No Rock And Roll Fun

IT'S THE CHART SHOW... OH, NO IT ISN'T: There's another show being flung into the frankly over-crowded Top 40 TV arena, this time by Channel 4, who are turning the Hit40UK (or what used to be the Pepsi Chart) into a TV show. We're not sure why they're bothering, to be frank; it's funny that everyone will tell you how Top of the Pops is a failing programme, and yet the sheer number of competitors and copyist launched at it would seem to suggest otherwise. The Hot40UK (hot aouk?) will be slipped into a Saturday morning slot on Channel 4 where they can find room between the racing news and re-runs of Cheers, and will, of course, use the chart from local radio. Rob Cortlett, the man charged with trying to spark some interest in a listing made from the not-entirely-secure mix of sales, airplay and "interactive voting", is excited, even if nobody else is:

"A lot of the success of music properties is through getting really good access to the biggest artists. It builds our audience and helps them sell product. Hit40UK can now, through one production session with Somethin' Else, offer the music industry the biggest radio audience, a huge TV audience and a massive music website."

Oh, good. So it's basically a big, glorified advertisement portal, is it? Well, I can't wait.