BBC warned over magazine trails

Trails for Eve magazine considered too "general"

BBC programme bosses have been warned by governors to make changes to TV trails for the magazines Star and Eve following complaints from a rival publisher.

The BBC Governors fair trading compliance committee took action after IPC Media complained the trails breached BBC guidelines.

Woman's magazine Eve, which is published by its commercial offshoot, BBC Worldwide, was advertised after BBC Two science Brain Story.

Its sister magazine, teenage publication Star, was promoted after Live & Kicking and Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

Live & Kicking was told to change its slot called Star

The committee found the trails complied with BBC commercial policy guidelines by complementing programmes.

However, it agreed that in future, trails for Star and Eve - and any other general interest magazines - would have to have a more substantial connection with the programme.

Trails for Eve had, for example, been granted following Brain Story on BBC Two as they referred to a three-page article in the magazine.

The trails for Star had been of a wider general interest to young fans, referring to the kind of stars and regular spots featured in the preceding programmes as well as the magazine.

The governors have also asked the producers of Live & Kicking to rename a spot on the show also called Star, in case viewers believed the two were connected.

The committee said future trails would only be allowed after they had been given the go-ahead of the BBC's controller of fair trading.

However, it rejected a further complaint from IPC Media that the publication of Eve breached BBC commercial policy guidelines.