More hassle over at the Beeb as more and more naughty fake competitions and phone votes come to light - leading to one radio chief to resign and necessitating the purchase of another cat for Blue Peter.
Among the various interactive features rigged by BBC producers was a phone vote to pick a name for the new Blue Peter cat. The viewers voted for the cat to be called Cookie but, for reasons best known to the BBC bigwigs, producers decided to overrule the vote and name their new cat Socks. Now that the cat naming scandal has been revealed the Beeb have brought in another cat to be named Cookie. Presumably Socks himself overruled suggestions he simply change his name.
Elsewhere two further instances of made up competition winners have materialised over at BBC 6Music, who had already fired one producer after a phone in feature on the Liz Kershaw show featured staff members not listeners. The fall out there has led to the resignation of the station's Head Of Programmes, Ric Blaxill, whose departure is the most high profile fallout at the BBC from the whole rigged phone in debacle so far.
Admitting the latest round of rigging, BBC DG Mark Thompson said yesterday: "I would like to repeat my apology to viewers and listeners who were misled by these editorial lapses. Although these lapses amount to tens of hours across one million hours of broadcasting, the BBC's standards must be as high in small-scale competitions as they are in the most major news story".
Of course, most competitions were pulled off the BBC when all these accusations of fake phone ins started to surface, but they will return this Autumn, with new stricter rules for producers in how they should be run set to be introduced and enforced.
Of course all the blathering at the Beeb over rigged phone ins followed revelations that most broadcasters had been pretty slack in the way they ran audience interaction services, many encouraging viewers and listeners to phone premium rate phone lines for votes or competitions that were actually closed.
One of the worst offenders was GMTV which is now expected to be fined £2.7 million by media regulator OfCom for all its dodgy phone ins. The ITV breakfast franchise has just announced it has promoted Sales And Marketing Director Clive Crouch to the role of Acting Chief Operating Officer - he will be charged with the task of restoring calm at the company following the whole phone in scandal, which led to the resignation of Managing Director Paul Corley and Controller Of Enterprises Kate Fleming earlier this year.