The ABC Appears on RT TV's Early Evening News

ABC Founder Simon Collyer appeared on RT (Russian) TV on the early evening news 19/06/2019 with legendary news anchor, presenter Bill Dod. 

This was the ‘ABC’s first TV appearance and our four minutes of fame included talking about DWP bonuses and controversial DWP advertising placed recently in the Metro newspaper. Advertising that has attracted a massive number of complaints from over eighty disability organisations. The DWP are not making it clear enough in these adverts that these are government funded.  That Universal Credit ‘Advances’ were really ‘loans’ repayable over a very short period.

Simon also had a robust chat with Bill about Universal Credit and the harm it is causing to claimant’s mental health. 

Prior to going on Simon shared seating with Johnathan Fryer, former, Lib Dem MEP candidate, writer lecturer and broadcaster - there to talk about the Tory leadership race. 

The team at RT TV were fantastic. The view from the 16th Floor of Milbank Tower, Westminster overlooking the London Eye, Parliament and the Thames was stunning; although you need a head for heights just to be able to look out of the window. 

Image: RT (Russian) TV's News Anchor Bill Dod.

Following this debut, Simon headed to ‘Rocktoberfest’ and event being run by ALSTO, a charity that provides artificial limbs for children in Asia and Africa. At £150 a ticket, with as much food and drink as you could consume, the joint was packed out and absolutely rocking. The bands were going for it with the volume up in the ‘beyond loud’ category. Some very fine musicians putting in as much energy as the crowd. 

You could feel the love in the room with bands knocking out tunes from Led Zeppelin's ‘Rock and Roll’ to Oasis’s ‘Wonderwall’. There were sponsors stands in an adjoining room. Rock memorabilia to glow sticks on sale.You needed to be 'something in the City' to splash the cash, but the event should enable ALSTO to continue their brilliant work. 

Special thanks must go to Aryna Kastavetskaya, Senior Account Director  Communications Group www.peregrinecommunications.com and to Stephanie Stapleton, the producer at RT TV. 

ABC Note: ALTSO is a non-profit organization providing free orthopedic care to children with limb disabilities in the developing world. A Leg To Stand On https://www.altso.org/

We hope to have some images up later.

This is a short bio on Bill.

Bill Dod is the news presenter on the RT UK News Channel based in Westminster, London.

Bill fronts four daily 30 minute prime-time news programmes from 7pm that include live interviews with politicians, national newspaper columnists, lobby groups and those caught up in the daily news agenda. In 2009, while presenting in Moscow for RT International, he hosted 12 hours of live coverage from Red Square of President Obama’s visit. The output was nominated in New York for the 2010 International Emmy Award for Best News & Current Affairs along with Al Jazeera and Sky News. Since then Bill has been invited to participate as a judge for the awards. He also presented coverage of the meteorite crashing into central Russia and it won the Best International News Coverage award at the 2013 Monte Carlo TV Festival competing against Sky News, CNN and Al Jazeera. Then in 2015 he fronted another nomination for Best International News Award… again at the Monte Carlo TV Festival, competing against Sky News, CNN and CBC.

Although Bill qualified as a teacher, his first job was working for BBC Local Radio for 4 years where he hosted numerous shows, including a news and current affairs morning programme. He then moved to television to present many regional programmes for ITV Anglia and Meridian before fronting Timekeepers, a general knowledge daytime quiz show for BBC One.

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