The government’s plans to refresh/rip up the BBC are set to be announced today, when the culture bods reveal the long awaited White Paper consultation doc on how the corporation needs to change. A funding review will take place half-way through this period.
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The BBC’s programme-making to greater competition by removing the in-house guarantee for all television content spend except news and news-related current affairs. The government argues this will provide hundreds of millions of pounds of new opportunities for the independent sector.
But more recently he has stated his admiration for “Strictly Come Dancing”, an original BBC production that has been sold around the world as “Dancing with the Stars”.
But Hall was more optimistic. he said: “This White Paper delivers a mandate for the strong, creative BBC the public believe in”.
“This rising public investment in the BBC will also continue to result in continued value in the UK’s creative industries”. I believe there is plenty of time to get this right; everyone wants to get to the right answer.
The BBC’s charter will also be renewed every 11 years, rather than the current 10 years. This content, be it online news, broadcast TV, online video or radio, must inform, educate and entertain and serve “all audiences”.
The BBC will continue to be funded by a license fee but the BBC Trust is to be scrapped as part of an overhaul of the British pubcaster’s Royal Charter.
There will be a new “unitary board” – replacing the external BBC Trust and internal BBC Executive – to ensure BBC content meets its obligations, while the director-general will remain in charge of editorial decisions. “I hope the government will be forced into one of their many U-turns – they are very good at them these days”.
The BBC said it backed numerous proposals, but had concerns about the National Audit Office (NAO) becoming the BBC’s auditor and plans for a new board.
TV scientist Brian Cox, who had warned against interference in the BBC, said on Twitter: “BBC Charter renewal now looks sensible, subject to reducing ministerial influence over appointments to the board”.
However, he added: “We have an honest disagreement with the Government on this”.
“CBeebies and CBBC allow us those precious few minutes to make a cuppa or put the washing on the line”.
However, the BBC’s independence will be guaranteed.
John Whittingdale, the Culture Secretary, told Parliament earlier he wished “to see as much transparency as possible” at the BBC and said “transparency is very important when public money is involved”. To say that certainty is being offered against this backdrop is false.
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The BBC licence fee is likely to rise by £15 over the next five years, under plans outlined in the White Paper.
