]
Rubbish.
HAHAHA
^^^ Brilliant rant, especially the last two sentences!! GENIUS
Popworld
Simon: (in hyped up voice) "Everybody is talking about hot new band the Arctic Monkeys"
*cuts to two fishermen*
Fisherman 1: So have you heard about these er, Arctic Monkeys?
Fisherman 2: ...no
*cuts back to Simon*
Simon: So I'm here to find out what the fuss is about.....
Genius.
This makes me happy.
Although Alexa's a lovely person to speak to... the fact her and that absolutely awful creature, Alex Zane attempted to recreate the wonderfulness the older two set up so easily, and failed, was horrible.
lmao.
You're liek, Avril Lavigne.
In what way?
Am I making things so complicated? :(
.
If there was nothing on TV but phone-ins and snooker, 50% of all TV would be fantastic, which is a damn sight more than it is at the moment.
lol@
'bunny raping charm'
What annoys me is the fact that you have to stay up
really late to catch anything good.
Also, if you look at how ratings are gathered for terrestrial programs its woefully inadequate. Essentially most programming is based on an vaguely educated guess about a 'target market'.
I'd completely forgotten
about 'and boom goes the dynamite'. Thank you!
the best ever popworld memory for me is
anstal asking a singer called tweet if she liked shreadded wheat
MmmAlexa
I don't want to have to resort to watching that thing with Ben Elton for my fix. Grr!
The interesting thing is
this is the first time there's not been a proper populist music show since the 60s, even pre-TOTP, at a time when we're told the British music scene is at its healthiest in years. It seems to me telly threw its lot in with the POP! explosion, and now that boy bands as a concept are dead and the genre have been largely subsumed into its pre-Take That wider meaning they've got no idea where to take it. If you're McFly, there's nowhere to go bar GMTV and Blue Peter. And all TV can do for the discerning older viewer is shows that go on about "new and innovative presentation of music on television", which in Transmission's case seems to be interviewing Danny Dyer every other week using tracking camera shots.
Weren't Channel 4 claiming not long ago that Alex(a) Popworld was drawing more viewers than Si'n'Miq Popworld?
My favourite
Simon interviewing Babyshambles
Simon, "So tell me about this video you're making today"
Pete: "You should know you're making it"
Simon: "No Pete this is an interview,"
ALEXA
i'd love to ram it up her arse.
that interview is amazing
"It's ok to sing and dance and be happy! Have you seen The Sound Of Music? Those kids were quite happy doing it, and they were being persecuted by the Nazis!" :D
I love Simon Amstell.
Why
did this^^^ make me laugh so much. I really need to be getting out more.
shit eating grin
genius
^
this
I like Lamar from Afar
That was funny, because he never went on the show ever again afterwards.
yeh i
refuse to believe that more than 2 million people still watch shite like emmerdale and eastenders.
Someone did tell me how they got the viewing figures once, its done by a sample population and this proportion is extrapolated to the whole tv viewing population.
surely they can monitor on digital tv exactly what people watch.
digital tv
blindly recieves. it doesn't in it's simplest form 'send', ever.
And even if it did send, people would have to explicitly agree to being monitored. Which people would refuse to do.
I dunno....
If I could guarantee that my viewing habits would influence what TV stations air, it would appeal to me.
Especially if it meant great shows like Arrested Development and Futurama never got axed.
If anyone needs convincing
Of what an absolute little cunting shit Alex Zane is, just watch his interview with Patrick Wolf. He makes some sort of derogatory comment about Wolf wearing makeup but im sure ive seen Zane wearing eyeliner plenty of times.
so addictive
Snooker is quite good too.
every time I start thinking transmission is alright...
they flash someone's pe.... at me again. Please stop doing it, it isn't making your show better.
Transmission really has potential if they hold it in a bit. It's good to know which form of animal steve...
(trails off)
Alexa
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AlexaAlexaAlexaAlexaAlexaAlexa
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AlexaAlexaAlexaAlexaAlexaAlexa
AlexaAlexaAlexaAlexaAlexaAlexa
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so fucking fucking fit
rubbish presenter though
to be fair
it did actually die when they left. it used to be quality.
i've
really been getting into it. once you know the rules it's quite nail-biting and entertaining stuff.
Where is Amstell these days?
From immediate memory i can't recall seeing him on the box lately.
Never mind
the Buzzcocks.
that interview
was painful!
After one of the really long silences I remember Simon asking if any of the band had ever been in a car crash.
Lets not forget that Simon isn't dead.
I hate Alex and Alexa equally.
tv's not dead
it's just changing
HHAAAAHAAAA
I LOVE IT
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