Broadcast news hangs in the balanceA public consultation by the broadcasting regulatory body Ofcom into the future of public service broadcasting is set to close on Friday June 19th. Will Ofcom defend Britain’s traditional vision of a system driven not purely by commercial interests but by a mission to educate, inform and provide a platform for diverse views and interests?
Or will it roll over and accept ITV’s plans to halve its funding for local news and replace local teams with nine regional services for the whole of the country?
Or will it perhaps demand a chunk of the revenue from the BBC licence fee as the price for maintaining any public service demands on the independent channels, reducing the ability of the BBC to retain its own public service agenda while continuing to attract mainstream audiences?
The NUJ has presented a well-argued submission suggesting ways in which Britain can maintain the public broadcasting service that is envied across the globe.
“Taking money away from the BBC - for any reason - will harm the contribution it makes to society and culture, here in Oxfordshire and around the world,” said Simon Pipe, joint FoC at BBC Oxford.
“The programmes that suffer most may be those that don't get mass audiences, but make a difference to life in Britain,” he said, adding “It’s clearly not in the public interest to lose local ITV news programmes and be left with only one provider of television news for the area.
“Strong media competition is good for the public and makes the BBC even better. We mustn't lose it.”
You still have time to make your voice heard. Go to http://tiny.cc/saveournews before 19 June, and add your name to the petition. Your name will be counted as part of the consultation and it can make a difference. AW 2008-06-01
|
