An Open Letter to Paul Lee, BBC America


Dear Mr. Lee:

I know this letter is long overdue, and I apologize for not trying to reach you firsthand long ago. In fact, you were interviewed by former business partner, Dan Abramson, for his publication British Television magazine at about the time BBC America was first launching over three years ago. Dan, by the way, died two years ago.

One thing that Dan and I shared was for a passion for great British television of all types. We met through our appreciation of EastEnders and launched the Walford Gazette with permission from BBC Worldwide over 10 years ago.

Representing something of a constituency of thousands of EastEnders fans, I feel it's necessary for me to establish a firsthand communication with you about what we perceive is a very tenuous state for our favorite show. Not to sound ungrateful, we were very pleased when BBC America in August rethought its July announcement that it was dropping the weekend airing of EastEnders.

But what has transpired since that Aug. 9 announcement is very discouraging. We've seen little evidence that BBC America has done anything to promote EastEnders to the channel's viewers in other timeslots. EastEnders fans obviously knew that the time had changed. In order to grow the EastEnders audience, which I presume is the network's goal, it's imperative to start piquing the interest of viewers who tune into BBC America's drama and comedy programming throughout the week.

What's in order, if you asked me, is to give your viewership a taste of the rich tapestry of emotions and personalities that populate EastEnders. You effectively did this with Monarch of the Glen. If you're serious about preserving EastEnders on your schedule anything less is inexplicable. I hate to say it, but the channel's actions suggest that how BBC America regards EastEnders is akin to an unwanted stepchild that you've somehow inherited, but would love to disown given the chance.

This attitude totally ignores that EastEnders is the BBC's crown jewel-ratings-wise-in the U.K. I always thought that BBC America's mission was to present the Best of British.

Americans have demonstrated for the past 14 years an appreciation for EastEnders and also financially supported the public television stations that have aired it. For your information, Prairie Public Television of Fargo, North Dakota, has ordered for the past 10 years annually between 600 and 900 subscriptions to the Walford Gazette as a premium incentive in exchange for financial contributions from viewers.

You yourself recognized in a January 2000 press release that "EastEnders has become a phenomenon on both sides of the Atlantic." The occasion was EastEnders 15th anniversary, for which fans were invited to cast their votes for their favorite episodes. May I be bold enough to suggest that it was the last time the network ever proactively promoted EastEnders in a positive sense, as opposed to the damage control of this past summer.

I similarly do not understand how EastEnders was selected last November as the first program to be chosen for a new video-on-demand service, if it's obviosuly not a priority otherwise. As observe in the press release, "many avid fans in the U.S. are keen to watch the show as soon as possible." There are many fans who believe what you mean by this is that ultimately BBC America is planning to force viewers to pay for EastEnders, and that would be the only way for them to see it. I would appreciate if you would set the record straight in this respect.

After you reversed the decision to not have a weekend showing of EastEnders, with the good news came the threat that if ratings did not pick up it would be removed totally from the schedule. Without promoting it regularly during other shows, I think you'll agree that BBC America is basically setting EastEnders up for failure. I realize an ad campaign ikn other media is out of the question. But in the channel's monthly highlights, EastEnders is never mentioned, therefore there's little chance for any media coverage of the show. It's obviously not a priority and I don't understand why. We're talking about a series that consistently sweeps U.K. television award competitions. That should be a good enough reason to try to get some attention for EastEnders, instead of marginalizing it.

EastEnders fans can't help being envious of the constant promo spots the network devotes to So Graham Norton, Manchild, Ground Force and Changing Rooms. And don't get me wrong, I have nothing against those shows and, in fact, have helped promote them in the pages of the Walford Gazette. But is it so much to ask for to get a fraction of the promotional support for EastEnders that you afford to other shows?

Sorry if all this comes across as heavy-handed, and granted I have a vested interest in seeing EastEnders succeed. But so do you. I would like to discuss matter this on the telephone, and hope this can be the beginning of a continuing dialogue to help BBC America be successful in its endeavors. Thank you for our time, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely yours,

Larry Jaffee Publisher, Walford Gazette




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