New UK Forces TV Channel Launched Today

[CoffmanStarter]

For those interested ... A new television channel all about the UK Armed Forces has been launched today (10th June 2014)

The factual channel, Forces TV, focuses on the work of the armed forces and the world of defence. From today, 10 June, you will be able to watch news, live events, features and documentaries about every aspect of the armed forces including operations, equipment, training, welfare, sport, charity fundraising and forces family life.

You can tune into Forces TV at the following channels:

Sky 299
Virgin 244
Freesat 652

The channel’s primary target audience is the UK forces community, which is estimated at more than 12 million individuals comprising serving personnel, their families and friends, reservists, cadets, veterans and their dependants, and those who work alongside the forces and raise money for their charities.

Produced by the Services Sound and Vision Corporation (SSVC), the independent charity that runs the British Forces Broadcasting Service for UK military personnel and their families, the channel will also be supported by Sky and the BBC through the provision of their content.

MOD Press Release ...

MOD Press Release : UK Forces TV (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/forces-tv)

PS. However ... There doesn't appear to be a Live Stream via the internet as yet.

[Jollygreengiant64]

Is there anything left to watch?

[Wensleydale]

"Is there anything left to watch?

Repeats of Scragtag and Toddles from the kids SSVC programmes of the 1980s?

[Stuff]

After a retune I can now pick the channel up on FreeSat, however, they seem to be having issues as the current piece on the Hero Ride cycling challenge only has sound in every other clip they show.

[MPN11]

Just selected, it works ... Which is a start. Might make a change from the other Sky Military Channels which endlessly repeat how great the M1A1/M-16/CVN/F/18 is, and how the US won both World Wars :cool:

[Courtney Mil]

Just tried it and it works in France. First thing I saw was that idiot Milliband telling me what a great initiative Forces TV is. I have to go and pour another glass of wine!

[westernhero]

Just noticed this thread, switched it on and lo and behold a 50ish reporter standing at Fairford underneath a very familiar tail, as he walks down the side he speaks.....' the B-52......... It carried Britains nuclear weapon through the 1960s'........ words fail me, if this was the BBC you would expect such tripe, but Forces TV. ?

:ugh:

Milo

[Warmtoast]

Turned it on to have a look and caught Peter Gibbs with weather forecasts for Suffield (Canada), Ascension and Mount Pleasant, so I suppose there are potential viewers in those locations.

[just another jocky]

Another Sid Sausage Video Club production.

Can't wait.

[BEagle]

westernhero, I agree that the B-52 segment was pretty poor. The interviewer didn't seem to have much idea about what to ask; the USAF crew members were polite and tolerant of his weak questions, but overall what should have been an interesting item was rather a waste of air time.

However, everything else which I saw on the channel looked pretty good. A shame it couldn't oust some of the shopping channel rubbish from Freeview though.

Considerably better than AFN, that's for sure!

[diginagain]

I wonder if we'll see any of Princess Productions output - such as their brilliant idea of flying family-members and new-born children out to Afghanistan as a surprise treat? Perhaps Clare Macnaughton could reprise her popular 'A Modern Military Mother' for a new audience?

[Martin the Martian]

I thought I'd misheard the Britain's nuclear weapon comment. Dear oh dear.

[Jollygreengiant64]

I've had a proper gander at it today. I'm curious, are any of these presenters ex-forces?

It just seems a bit weak to build another minor news channel, in this case regarding the military, without actually using people who 'were there'. Are these just another bunch of outsiders looking in? Seems a waste to pay people in the PR side of the forces a salary and then employ civilians at x times the amount for an Armed Forces TV channel... Plenty of people inside that could do, and would do, the job, and the savings could be put toward making some interesting documentaries and such.

Of course I could be wrong and all of the staff are volunteers doing it out of the goodness of their littul 'arts.

Cynical? Mois?:E

[westernhero]

Beagle,

Sorry for the rant, it probably needs a longer look at to see how good ? it is.
I was having my usual nightly wind down reading the IPad when i came across the announcement about said channel, being a up and at em kind of guy i bravely grabbed the telly remote from the current Mrs Hero, stuck it on and lo ! a very familiar tail appears with some media chappie starting to give it his best......which was that it ( the B-52 ) carried the British Nuclear bomb....:mad:
My immediate joy on finding a new channel not full of BBC left wing drivel turned to ash in my mouth that these people could say something so stupid and so easily check able, having the twerp say it in front of the (very good ) aircrew, well.....:yuk:
I will give it another chance, i hope the brains behind it are looking on here to get some informed feedback, so far its 'must do better'

all the best

milo

[tyne]

I wonder if the B52 comment was a slip of the tongue. The reporter was Geoff Meade former Defence Journo at Sky. I have met him a few times and he seemed then to know his stuff. A very odd thing to say as he would know better.

I am a civvy and a journo, who used to work very closely with the military, including SIMPRESS stuff.

This channel is at best amateurish.

The main woman newsreader has a very annoying way of breathing in. A sharp rasping intake of breath. As a broadcaster I know that is not the way to do it. I wonder if the Mic or processing is set up wrong. Either way it shouldn't happen.

Last night they screwed something up, the wrong pictures went out. Clearly a recorded bully because the mistake, and her apology was repeated. To make a boob is one thing, but to record it and re-broadcast it is really really ****. There is no excuse.

The reporter ouside the high court kept waving her hands around. Again just bloody amateurish.

None of the on-air team sounded or appeared good enough to be on mainstream national telly (Apart from Mr Meade)

The content wasn't at all bad though. A nice feature on a dog with a sore tooth, one on Lusty, military rowing teams.

A very small target audience though and I wonder how nice they have to be to the MOD. Would the access get harder if they started a debate about defence cuts, got Alan West in to have his say, interviewed some hippies outside Faslane, got a stroppy anti RAF farmer on about low flying etc?

[diginagain]

Such a shame that the NAAFI is folding - they could have used those quiet hours after midnight to try to flog over-priced, out-of-date tat.

[FlapJackMuncher]

Always looked forward to predicted levanter cloud at Gibraltar via the BFBS weather.
Also, any map with the words/instructions 'Mount Alice' gets my vote.

[Wensleydale]

Alice can be quite a nasty complaint - Christopher Robin went down with it you know.

[Fareastdriver]

The Peoples Liberation Army have had a national TV channel for decades. There is the usual historic 'documentaries' where our hero's are throwing themselves against the Japanese or Chiang Kai Shek's lot but there is a lot of interesting stuff on there about their latest bits of kit.

A lot of there training videos are on to train new conscripts so you can learn how to strip and reassemble an assault rifle.

They really know how to select their presenters. There are some stunning uniformed dollies that do the talking. It's worth watching just to see the program introductions.

[P6 Driver]

I thought that the first part of the 3 PARA documentary covering their recent excersise in Kenya a couple of days ago was quite good. Well filmed, nothing over dramatic and very watchable. Probably not good enough for some of the "glass half empty" types on here though...:ugh:

Give it a watch - you never know, you might be surprised.