The Media Show - 16/12/2009

After X Factor, what of Simon Cowell's plans for a Political X Factor? He has told the BBC he'd be interested in running a political referendum TV programme. Is he serious and could it succeed? Kelvin Mackenzie has tried something similar before, called Vote for Me, and debates the idea with Michael White of the Guardian. Does the public know as much as it should about the level of crime? We hear claims that stories are being withheld just to reduce fear of crime. The Christmas edition of the Radio Times is bigger than ever, but its circulation is a fraction of what it was at its peak in the 1980s. The magazine's new editor, Ben Preston, gives his view on its future. And there's been a judgement in Europe that supports journalists' rights to protect their sources - are European courts more supportive of investigate journalism than those in the UK?