The new BBC chairman rejects advert/subscription funding for public service broadcasting because they shift the priority from serving audiences to profiting from them.
What an enlightened viewpoint!
And what a pity that Dr Samir Shah was not around in the 1980s to point out that the provision of power, water, and public transport are also public services, before Margaret Thatcher privatised gas, electricity, water, and rail, turning them into cash cows for rich investors – and money pits for the rest of us.
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
Dr Shah said “the fight is on” for the future of public service broadcasting, in his first major speech since taking over at the top of the BBC, adding that action was needed to “future-proof” such broadcasters, to prevent “a very British success story” from becoming just “part of our halcyon past”.
He questioned why there is an “almost perpetual government review over the BBC” and called for a permanent BBC charter – to bring it in line with other institutions like the British Council, the Bank of England and UK Sport.
Currently, the BBC’s charter is renewed every 10 years, when governance and regulatory arrangements are set for the following decade.
Current charter renewal discussions include a debate on “reforming the licence fee, replacing it, or coming up with a whole new mechanism” – but Dr Shah said he did not support subscription and advertising as possible future funding models because neither “pass the test” for a universal, public service BBC as they shift the priority from serving audiences to profiting from them.
It is a major split from the plans of the former Tory government, whose ministers have been trying to kill the TV licence for years.
They want the Corporation to be funded by advertisers, because then big business can call the shots, rather than public appreciation.
Labour has supported a publicly-funded model for the BBC. But will it support the idea of a permanent charter?
Stay tuned!
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Be among the first to know what’s going on! Here are the ways to manage it:
1) Register with us by clicking on ‘Subscribe’ (bottom right of the home page). You can then receive notifications of every new article that is posted here.
2) Follow VP on Twitter @VoxPolitical
3) Like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VoxPolitical/
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
4) You could even make Vox Political your homepage at http://voxpoliticalonline.com
5) Join the uPopulus group at https://upopulus.com/groups/vox-political/
6) Join the MeWe page at https://mewe.com/p-front/voxpolitical
7) Feel free to comment!
And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
Cruel Britannia is available
in either print or eBook format here:
The Livingstone Presumption is available
in either print or eBook format here:
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
BBC chairman rejects advert/subscription funding for public service broadcasting
The new BBC chairman rejects advert/subscription funding for public service broadcasting because they shift the priority from serving audiences to profiting from them.
What an enlightened viewpoint!
And what a pity that Dr Samir Shah was not around in the 1980s to point out that the provision of power, water, and public transport are also public services, before Margaret Thatcher privatised gas, electricity, water, and rail, turning them into cash cows for rich investors – and money pits for the rest of us.
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
Dr Shah said “the fight is on” for the future of public service broadcasting, in his first major speech since taking over at the top of the BBC, adding that action was needed to “future-proof” such broadcasters, to prevent “a very British success story” from becoming just “part of our halcyon past”.
He questioned why there is an “almost perpetual government review over the BBC” and called for a permanent BBC charter – to bring it in line with other institutions like the British Council, the Bank of England and UK Sport.
Currently, the BBC’s charter is renewed every 10 years, when governance and regulatory arrangements are set for the following decade.
Current charter renewal discussions include a debate on “reforming the licence fee, replacing it, or coming up with a whole new mechanism” – but Dr Shah said he did not support subscription and advertising as possible future funding models because neither “pass the test” for a universal, public service BBC as they shift the priority from serving audiences to profiting from them.
It is a major split from the plans of the former Tory government, whose ministers have been trying to kill the TV licence for years.
They want the Corporation to be funded by advertisers, because then big business can call the shots, rather than public appreciation.
Labour has supported a publicly-funded model for the BBC. But will it support the idea of a permanent charter?
Stay tuned!
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Be among the first to know what’s going on! Here are the ways to manage it:
1) Register with us by clicking on ‘Subscribe’ (bottom right of the home page). You can then receive notifications of every new article that is posted here.
2) Follow VP on Twitter @VoxPolitical
3) Like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VoxPolitical/
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
4) You could even make Vox Political your homepage at http://voxpoliticalonline.com
5) Join the uPopulus group at https://upopulus.com/groups/vox-political/
6) Join the MeWe page at https://mewe.com/p-front/voxpolitical
7) Feel free to comment!
And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
Cruel Britannia is available
in either print or eBook format here:
The Livingstone Presumption is available
in either print or eBook format here:
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
you might also like
Police State Britain: Tories would arrest you for looking at them in a funny way
Plebgate v NHS lies – why is one the lead on the news when the other was buried?
Three cheers for free speech!