A CAMPAIGN group has ramped up its efforts to take down Andrew Neil’s GB News following the channel’s launch last night.
The new channel, which has been touted as Britain’s answer to Fox News, kicked off with interviews from Neil Oliver, Nigel Farage and an anti-lockdown rant from columnist Dan Wootton. TV presenter Oliver was introduced by Neil as the King of Scotland.
The launch was not without technical issues, with Oliver suffering a problem with his microphone and the broadcast experiencing some sound issues.
In his opening monologue, Neil told viewers that GB News would cover “the stories that matter to you and those that have been neglected” and would deliver “a huge range of voices that reflect the views and values of our United Kingdom”.
Stop Funding Hate, a campaign group which encourages advertisers to withdraw from right-wing news brands, has now started compiling a list of companies featured on the channel’s debut night. They are encouraging followers to pressure these brands to reconsider their involvement with GB News.
READ MORE: GB News: What Andrew Neil's new channel means for Scotland
The organisation has previously successfully persuaded firms to stop advertising with titles like The Sun and Daily Mail and hopes to do the same with the new opinion-driven broadcast news channel.
Stop Funding Hate’s list of confirmed advertisers includes Octopus Energy, Ikea, Deliveroo, Bosch, the Co-Op and WWF – the organisations are already being targeted on social media.
High-profile GB News signings include former Sky Sports presenter Kirsty Gallacher, ex-BBC presenter Simon McCoy and former ITV presenter Alastair Stewart.
During the launch they offered viewers a taste of their respective programmes from various locations around the GB News studio in Paddington, west London.
Last week, GB News announced plans to launch a national radio service as early as next month.
The new network, chaired by political interviewer Neil, said it was in the final stages of completing a “long-term deal to secure spectrum on the Digital One national multiplex".
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