ITV’s response to This Morning and Kelvin McKenzie

LAST night we sent an email to some of ITV’s communication and press people giving them an opportunity to give their explanations for using Kelvin MacKenzie as a regular participant on ITV’s This Morning programme. Having had no response a few hours later we put the email on this site.

The article received enough attention and interest that it crashed this webserver a number of times, it was copied onto other sites and was linked to by some of the more famous users of social networks.

In short, a lot of people read it.

We received a reply from ITV today, almost exactly 24 hours later. It was the same reply they sent to anyone else who complained or raised the issue with them. It was the same reply, by the looks of it, that they always use when someone complains to them or asks them why they use this man on their show.

(It still remains a mystery as to why exactly they feel the need to use him anyway. Perhaps ITV’s target audience for daytime TV is made up of ignorant out of touch individuals who are spending their retirement talking down to people. Not that we’d expect Sir Oliver Popplewell to admit to watching it.)

The reply is below; needless to say we’ve emailed other senior members of the ITV organisation explaining further why this stock reply is unacceptable and insulting, not to mention ignorant. If we receive a reply from any of them we’ll report back.


From: Large, Mike
To: Jim Boardman
cc: “Fagan, Mary” , “Cook, Caroline ( nee Heap )”

Date: Wed, Oct 19, 2011 at 3:37 PM

Subject: RE: ITV’s contempt to the bereaved families and survivors of Hillsborough

Dear Mr Boardman,

Please see the following response to your email from This Morning editor, Adam Vandermark.

Best regards

Mike Large

Thank you for your comments.

Kelvin MacKenzie is one of a number of commentators featured on This Morning whose views can provoke a wide range of opinions.

We recognise that the Hillsborough tragedy remains a sensitive and emotive issue for many. Our sympathies are with the families of the victims and all of those who continue to be affected by the tragedy and we would always keep that in mind should Mr Mackenzie be asked to comment on any issues surrounding it.

Thank you for taking the time to raise your concerns with us.

Mike Large
Director of Communications
Corporate Affairs
ITV plc
The London Television Centre, Upper Ground
London
SE1 9LT

19 comments

  • Smile LFC

    hmm was that it???!!

  • Paul Mckenzie-Jones

    Well, that’s a bullsh*t answer isn’t. Maybe it needs a campaign similar to the one done against Steve Cohen over here. Email all advertisers who sponsor the show threatening a boycott similar to the S** unless they convince This Morning to dispense of Mckenzie’s services.

    Good job on sending them the letter in the first place by the way.

  • David Aris-Sutton

    Perhaps we should send them generic complaints, couple of hundred thousand should do it. If they receive enough then surely the regulator would have to get involved?

  • Paul Murray

    What a load of balls!

  • itv’s programmes are aimed at pond life, which sums that rat mackenzie up perfectly. he’s pure scum. could you please leave an email address so i could complain about this walking turd.

    JFT 96 YNWA

  • Peter

    What a side stepping answer. Better to target their sponsors. That will see a change in their actions. He will be gone straight away.
    Target the show’s sponsors.

  • Mike Hughes

    Sounds to me like Mike large has not got a clue what role kelvin mackenzie played in the hillsborough tragedy, which goes to show he is an ignorant imbecile.
    Terrestrial channel of the year my arse

  • Mike

    These people are out of sync and of no value. If this is where this paria has landed then its next stop jeremy kyle.
    Keep the pressure on the MP’s.
    Mike
    JFT96 (EFC)

  • Maybe it needs a campaign on their sponsors, try and hit them were it hurts the most, in the pocket.

  • Pete Browne

    It does need a concerted campaign to get rid of this useless piece of crap. It needs somebody like “Spirit of Shankly” to organise it. If they can get rid of the Cowboys from Anfield they are obviously able to use their expertise to bombard the media and ITV in particular to jettison this piece of excrement. The american banks soon dropped H & G when they found a thousand emails clogging up their mailbox EVERY DAY !
    Unfortunately I do not know anybody from this organisation.

  • Adrian

    Right then Dolmio are the people that sponsor This morning and they are owned by Mars. WE can now get a petition to boycott Mars Foods

  • Joe

    Total ignorance. How they can still use this disgusting prat on national tele is beyond me.

  • Tony

    I feel a viral internet campaign coming on???, remember H+G…….lets go after this dog!!!!!!

  • Shahed Molvi

    This company owns Nivea which has a two year sponsorship deal with This Morning

    Beiersdorf UK Ltd.
    2010 Solihull Parkway
    The Birmingham Business Park
    B37 7YS Birmingham
    United Kingdom
    +44-121-329-8800
    +44-121-329-8801

  • Bill Baker

    Kelvin MacKenzie should not be allowed to live in this country, never mind work here. He is disgrace to the human race and has feelings only for himself. The RAT

  • Raymond

    McKenzie is a rancid piece of vermin but in reality, what did anyone expect ITV to say? We at ITV understand that Kelvin McKenzie is a lying, bent c*** and fully agree with everyone that he shouldn’t be on our channel. We cannot explain why he was and he will be taken to the gallows for hanging immediately? Come on, people. Complain yes but be realistic in your expectations when complaining to a media conglomerate who’s sole existence is to ‘get’ viewers and will do whatever it takes and use whoever it can to indeed ‘get’ those viewers. We are complaining now about someones response to a complaint.

    F*** McKenzie and all he stands for.

    JFT96

  • Tim

    Could you post Mr Large’s email address so that other like minded individuals could make their feelings known?