Business News


Statue removal ‘poetic justice’


An author and social commentator has labelled the removal of a statue of a Bristol slave trader as ‘poetic justice’. Joan Blaney, who was one of the


founders of Birmingham-based Ladies Fighting Breast Cancer in Birmingham, made the comment in her capacity as UK columnist for the Detroit-based Pulse Institute, which describes itself as ‘America’s anti-poverty voice’. Ms Blaney contributes columns


to Pulse about the socioeconomic challenges facing Britain’s black community, and devoted one of these articles to the demonstrations in Bristol which saw the statue of the slave trader, Edward Colston, dumped in the city’s harbour. Colston, who lived in the 17th


century, was a member of the Royal African Company, which had a monopoly on the slave trade. After the Colston statue was


ripped from its podium and thrown in the harbour, Ms Blaney said: “I spoke with a young woman, Jade


Smith-Brown, who said: ‘The images that I observed on Sunday evening of the toppling of Edward Colston, in Bristol, made me cheer with glee. “ ‘Some proud Britons may find


this upsetting, but their shameful history is personified in statues of men like Colston. Let his memory rest in the waters of the world, like so many of the lives of our ancestors.’ “What happened in Bristol


during demonstrations to defend black humanity and remember the life of George Floyd, was nothing more than poetic justice. “Think about it. A city that built


its wealth on the slave trade saw one of its men who contributed to that cruel institution dumped into the river like a common criminal just like how our ancestors were discarded during the Middle Passage.” Ms Blaney added that the slave


trade was a major factor in the transformation of Britain, and although slavery was abolished in


Joan Blaney


1833, the government of the day agreed to pay compensation to the traders for their losses. This was done via loan, not


repaid until five years ago, and Ms Blaney said this meant that descendants of those enslaved had contributed to the repayment of a debt ‘that had put their own ancestors into bondage’. She added: “Demands for justice


will not always be achieved through the democratic process. “For this reason, the demolition of Colston’s statue should be seen


as a time for honest and open discussions about Britain’s brutal history of 300 years ago. “This moment must be viewed as


a time for atonement and visible changes that will lead to the lives of black people being respected and valued. This is the time for us to rise to the moral force of this moment.” Ms Blaney has worked on many


issues while in Birmingham, including a project with West Midlands mayor Andy Street on knife crime.


BAME TV companies facing financial ruin


A third of television production companies led by people from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds are facing serious financial hardship because of the pandemic, new research has claimed. A study carried out by Birmingham City University’s Sir Lenny Henry


Centre for Media Diversity assessed the impact of Covid-19 on 20 independent companies based in the UK which are have BAME leadership. It showed that two out of three of these organisations were losing money or commissions as a result of the virus, with 29 per cent of businesses saying they were either in ‘financial distress’ or ‘financial crisis’. The organisations surveyed were also found to be unlikely to have


applied for financial support from the Government and said that they would like to see ring-fenced funding for BAME-led independents to help them recover from the effects of Covid-19. Other findings from the report found that half of the organisations surveyed (48 per cent) were worse off as a result of the pandemic, and few


had been able to access funding, either from the Government of their own industry. The research categorised a company as being BAME-led where it had a


CEO, MD or other senior leaders from a BAME background. Marcus Ryder, journalist and visiting professor at Birmingham City


University’s Sir Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity, said: "BAME-led indies must be at the centre of any policies devised by broadcasters and the government to help them survive an unprecedented global pandemic. “We believe this report is important in demonstrating why that's


necessary.” The pandemic and growth of the Black Lives Matter Movement has


shone a light on equality and representation across a number of sectors, including the media, according to the university, which added: “This is clearly a sector that wants and needs targeted financial support for BAME- led indies.”


Games host broadcaster is announced


World-leading sports broadcast production company Sunset+Vine has been appointed as host broadcaster for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. The agreement includes a full-service


delivery of every aspect of the Games, including more sports coverage than any previous Commonwealth Games. Over the 11 days of spectacular sporting


action, Sunset+Vine will be responsible for filming live coverage of 19 sports, capturing up to 2,000 hours of sporting action and delivering that footage to a global audience of more than 1.5 billion. Sunset+Vine will also


22 CHAMBERLINK August/September 2020


capture footage of the highly anticipated opening and closing ceremonies, as well as producing additional feature content about the history of Birmingham and the Games. The full-service media agency has a wealth


of experience producing award-winning coverage of high-profile sporting events including the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast in 2018 and Glasgow in 2014, the London 2012 and Rio Paralympics, and the 2017 World Athletics Championships in London. In addition to its broadcast services,


Sunset+Vine is committed to launching a Host Broadcast Training Initiative (HBTI) in the West


Midlands, designed to push boundaries by addressing the lack of diversity in the creative sector. Ian Reid, chief executive officer of Birmingham 2022, said: “Sunset + Vine is internationally renowned for delivering award- winning coverage of the biggest sporting events in the world. Working with them guarantees that more coverage of Birmingham 2022 will be made available than any other Commonwealth Games, putting the West Midlands firmly on the global stage and delivering an unforgettable experience for fans.”


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