An Open Letter to Greg Dyke, Director-General of the BBC




Mr. Dyke,

Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Larry Jaffee, the publisher of the quarterly EastEnders newspaper out of New York dubbed the Walford Gazette (online at https://wgazette.com). Hopefully, you have heard of it already in that the newspaper is nearly 12 years old, and is published with permission from the BBC in New York. I am in London through 20 October and would very much like the opportunity to meet in person. My mobile phone number is .

I am writing to shed some light on BBC America's cancellation of EastEnders in hopes of you understanding why the ratings were low--the cause for the cancellation, according to BBC America. Simply put, BBC America has never given the programme any kind of significant promotional push. By its own admission, the only spots it had ever run for EastEnders occured in January and February. That said, how would the ratings ever have a chance to increase in the past six months?

Here's some historical background. The show debuted in the U.S. in early 1988 on public TV stations. Currently 16 stations broadcast EastEnders, although the episodes are 4 years old. The episodes that were aired on BBC America, which began 5 years ago, were 2 weeks behind the UK storylines.

BBC America's assertion that 'EastEnders doesn't resonate across the Atlantic' is disingenous because it doesn't take into account that the programme has been on for 15 years in the States, and these public stations in such areas as New York, Washington DC, Miami, Houston, Minneapolis and Seattle currently would not continue to air the series EE if it weren't for a loyal viewership that contributes financially an annual contribution of $50-$100 expressly for EastEnders.

I conceived the 'Gazette' as a gift that the stations could give back to the viewers. They pay me only $6-$10 for a 4-issue annual subscription. In any case, my newspaper has raised net revenue of $500,000 over the past decade in Fargo, North Dakota (along the Canadian border). That station, known as Prairie Public Television, has ordered 600-900 suibscriptions for its fans on an annual basis.

It seems to me that BBC America failed to recognise the cross-promotional opportunity with these public TV stations. BBC America also appears to be devoid of any creativity when it comes to the ongoings of Albert Square.

For example, when Steve McFadden appeared on a BBC America presentation of a Murder In Mind did it occur to anyone that 'hey, EastEnders' biggest star is Steve McFadden,' and then show an EE clip and announce the time the series in while also promoting Murder in Mind. No, they hadn't. More recently, it missed an opportunity to mention that two of the current EastEnders castmembers from the Ferreira family also co-starred in Bend It Like Beckham--a hit film on both sides of the Atlantic and which was just released on video in the U.S..

Never once was EastEnders ever mentioned in the weekly emails that go out to the press announcing programming highlights. It seems to me that would be a natural opportunity to call attention to the numerous awards EastEnders receives year-round in Britain.

I don't know if you've heard, but in 6 days more than 10,000 EE fans signed an online petition to out the show back on BBC America. That demonstrates the groundswell of U.S. viewer support for the programme.

Please let me also point that I have promoted in the Walford Gazette some of the other series that BBC America airs, including Coupling, The Office (my favourite comedy), Manchild, Monarch of the Glen, even The League of Gentlemen, et al, to name a few.

Another issue to keep in mind is the possible inaccuracy of the ratings. The Wall Street Journal 2 weeks ago ran an article about Nielsen's inability to accurately provide demographic data for niche digital cable services' audiences. One would think BBC America could easily fall into this category.

A U.S.-based advertiser on BBC America, British import grocer Goodwoods, has announced its plan to pull its commercials from the network in a show of solidarity with EastEnders fans, who are cancelling their subscriptions en masse to digital cable and satellite services, to which they subscribed mainly for EE. These actions will eventually affect BBC America's distribution when the likes of DirecTV, Comcast and Time Warner will decide that perhaps carriage of BBC America on its lineup is perhaps not worth the trouble. In addition, it will eventually impact the coffers of the BBC as a whole.

I am an Anglophile, and also an advocate for EastEnders, as well as admittd possess a vested interest in seeing EastEnders succeed in the U.S. I also feel like I am an unpaid marketing director for BBC America. Nevertheless, I have the utmost respect for the BBC and its traditions of providing diversity (just as American public TV does).

If you have read this far along, I think you'll agree that EastEnders might not have been given a decent chance of succeeding on BBC America.

The reason I am writing to you is because Rupert Gavin, of BBC Worldwide, apparently will not see me--nor will any other executive from 80 Wood Lane. By the way, BBC Worldwide has rented my database of 7,100 subscribers to Walford Gazette for mailings of its U.S. video catalog, and in every issue I provide at no charge a full-page ad to BBC Shop.

I have long asked BBC Worldwide's licensing department to make available EastEnders t-shirts, something that only my readers but also the public TV stations have long sought-- and my request has fell on deaf ears. Meanwhile, I have sold aproximately 6,000 of the various BBC-published EE books and magazines that have been available over the years.

Please let me also note that I have been a professional journalist for 23 years, and was regularly published by The New York Times at the age of 23. Today I edit a business magazine on CD/DVD production called Medialine (http://www.medialinenews.com), which is owned by a British company United Business Media.

Could you please consider all that I'm telling you herein, and make it happen (ie, give EastEnders another chance)? Again, my mobile if you can fit me in your schedule this week. Thank you for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely yours,

Larry Jaffee Editor & Publisher, Walford Gazette



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