election2010 – Page 12

"The first ever UK televised leaders' debate attracted an impressive 9.4 million viewers on ITV1 last night, beating Coronation Street and EastEnders to become the most watched programme of the day.

Last night's historic 90-minute debate between Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg also proved more popular than the BBC's controversial Question Time featuring the British National party leader, Nick Griffin, which was watched by 7.9 million viewers back in October in a later 10.35pm Thursday slot.

The First Election Debate on ITV1 averaged 9.4 million viewers between 8.30pm and 10pm, a 37% share of the total TV audience over that period.

Only soaps, reality shows such as Britain's Got Talent and major live sporting events attract these sort of figures on a regular basis nowadays, with the fragmentation of viewing across hundreds of digital channels."

Del.ici.us tags: tvdebates election2010 audience figures

First prime ministerial debate as Wordle clouds

16 April, 2010 by Einar Thorsen Leave a Comment

The BBC has published the transcript of the first prime ministerial debates which were broadcast on ITV yesterday.

With a bit of hacking around the text I’ve put together a few Wordle clouds to visualise what the individual contributors said. Entirely unscientific and just for a bit of fun…

Alastair Stewart (ITV host)

Nick Clegg (Liberal Democrats)

Gordon Brown (Labour)

David Cameron (Conservatives)

Audience Members

All speakers overall

How important is the internet to the election? – The Guardian

15 April, 2010 by Einar Thorsen Leave a Comment

How important is the internet to the election? – The Guardian

"Matthew McGregor, London director of Blue State Digital, which masterminded Obama's election campaign, said:

"The mistake is to try and impose political messages from the top down, whereas the internet – and those successful Obama campaigns –worked from the bottom up.

"It's not just a productionist model where parties control the debate and people obediently do things," he added.

"The internet provides engagement and amplification of what were previously quite small ripples in that pool.""

Courtesy of Jemima Kiss.

Del.ici.us tags: election2010 internet campaign

The Social Network Election – BBC College of Journalism

14 April, 2010 by Einar Thorsen Leave a Comment

The Social Network Election – BBC College of Journalism

Matthew Eltringham, BBC Interactivity Assistant Editor:

"But isn't social networking supposed to be more that just a megaphone and be more about conversation and dialogue? There's plenty of broadcasting going on but just how much engagement is there, beyond the politically obsessed, with real people?

[…]

Beyond the activities of the major parties, there's a mixed picture of just how much people are themselves engaging with the online election.

[…]

Politicians don't always make it easy for themselves – building a successful online relationship takes time and effort. An election campaign is clearly the time when the parties want and need to engage with the electorate and the potential that social media offers them is huge. But social networks are only the means to allow that engagement; it's how the parties and the politicians use them that is the key."

Del.ici.us tags: socialmedia socialnetworking election2010 dialogue mattheweltringham

Testing the election pulse across the country – BBC News

13 April, 2010 by Einar Thorsen Leave a Comment

Testing the election pulse across the country – BBC News

Gavin Esler, Presenter of BBC Town Hall Debates:

"The party leaders will have their say in the televised Thursday TV debates, but most of us will not have the chance to meet a party leader in person or to vote for one directly.

All politics, as the former Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Tip O'Neill, famously observed, is local.

Over the next few weeks, beginning tomorrow, our Town Hall Debates will visit the three constituencies of Bolton West, Stirling, and St Austell and Newquay.

In each place 100 or so local voters – many of them still undecided – will put questions to three or four candidates from the leading parties.

It means we will have a chance to listen to the heartbeat of Britain.

[…]

We do not know what to expect. Nor do the candidates.

That is what makes the debates, and this election, so exciting.

• Town Hall Debates will be aired on the BBC News Channel and BBC website at 1200BST on Tuesday, 13 April."

Del.ici.us tags: election2010 townhall debates television tvdebates bbc gavinesler