Peter van Gelder

van Gelder in an image from his Twitter feed September 2011

Peter van Gelder is a lobbyist and runs several lobbying 'forums' set up to bring corporations into close contact with ministers and parliamentarians. They focus on media, education, food and health and internet issues and are all part of his company Westminster Forum Projects.

Television career

Van Gelder used to work in television. According to Kids TV presenter Timmy Mallett:

my great Canadian friend Peter plays guitar and piano. Sadly his singing is worse than mine! We've known each other since our BBC training course; then he was the weird voice of Skelly on the telly on Wacaday as well as head of saying No at TVam!

Mallet has painted a protrait of van Gelder which can be seen on his website

Previous work

In July 2000, the Mirror Group has hired van Gelder to conduct a strategic review of its L!ve TV station and other television interests.

Van Gelder has previously been Managing Director for:

• British Interactive Broadcasting (BIB) June 97-November 97 - BIB was a consortium betwen BSkyB, BT, Matsushita and the Midland Bank
• Informed Sources a company of strategy consultants and was sold to Mercer Management Consultants in July 2002. Mercer Management is part of the Marsh & McLennan Group.
• Teletext Ltd
• TV-AM

Strempel & Partners

Van Gelder is on the advisory board of Strempel & Partners, a company that, according to its website :

provides corporate finance advice to businesses in the purchase and sale of companies, management buy-outs/buy-ins and provides strategic support in helping companies better position themselves as acquisition targets - especially for multinational buyers. We often collaborate with companies' existing professional advisors and help businesses grow by expanding their capital base as well as their markets within Italy and abroad. We utilize our in-depth international experience and network of business professionals to help companies improve their international performance and profile.

David Strempel founder of Strempel & Partners, was previously co-owner and Managing Director of Informed Sources Ltd.

Broadcasting Bill

In early 1996 the Broadcasting Bill was going through the House of Lords. Van Gelder, who was Chief Executive of Teletext Ltd at the time was lobbying hard for greater guaranteed capacity in future digital television. As part of this lobbying Van Gelder met with the then Heritage Secretary Virginia Bottomley.

In June 1996 a row started over an amendment to the Bill which prevented ITV franchise holders from selling any teletext advertising space in their regions. The ITV companies claimed that the Government did not consult the industry before tabling the amendment. The amendment would have the effect of protecting the near-monopoly of the national teletext company, Teletext, which is controlled by Associated Newspapers, the publishers of the Mail and the Mail on Sunday. Van Gelder was quoted as saying, "We are grateful that there has been a clarification about what the ITV companies may do. The Government initially intended that the companies operate text services in support of their programmes, not that they would take advertising."

References, Resources and Contact

Articles by van Gelder

• Peter Van Gelder , Will interactive television overlook the need-to-haves? (Comment) We're in a business where consumers play catch-up as smug boffins put propositions in place with scant regard for need. Optimistic entrepreneurs ... New Media Age, 12 June 2003
• Peter Van Gelder, Auntie turns its interactive focus back onto the TV. (Comment) The news that BBCi is rationalising and refocusing its iTV service and encyclopaedia of Web sites is hardly surprising. New Media Age, 10 April 2003.
• Peter van Gelder, Sky should take control of the interactive games market. (Comment). In the lush pastures of interactivity, two main groups directly related to TV programming are rampant, at least in this stage of the evolutionary, New Media Age, 13 February 2003.
• Peter van Gelder, Are PVRs proving to be a wasted opportunity? (Comment). The wow factor has much to answer for in interactivity. Usage tends to dip after early enthusiasm, and examples abound. New Media Age, 14 November 2002.
• Peter Van Gelder, Learn how to make use of the SMS lifeline: it takes punters what seems like geological time to get accustomed to new technologies and connections between Mobile is the best thing that ever happened to iTV. Last year satellite interactivity was pepped up by WAP technology. And this year SMS looks ... New Media Age, 12 September 2002.
• Peter Van Gelder, Interactivity doesn't suit everything. (Comment) By George, they've got it! Or at least it looks that way. By 'they' I mean the digital channels. By 'it' I mean the interactivity bug, Whether ... New Media Age, 8 August 2002.
• Peter Van Gelder, Sky beware: the rivals are now squaring up; cable is redefining itself as the utility it always was, recognising that the best bet is to compete not on With cable's astronomical debts and no high-profile interest in picking up the pieces of ITV Digital as a pay-TV proposition, it looks like Sky has emerged from the platform wars into a compete, New Media Age, 13 June 2002.
• Peter Van Gelder, The time is right to push the red button: The setting is ideal for interactivity, giving it for once a showcase value in information delivery that goes the World Cup should inspire iTV applications that will revitalise consumers' interest in pressing the red button. Matches are being played at awkward... New Media Age, 9 May 2002.
• Peter Van Gelder, Get the idea right before pushing the product: Interactivity launched half-cocked risks creating an expectation of questionable value that will be difficult the natural feeling among channel operators that have implemented interactivity is that, after all the investment, they'd better use it. But putting ... New Media Age, 14 March 2002.
• Peter Van Gelder, Catering to the curious and the obsessive: To treat betting like the saviour of iTV is ludicrous. Rather it signals a downmarket lurch for commercial interactivity. Betting has emerged as the first commercial digital interactive star, prompting trade press ballyhoo and achieving prominence in Sky's results reports, ... New Media Age, 14 February 2002.
• Peter Van Gelder, Who'll make it through iTV's adolescence? The leaders of digitally enhanced faction are the platforms, which are obliged to demonstrate faith in the technology. In 2002, as the iTV market moves from turbulent infancy to awkward adolescence, we could witness a possibly prolonged period of commercial disobedience ... New Media Age, 17 January 2002.

Contact

Twitter:http://twitter.com/#!/pvgwfp