Breeding ground for news bunnies

Docklands, L!VE TV is kicking its way into the nation's consciousness with plenty of rabbit, as Lucy Adamson discovers

CONSTRUCTION on the set of L!VE TV's new sports quiz programme, A Game of Two Scarves, had to be temporarily halted as the noise could be heard next door during a news transmission. It's this sort of madness which characterises the cable channel's anarchic approach to television.

The channel has not exactly been revered in media circles. Guardian critic Adam Sweeting said: ''There's more intellectual stimulation printed on the paper napkins at Burger King. Can British TV sink any lower than this?'' With the deregulation of television and the looming digital liberation of bandwidth resulting in a proliferation of channels, our small screens will eventually play host to potentially hundreds of new stations.

There is not the revenue for another BBC, and Channel 5 may resemble an extra independent television station, but what about channel 6, 7, or 80? L!VE provides a distinctive brand of television. Founder of the BBC, Lord John Reith, may well be turning in his grave as his ''educate, entertain and inform'' ethos is rejected in favour of programmes such as Topless Darts on Ice, Psychic Pets, and the Weather in Norwegian. Oh yes, and the news is accompanied by a rabbit, called by no other name than News Bunny.

Broadcasters may be grimacing but L!VE is here to stay and its charismatic and often controversial boss, ex-editor of the Sun, Kelvin MacKenzie, is constantly hovering around the production floor to make sure.

L!VE TV started broadcasting in June 1995 and produces in-house programming. Under the banner of City TV, US-style affiliates around the country in cities such as Birmingham, Liverpool, and most recently Edinburgh, provide half-hourly news bulletins for local audiences. Glasgow is due to receive its own station by the end of this year.

The London headquarters is based on the 24th floor of a tower in the heart of Canary Wharf. The walls are painted garish pink with space-like metal decor protruding from the ceilings and walls. Employing more than 200 people, the open-plan office is a hub of activity. The enthusiasm is infectious. The average age appears to be around 25 which includes producers to researchers to the lowest rung - those on work experience.

It is perhaps the reliance on these unofficial members of staff that has caused the most consternation among industry watchdogs. In a shift away from focusing on the quality of programming, attacks are currently levelled at employment procedures.

It is perhaps now widely acknowledged that several broadcasting companies rely heavily on people working for free. Sometimes a question of ''watching and learning'' and other times cheap labour, it's a controversial issue which seems to have been unfairly levelled at L!VE. Last year, the station placed an advert in the quality press looking for five people to take part on their new MBA programme. ''Come and work for free,'' said the critics.

Dominic Geraghty, 27, was one of the students chosen. At L!VE for around six months, he defends the station.

''For me, it's been very useful. The technical experience on the course has been invaluable. The problem is - what is the course about and what jobs will there be at the end of it?''

Geraghty worked as a casting agent before starting at L!VE, but some of the ''students'' are ex-accountants and lawyers and the feeling is they've given up money to be there and expect something for literally nothing. ''It's like being in limbo,'' says Geraghty, ''We've been kind of half-trained and used as guinea pigs. We had some interesting talks from the senior management. One guy said that we'd all fitted in and they were now going to give us some jobs and then Kelvin (MacKenzie) came in and told us we were cheap labour and we all thought, hang on. This is not what the advert said.''

Despite this, the consensus of opinion is that the experience is worthwhile and one way to break into an industry which is flooded with hopeful applicants throughout the year. Many people who start at L!VE, entered through work experience and current employment salaries differ little from BBC and ITV payments.

John Dower, 25, moved to London from Glasgow after gaining a postgraduate diploma in journalism at Caledonian University in Glasgow. Initially working as a researcher for a relatively low wage, after six months he was offered a staff position and a pay rise. He says: ''Although you come in as a researcher,you

do everything from researching to producing, without a producer's pay, but you get a lot of responsibility. I worked on a show called Wish you lived here, all about expensive houses. It was quite ironic because I had nowhere to live at the time. It was just me working on it.''

The turnover rate of programming is fast. A series can last from anything to six weeks to six months. ''You work on so many programmes, it's very exciting,'' Dower says, ''I did some experience at Channel 4 News - I came here with a snobbish attitude and thought this was all beneath me. I thought it was fluff. But so what? It's entertaining.

''The opportunities we get here are great. We often have to beg, borrow, and steal for a lot of the programmes. We really have to prostitute ourselves to get props. But if you're having to make programmes from the bottom of the heap with limited resources then you can go and do it anywhere.''

Although the station is often vilified, it also fascinates. Dower says: ''A girl from here went to the BBC for a interview recently and all they asked her was how do L!VE do this, how do they do that, how do they make those programmes for so little money?''

The union BECTU have expressed concern at the extent employers use those on work experience. They agree L!VE have been unfairly criticised for perhaps only being open about their work experience policy.

A spokeswoman says: ''Television is the most powerful cultural phenomenon. It is a way the country can discuss issues and talk to itself in a way. We are concerned that people are being asked to work for free. L!VE are not the only ones to encourage this. What kind of example does this practice set in the industry? The problem is that casualisation has led to the disappearance of traditional ways of becoming skilled.''

L!VE often find their staff head-hunted from other organisations. Twenty-one-year-old Richard Bacon has joined the presenting team at Blue Peter after getting his first break at L!VE and Rhodri Williams is joining Channel 5 two days a week to present Friends on Five.

Williams worked in television for four years before joining L!VE, previously working for BBC Wales and S4C. He says: ''L!VE TV has been great for me. I strive to be different and L!VE TV are very good at that.''

So it seems while many are quick to criticise, they are also willing to employ those who work there.

The rate of career progression is fast. The shift from researcher to producer can take a relatively short time compared to other training structures. Misha Manson-Smith, 24, from Glasgow, works at L!VE as an editor.

Dropping out of Glasgow University after two years, he worked at various independent production companies, before joining L!VE on work experience. He then began work in the library and reached a point which he believes was crucial to his position.

He says: ''I wasn't prepared to do work experience any more. I wasn't sure how to play it really.''

In his spare time he would practise in the editing suites, gaining enough

experience to ask for a job. He worked his way up to be one of the top editors and is hoping to start the diploma course at the National Film and Television School.

The light-hearted style of programmes adds to the youthful feel of the channel. Dower adds: ''There's a lot of snobbery about L!VE. People call it Fisher Price television, but there were thousands of phone calls when they stopped Spanish Archer.''

Spanish Archer was a light entertainment programme formerly presented by Williams, where the public were invited to participate in a talent show. They are applauded by the audience or booted off by a giant elbow.

Williams looks every inch the professional broadcaster when I meet him, dressed smartly and behaving perfectly, so its quite a shock when I watch programmes of him leaping around a set dressed like Robin Hood.

He adds: ''I work as a freelance and was at St James' Park covering Kenny Dalgleish's first match as Newcastle manager when these two guys came up to me and said: 'You're the Spanish Archer'. It was embarrassing but great to know your audience is there.''

L!VE are often criticised for using so many shows with Joe Public as the participants, but as Dower points out, everyone wants their 15 minutes of fame and they are only too happy to accommodate their viewers.

Ashley Hames, 26, perhaps overstepped the line of duty when as the original News Bunny, he decided L!VE weren't getting enough coverage at the Tamworth by-election last April. Changing his name to ''News Bunny'', he stood for election and campaigned in the streets. He was arrested for obstructing a local highway. Nevertheless, he got 85 votes.

The News Bunny is the barometer of public opinion. Standing behind the newsreader, bunny gives a physical reaction to the day's events. If a British football team wins an international match, that would qualify for a thumbs- up. If house prices were falling, that would merit a thumbs-down. It is possible for the News Bunny to fluctuate, depending on the mood of the nation.

L!VE is a way of life for its employees. A high proportion of intake consists of graduates eager to break into television. Willing to take a critical approach towards their work, they retain a philosophical approach to the content of the programmes and relish the opportunity to create them, getting to see their ideas on screen. A degree of failure is compensated for, which nurtures creativity sometimes stifled by larger companies.

For the politically correct, stay away. The sights are often too much to bear and L!VE arguably constitutes perfect fodder for the zapping viewer who flicks incessantly from one screen to another in search of instant gratification. Perhaps throwaway TV, but the training opportunities provided are being used and perhaps abused by other companies willing to reduce their own training programmes and employ people from places such as the channel everyone loves to hate.