Presenting: SaveTheHour's SECOND Flash Mob / Meet-Up Info Post

SAVETHEHOUR’S SECOND OFFICIAL LONDON FLASHMOB/MEET-UP INFO POST!

FRIDAY, JUNE 21, 2013 - 12:00 p.m. - London

What: Since our first flash mob demonstration was such a resounding success we are going for a second round!  It will again be happening outside BBC Broadcasting House, showing our support for The Hour!

Where: BBC Broadcasting House, located at Portland Place, LONDON, W1A 1AA.

The Plan: Just exactly the same as the last time, we’ll be having a flash mob/meet-up with a special twist a la The Hour! Rather than a song or dance, we’re going to be re-creating the protest that Hector, Freddie, and Isaac cover for The Hour in the fifth episode of Series One. You can catch a sample of that protest by WATCHING THIS.

Here’s what you’ll need to bring with you if you can:

• A sign or sign(s) for the “protest”. This can be poster board or a sign like the ones in the show. Some possible phrases would be some of the campaign’s most popular, including (but not limited to):

• “You haven’t seen our best yet, BBC! #SAVETHEHOUR”
• “It’s The Hour you can’t miss, The Hour you have to see! #SAVETHEHOUR”
• “The Hour: The most important sixty minutes of television in your week. #SAVETHEHOUR!”

This obviously isn’t an exhaustive list. You can put any variation on these you want, or choose a different quote. However, it doesn’t necessarily have to be a quote. A “The Hour” variation on one of the signs they used in the Suez protest in the show would be great, or just a simple variation of: #Save The Hour, BBC. Making sure your sign is clear that it refers to The Hour, and putting some variation of #SaveTheHour on your sign large enough to see is VERY important.

• Your best 1950s period dress. If you cosplay that would be amazing as well. (If you feel you don’t have 1950s dress, don’t worry. Please, don’t let that make you feel that you cannot partcipate. Everyone is welcome!)

• Love for The Hour and a readiness for fun with fellow campaigners!

We will spend some time outside BBC Broadcasting House (probably across the street at the church just like last time, as the BBC do not allow protesters on their property).  We will be telling everyone where to meet up at so we can all stay together soon.  It will probably be just like last time or at the church steps, but keep an eye out for specific details on that.

Can’t make it to London?

No worries!  We will also be supporting our Londoners from Twitter just like before, sending out tweets to the likes of RadioTimes, The Guardian, the BBC, etc.  So mark down June 21st at 12:00 p.m.  GMT on your calendars as we support everyone protesting at the BBC!  There will be a post with relevant Twitter handles and more details soon, so watch out for that! 

If you are a fan of The Hour and can be at any of these locations, please join us!  It should be a great time with fellow fans supporting our show.  Thank you all so much who have already responded to tell me you’ll be there!  If you have any comments/questions feel free to let me know at savethehourofficial@gmail.com or at Tumblr/Facebook.

I’m super excited for this second go round.  Such extraordinary, helpful things happened the last time, with tons of promotion.  Let’s show them we’re serious about our cause and that we won’t give up.  Hope to see you guys there! - Ash

Here is a Facebook Event to share with friends!

SaveTheHour Flash Mob— London Meet-up Further Details!

SaveTheHour Flash Mob— London Meet-up Further Details

It's time for some further details on the London Meet-Up, as arranged by our wonderful flash mob organizer in London: justacockeyedoptimist!

Hey all! The Radio Times article about the possible one-off this am has got me excited! Maybe we really can show BBC they should do this and make a difference! So here’s the details for the meet-up in London.

Reminder: Please come with a sign that somehow expresses our “Save the Hour” message! Ash has posted great ideas and clips from the Suez Canal episode on the Round-Up.

I’ll be coming with my best attempt at dressing like Bel and if others want to join me in period dress that would be brilliant! But don’t let a lack of period clothing deter you from participating! The more people we have the better!

If you’re planning on coming, can you please message/inbox me and let me know so I know how many to expect?

So, the closest underground station to BBC Broadcasting is the Oxford Circus stop. I propose we meet outside the station on Oxford Street at 11:30 am and then we can walk to Portland Place and the BBC together from there. We can try to stage our own little mini protest outside with our signs, but then also depending on how much recognition we get we’ll probably also go into the front office just to let them know we’re there/we care, etc. 

I’ve sorted out that Kudos TV is about a 26 min journey using the underground from the BBC so I think it’d be lovely if we could make the trip since we’re already there. But we can make the final call on the day. Either way I have directions from place to place! 

If someone wants to inform the London authorities because they think it’d be wise, please do so! I’m not a UK citizen so I have no idea how to go about that/am not sure they’d listen to me. 

Also, if someone wants to bring a camera to film it, that’d be great as well! I’ll have my regular camera for photos, but it’d be great to get some on video also. :-) 

Finally, please just message me (justacockeyedoptimist or email savethehourofficial@gmail.com) if you’d like my mobile to make this all easier on the day.  

If there’s anything Freddie Lyon taught me, it’s that even the smallest person/voice can make a difference and “it’s not impossible when it’s possible.” So very excited to meet my fellow Hour lovers!!

It's time for Save The Hour's Flash Mob/Meet-Up! Please Join Us!

SAVETHEHOUR’S OFFICIAL LONDON FLASH MOB/MEET-UP INFO POST!

Tuesday, May 28, 2013 - 12:00 p.m. - London

What: A flash mob/fan gathering happening outside BBC Broadcasting House, showing our support for The Hour!

Where: BBC Broadcasting House, located at Portland Place, LONDON, W1A 1AA. 

The Plan: We’ll be having a flash mob/meet-up with a special twist a la The Hour! Rather than a song or dance, we’re going to be re-creating the protest that Hector, Freddie, and Isaac cover for The Hour in the fifth episode of Series One (albeit, a bit more peaceful ;) ). You can catch a sample of that protest by watching this.  In Save The Hour style we wanted to tie it in with the show and also show what wonderful, intelligent fans are dedicated to the series.  

Here’s what you’ll need to bring with you if you can:

• A sign or signs for the “protest”. This can be poster board or a sign like the ones in the show. Some possible phrases would be some of the campaign’s most popular, including (but not limited to):

• “You haven’t seen our best yet, BBC! #SAVETHEHOUR”

• “It’s The Hour you can’t miss, The Hour you have to see! #SAVETHEHOUR”

• “The Hour: The most important sixty minutes of television in your week. #SAVETHEHOUR!”

This obviously isn’t an exhaustive list. You can put any variation on these you want, or choose a different quote. However, it doesn’t necessarily have to be a quote. A “The Hour” variation on one of the signs they used in the Suez protest in the show would be great, or just a simple variation of: “#Save The Hour, BBC.” Making sure your sign is clear that it refers to The Hour, and putting some variation of #SaveTheHour on your sign large enough to see is very important.

• Your best 1950s period dress, love for The Hour, and readiness for fun with fellow campaigners! Cosplaying is amazing as well. (If you feel you don’t have 1950s dress, don’t worry! Please, don’t let that make you feel that you cannot participate.)

We will spend some time outside BBC Broadcasting House, and if we can, we might head inside as well to say hello and tell them about our campaign for a third series!  

justacockeyedoptimist has so graciously volunteered to be in charge of organization for this event. She will be there on the day looking lovely in period dress, and will be in charge of leading things. If you have any questions you can direct them to her or to usand we will answer you asap!

In addition, we’re in talks to possibly head over to Kudos TV later as well just to let them know we’re still supporting the show for a third series! We want to make sure travel would not be too far, so this part of the plan is still a bit tentative.

Can’t make it to London?

We’ve also got Salford Media City and BBC America in NYC to visit! The plan is the same, only the locations have changed.

Salford Media City meet-up will be at:

Salford Media City
BBC 
MediaCityUK 
Salford
M50 2EQ
Tuesday, May 28th 12:00 p.m.

NYC Meet-Up will be at: 

BBC America Offices
1120 Avenue of the Americas
5th Floor 
New York
NY 10036-6700
Tuesday, May 28th 12:00 p.m. EST 

Please note: We have had people mention they would attend these, however, we still have not had anyone volunteer to lead them, so if you’re interested, let us know!   

If you are a fan of The Hour and are able to be at any of these locations, join us! It should be a great time with fellow fans supporting our show. Thank you all so much who have already responded to tell us you’ll be there! If you have any comments/questions feel free to ask.

If you do not live close enough to attend any of these locations, no worries! A Twitter Party on May 28th is in the planning stages, so be on the look out for information coming soon on that!

UPDATE: NATIONAL LITERACY TRUST & SAVE THE HOUR PETITION

Save The Hour has raised 43 % of its goal for the National Literacy Trust

That is about £652 out of our £1500 goal.  Please remember to keep spreading the news about our page, not only through social media, but through word of mouth to friends and family who might be interested in giving to a wonderful cause as well!  There are many fans out there who aren't even aware of this initiative.  Lets continue to spread the word!  We would love to do this both for the NLT and for the campaign.  We'll email a link to the page to the BBC as well when we get near our goal.  

Here are some quick promotional ideas.  If you have any suggestions for wider promotion, please get in touch with us by email.  We value your input!

Finally, TREMENDOUS thanks goes out to those who have donated.  Your contribution is very appreciated.  Also, thank you to all of you who have tirelessly promoted this and all of the initiatives we've been working on here at Save The Hour.  Together we can reach our goal.  Together we can show the love and dedication we have for this show.  Lets keep the momentum going!

The Save The Hour petition has gone beyond 20,000 signatures!

This is an amazing show of people from around the world who love and appreciate The Hour, and see the value in completing the trilogy.  Signatures are being added every day.  We are proud to be a part of such a dedicated and passionate following who are still fighting for a more than deserving show.  Here's to our next milestone: 25,000!

As a small addendum:  Remember, all of our initiatives remain active!  Please feel free to continue to send letters or postcards to the Head of Drama Commissioning, tweet your support at #savethehour to @KudosTV and @bbcpress, buy the DVDs, make a donation, or promote the petition, fundraiser, and #savethehour video - it's never too late to take part in the campaign!  You can find all the info you need for each initiative on the right sidebar.  Thank you everyone!

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!

  

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.

Come One, Come All! Save The Hour's Second Twitter Trending Party!

#SAVETHEHOUR’s SECOND TWITTER TRENDING PARTY - HELP US GET A SERIES THREE

WHAT:  A get together on Twitter to get #savethehour trending!
Last week’s extravaganza was a great success! We didn’t trend, but we did get the attention of Kudos and had very special participation from our very own Lisa Greenwood (Sissy Cooper), Oona Chaplin (Marnie Madden), and Kevin Sargent (Composer, Series Two)! Now is our chance to continue to spread the word and moreover, spread love for the show to the powers that be! The more we do, the more they take notice.

WHY:  The Hour was canceled before it’s third and final series on a major cliffhanger, without closure for the characters or the fans. Many recent fan campaigns such as the one for Community have used Twitter to show “the powers that be” viewer dedication to their favorite show. As a widely used social media platform by “people of influence” and fans alike it’s a perfect way to show in great numbers how much we care about The Hourgetting a final series to come to its intended conclusion.
KudosTV, the cast, and the creators are all eager to finish the series.  Lets try and make it happen!

WHEN: SATURDAY, MARCH 23rd @ 9 PM GMT  It’s the weekend, so hopefully more of you will be able to attend! MARK YOUR CALENDARS! (TIME ZONE CONVERTER)

WHAT DO I NEED TO DO?
Join us on Twitter this Saturday!

• Tweet @BBCpress, @BBCTWOUK, and @KudosTV (the show’s producers),@BBCAmerica your desire to see a third and final series.
• Make sure to use the hashtag: #savethehour in your tweets so we can get it trending!
  
  Secondly:
• Feel free to tweet any news outlets or “celebrity” fans as well, telling them about #savethehour and a need for a third series. Ask for a mention!  Some great candidates are:
• The Guardian (just did an interview with Ben mentioning The Hour’s cancellation)  
• The Telegraph (mentioned Ben's interview about the cancellation)
• BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 2 (or any other radio stations, try for an on air mention)
• Radio Times 
• Digital Spy
• TV Guide's Matt Roush (wrote a glowing review of S2 in the U.S.)

• This is far from limited to these folks, however.  Also, please remember to be respectful no matter who you are tweeting.
  
  I DON’T HAVE A TWITTER: It’s completely free and easy to make one! I hardly used Twitter before this campaign. Now I’m using it often.
  
  To trend we need absolutely everyone who is a fan of this show or who knows how it feels to lose your favorites before their time. It doesn’t matter if you’ve never campaigned, are a casual fan, a hardcore fan, or a friend of a fan; are new or old to the fandom, or have thought about watching but have not gotten to it yet. It doesn’t matter if you don’t Tumblr, or haven’t been a part of the campaign yet. Don’t be shy!   You are all welcome, and we would love and appreciate the support!

Here are some handy reminders by belspond about tweeting. 

By all means continue to tweet daily as well.  Keep the #savethehour tag active. 
Lets show the BBC this show has an amazing, dedicated following that wants a series three. Lets give the series the chance to close as it was intended.  Fans can change things.  

Whether you are in this fandom or not, please help us realize the reality of seeing our show finish as we had all hoped desperately for.  Please promote this anywhere and everywhere!  Tell your friends.  Spread the word to as many people as possible.  Thank you!

Save The Hour Video Project

We proudly present you the SAVETHEHOUR VIDEO PROJECT!

The Hour is a BBC 2 series touted by local and international fans and critics alike as the best of British Television.  The show ended on a major cliffhanger at the end of December 2012, leaving fans on the edge of their seats, waiting to know what would happen next.   The  writers and actors expressed their hopes and intent to make a third and final series (as the show had been conceived in a three series arc).  Then, on February 12th, 2013 the BBC announced it was cancelling The Hour in favor of new programming.  Immediately, viewers and critics took to the net to express their sadness and disappointment and the #SaveTheHour campaign was established. 

What's this?

• In its month-long run, the savethehour campaign has successfully expanded over various types and platforms of social media, such as tumblr, Facebook, Twitter.
• We are also running an active offline campaign which will also be complimented by other upcoming actions (mostly the Yellow Lamp Project).
• This initiative is the next step!
• The Savethehour Video Project has been started to bring personal connection and direct involvement into the campaign.

Seriously, what's this about?

• In this project we intend to put together a compliation of videos.
• Videos made by the fandom. You. And you. Yes, you too, who's reading this.
• Much like #watchcommunity's well known video, it's all about our dedication, and our love towards the show.

What do I have to do?

• We intend to make a longer video from shorter clips.
• That being said, it's best if you tr to explain in 20-30 seconds why The Hour should be saved, why do you love it in particular, or talk about anything related to the show.
• Don't worry, if you don't want to talk but want to participate, even holding up a #savethehour sign will do.
• Basically you can send us a video of any length, any material will be useful.

I've made a video! What's next?

• You either send it to us via email, or upload it somewhere and send us the link itself.
• The email address is savethehourvideo@gmail.com.

THE DEADLINE FOR THE PROJECT IS THE 25TH OF MARCH.
No need to worry: if we don't receive sufficient material until then, we'll extend the deadline.  If we end up having lots of material to put together, we might even produce a second video.
The videos will be edited together on the week after by me (Annie) and Ash.
If you have any questions, do tell!