Save The Hour's National Literacy Trust PROMOTIONAL POST

Hello all!  It's time once again for an update on our fundraiser!  

We are still holding at 42% after a few days, and while this is pretty great for the short time ago our page went live, we could really use more promotion outside of Tumblr.  Many of the fans of the show are not on this site.  It's been wonderful to see people continuously reblogging and asking people to take part, but now maybe we should reach outside the scope of Tumblr and Facebook.  

The possibility for wider reach could REALLY be stepped up by increasing our presence on TWITTER.  This is where the "important" people are easier to get in touch with!

One of the best options for promotion at this point might be to tweet the link to the fundraiser on Twitter and ask for retweets, etc.,  (Our page is http://www.justgiving.com/savethehour) especially to journalists (those that wrote reviews for The Hour would be great), news outlets, and maybe some celeb fans such as Caitlin Moran, etc?  

These should be a good starting point:  (click the names for links)

• The Guardian (did an interview with Ben mentioning The Hour’s cancellation)  
• The Telegraph (mentioned Ben's interview about the cancellation)
• Radio Times 
• Digital Spy
• TV Guide's Matt Roush (wrote a glowing review of S2 in the U.S.)
• Andrew Romano of Newsweek (wrote a glowing review of Series Two in the U.S.)
• DenofGeek (just wrote an article about The Hour needing a third series)
• David Lister (just wrote a piece for the Independent about how the BBC needs to reconsider cancellation)
• Vulture (reported on Abi's plans for a Series Three)
• Caitlin Moran (huge fan of the show)

Lisa Greenwood (SIssy) and Oona Chaplin (Marnie), and KudosTV would be worth tweeting as well!  Signal boosts and getting awareness out there is something we could really use for the campaign, given that we are certainly not reaching everyone that might be interested in giving at this moment through reblogs and Facebook updates alone.  

The more people that help to do this, the more people we can reach.  To build a presence and more importantly, gain attention, we need everyone.  So as always campaigners, your help and participation would be much appreciated!

Also, if you have any other promotional ideas, please let us know!  Thank you all for continually being wonderful fellow campaigners for a show that deserves to be finished.  :) 

Sidenote: Promoting the #SaveTheHour Video -   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fewagZaqnLQ  would be a great idea for these Twitter handles as well!

Two Updates: The National Literacy Trust & the STH Petition!

We have reached 42% of our goal for The National Literacy Trust!

  

This is great news!  Firstly, we'd just like to thank every single person who has donated thus far, or who has helped to promote this initiative.  Your help truly is invaluable.  THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!

We are so close to the halfway mark, so continued promotion is very much appreciated.  Once we get close to our goal we are hoping to send a link to our page to the BBC!  Spread this around on other social media sites, mention it on Facebook, even tell your friends and family about it!  Every single donation helps a wonderful cause.  In addtion, we're showing that fans of The Hour care about the show and a cause tied so closely to it.  

Let's reach our goal for the National Literacy Trust and Save The Hour!  

The #SaveTheHour Petition is nearing 20,000 signatures!

Right now the SaveTheHour petition has reached an outstanding 19,831 signatures.  Fans from all over the world have signed and left wonderful messages of the importance of having such a show on air.

It would be great to reach 20,000 this week!  Let's see if we can make that happen!  Remember to spread the link around and get fans of the show to sign.   

Sign the SaveTheHour Petition Here!

As always, thank you all for continuing to support this campaign.  We wouldn't be able to do this without each and every one of you!

  

Two Articles in the Past Week Reiterate the Need for the BBC to Give The Hour a Third Series

In the past week, and in the wake of five BAFTA nominations, news outlets and blogs are again highlighting the need for The Hour to be given a third series.  Den of Geek and The Independent both posted articles saying as much on their websites recently:


David Lister, The Independent:

I see that The Hour features in the Bafta nominations announced last Tuesday. This time Peter Capaldi is up for best supporting actor. The latest series of the BBC drama achieved a rare feat, a second series that was even better than the excellent first. It had, of course, a cast to die for with Ben Whishaw, Dominic West, Anna Chancellor, Romola Garai and Capaldi, as well as a script by Abi Morgan.

But despite past Bafta, Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for the taut, tense drama set in the BBC itself and in Soho in the Fifties, the BBC decided to axe it because of lower than expected ratings. This week's Bafta nomination should make the BBC think again. Ratings aren't everything. This was a class act.  - Source

Philip Lickley, DenofGeek.com:

The cancellation of The Hour is to be mourned for reasons outside viewing figures and demographics. It was a drama created, written and produced by women with strong female leads, which is a big positive in an area dominated by male figures. It is popular in North America and, unlike other shows, has a market on DVD and Blu-ray. It’s a period drama, usually always popular in the UK, and features a wide-range of issues that have contemporary parallels, and is more ‘high-brow’ than the usual drama, covering political issues regularly in its episodes. It’s also one of the few series I’ve watched with a strong arc that holds it all together and feels like it justifies its six episodes with a lack of filler. 

Re-commissioning The Hour would also restore my faith in dedicating time to television series. - Read More

It's good to see those in news outlets still campaigning for a third series too!

That said, THE SAVE THE HOUR PETITION almost has an amazing 20,000 signatures from viewers and fans all over the globe.  If you haven't signed yet, you can sign HERE.

National Literacy Trust Fundraiser Update

23% of our goal raised for the National Literacy Trust!

I don’t think I have to say how wonderful this is!  If we keep up this kind of participation and promotion we’ll have our goal and more.  Thank you SO much to all who have already donated and thank you to everyone for continuing to promote.  You all are amazing.

Remember, continue to reblog the post on Tumblr, but also spread the info everywhere!  The information about our fundraiser can also be found at our here at Blogspot and at Facebook  Tell your friends, family...anyone!  Let’s keep the momentum going!  - Ash

If you have any questions or suggestions feel free to let us know!

Give to the National Literacy Trust, Save The Hour (Our biggest initiative yet!)

CHAMPION THE POWER OF WORDS - GIVE TO THE NATIONAL LITERACY TRUST - SAVE BBC’s THE HOUR 

It's here ladies and gents, our biggest initiative yet. Save The Hour has been campaigning to convince the BBC to reconsider cancellation of this sophisticated, poignant series plotted out as a three series arc, but cut short at two series on a major cliffhanger.

Now, we are raising money for the National Literacy Trust.  Why? 

Rather than simply taking up funds to send in an overabundance of food items to the BBC as proof of our devotion to what this programme brings to the television landscape, we thought a much more effective, meaningful, and most importantly, helpful tribute to our belief in the sorely needed presence of The Hour would be to raise money for an important cause.

We wanted to support a cause that lies very close to the heart of the themes of the show itself.  The overwhelming suggestion by the community was to raise money for literacy.

Literacy is the combination of reading, writing, speaking and listening skills we all need to fulfill our potential. One in six people in the UK struggle with literacy. “Around 16 per cent, or 5.2 million adults in England, can be described as "functionally illiterate". They would not pass an English GCSE and have literacy levels at or below those expected of an 11-year-old.” (x)  The National Literacy Trust helps both adults and children cultivate these skills.

How does the National Literacy Trust relate to The Hour?

A major thematic piece of The Hour is the power of words.

It is a programme full of characters seeking to better themselves, their society, and their country primarily through words.  

As journalists, Bel, Lix, Randall, Freddie, Hector, Isaac, and the team regularly write, read and discuss important issues in the political and moral landscape and share them with the public.  They also carry a strong conviction that everyone should have the opportunity to hear or read of said issues, evaluate them, and in turn communicate them to others, thus creating a better society for all.  For them, these skills are essential to themselves and to every person, not only for use in every day life, but in influencing change and in reaching individual and the nation's collective potential.  

This is why we chose the National Literacy Trust.  As a champion of the power of words for every individual, we believe that Bel, Freddie, Lix, and the entire team would wholly support the outstanding work they do.     

It’s time to come together. WE NEED YOU. 

If you are a fan of this show, have simply heard of this show, believe in the educational and powerful material it presents, and/or just want to help us support the work of the National Literacy Trust, we hope you will contribute any amount no matter how large or small.  Every bit helps!  Here's what a donation can do:

* £7 could give a child a free book and motivate them to read through an inspirational event.

* £10 could support a reading session for three families, helping them gain the skills they need to support their children's literacy.

* £20 could allow two disadvantaged teenagers to improve their communication skills in preparation for working life.  (National Literacy Trust)

To support Save The Hour and the National Literacy Trust, all you have to do is

• GO TO SAVETHEHOUR’S JUST GIVING PAGE BY CLICKING HERE
• GIVE ANY AMOUNT YOU CHOOSE (You can give in up to 8 different currencies.)
• LEAVE A MESSAGE FOR THE BBC  (We will be sending them a link to our page)
• Your donation goes straight to the National Literacy Trust!

We have a goal on our Just Giving page.  We hope to reach it and more!

***Please, don’t forget to leave a message with your donation for the BBC asking them to keep The Hour, a show that regularly presents the remarkable power held in giving “words for life” to every individual, alive.  We hope to inform them of our page. 

Please promote our page.  This isn't just about our campaign.  We hope any and all will give.  Share this page on Facebook, give us a Tumblr signal boost, share with friends and family, with everyone!  Regardless of what happens with our campaign, we are proud to help support a cause that is so closely tied to The Hour and value the help of everyone in reaching our goal for the National Literacy Trust. 

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Oona Chaplin & Ben Whishaw Campaign News!!

• Firstly, the incomparable Oona Chaplin herself tweeted the above earlier today!  It's so exciting to see the cast of the show being made aware of the video.  Please continue to promo it wherever you can.  Twitter is a great place, obviously.  Writing in to various newspapers and such with letter to the editor would also be a wonderful way of spreading the word.  We want as many people to hear us as possible!

• Our second bit of exciting news comes from one of our dedicated campaigners, Jessica.  She attended Ben Whishaw's play, Peter and Alice, last night and not only did she notify us that she talked to him about the SaveTheHour movement, but she told him about the letter we sent to the Head of Drama Commissioning at the BBC for the Yellow Lamp Project, and he took a copy she had to read!  This letter, among other things, had what we've done in the SaveTheHour movement thus far.  The report is that it made him smile and seemed to really brighten his evening!

It can't be said enough how important everyone's involvement in these initiatives has been.  The fact that Ben and Oona now have an even greater knowledge of just how much we love this show and are fighting to get it back and seem to support us is tangible proof of the exciting things we're all doing.  Every single milestone like this is another reason to continue fighting to bring back a brilliant show with a sweet, talented, supportive cast.

Thank you all for your continued support.  

Reminder:  Don't forget to send your postcards and letters to Ben Stephenson!  Our target date for simultaneous arrival is next Wednesday, April 10th.  Find out more here.