- Paperback: 560 pages
- Publisher: Pocket Books; New edition edition (2 Aug 1999)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0671015745
- ISBN-13: 978-0671015749
- Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 13 x 4.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 465,885 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
David Montgomery, newly appointed helmsman of the Mirror Group, wanted to make megabucks with pay TV, just like his mentor Rupert Murdoch. Janet Street Porter, BAFTA award winner, self-appointed Style Queen and 'yoof TV' guru, wanted to be the head of her own TV station. And Kelvin MacKenzie, bawdy, jingoistic philistine and mightily successful editor of The Sun, had a vision of tabloid telly that could make a grown man weep. They each had a dream, bless 'em, and together they launched L!VE TV--described by insiders as "Absolutely Fabulous meets Men Behaving Badly on the set of Drop the Dead Donkey"--on an unsuspecting world.
Horrie and Nathan chart L!VE TV's antics--from its inception as a 24-hour, rolling, "innervitff"-style station fronted by pretty (but untrained) Tellybrats, through to the rapid rise of MacKenzie-vision complete with Cunning Stunts, topless darts and some poor sod (one of the few Proper Journalists at the station) dressed as a fluffy bunny to read the news--with a comic-strip irreverence that pulsates against the backdrop of a vicious, multi-billion pound war between cable and satellite companies.
L!VE TV will tickle in-the-know media bods pink, give nitty-gritty media students a taste of what they may be letting themselves in for, and is a humdinger of a book for anyone who gets their kicks from watching the mighty fall. And businessmen seeking advice on How Not To Do It? look no further.-- Susan Harrison --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
A hilarious tale of greed and vanity in the world of television. When Kelvin MacKenzie, left the editorship of The Sun to set up "Live TV" for the Mirror Group, the stage was set for an explosive clash of egos. For in the other corner stood Janet Street Porter, the queen of trendy television.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Anyone with even the slightest interest in TV will find this behind-the-scenes look at the life (although not the later death) of Live TV a fascinating read. The full low down on the massive technical hurdles and publicity scams is included. If you've read books like "Dished! The Rise and fall of BSB" and "Sky High", this will not disappoint.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I read this book while commuting to work on the tube and, on numerous occasions, I found myself laughinglike a mad person. There are so many funny anecdotes and bizarre events that take place at the struggling station, that you wonder just how they produced any TV programmes at all. It begins by offering a valuable insight into the rise of Yoof (youth) TV in the late eighties. Hands up if you can remember the ground-breaking TV show Network 7 or DEF II ? It then moves on to the launch of Live! TV - the BBC it isn't! The cable station's shoe-string budget meant that shows had to be made on the cheap. Mistakes were frequent and often made on the air. It then details the publicity stunts that were employed to boost the ratings. Who could forget News Bunny! A journalist, dressed up in a rabbit costume, would stand in the background as the news was read out. The Bunny would put his thumbs up when it was happy news, cry when there had been a major disaster, and yawn every time that Bosnia was mentioned!!!! Overall, this book will appeal in a big way to journalists, many of whom will be able to relate to the long hours and the stresses and strains of the job. Students of media should also read it. It gives an interesting view of the future of multi-channel TV. The amusing way it's written makes it also accessible to everyone. It's far less dry than Stick It Up Your Punter, which was also written by Chris Horne. My only complaint is that neither Kelvin MaCkenzie or Janet Street-Porter were actually interviewed by the author. Neither is there any quotes from other Live! TV sources. That said, it's still a great read
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I read this book whilst on my summer holidays and it had me in stitches. Some of the sections decribing the charcters and what they get up to in the bitchy world of journalism are so funny you will want to read them out aloud to your friends. And it's all true! I would suggest to anyone to buy this book - it's one to have on your shelf and go back to as well.
George Jones London September 1999
Most Recent Customer Reviews
How could TV be this bad?
The tale of one little cable channel, it's two big name bosses and it's desperate drive to get viewers, money and something worth watching to put on air. Read more
Published on 21 Dec 2000 by Andrew Bowden
Disappointing
I enjoyed Stick It Up Your Punter, the book Horrie contributed to on The Sun newspaper and hoped this would be more of the same. It isn't. Read more
Published on 1 Jun 2000
A humourous book that you can't put down.
I just could not put this book down once I had picked it up. It is humourous and lets you know about things in television that you think just wouldn't go on.
Published on 11 Sep 1999
Interesting gossip for those involved in television
If you're interested in the politics of TV management then "Live TV" provides a glance at the behind the scenes world of cable television. Read more
Published on 23 Feb 1999
A bawdy exposure of rampant egomaniacs at work.
Chris Horrie's amusing portrayal of The Sun under Kelvin McKenzie (Gotcha! the rise and fall of the Sun) set the standard for humourous accounts of the media at work and play. Read more
Published on 10 Feb 1999
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