After months of speculation the BBC has published its response to the Government’s Green Paper on the future of the license fee. It made a strong case for the BBC claiming the following:-.
- UK’s number one media brand used by 94% of adults each month.
- Only UK media brand in the top five used by young people
- 74% of adults access its news service each month
- The BBC has a global weekly audience of 418 million people, including the World Service
The BBC wants a new open-ended Royal Charter instead of having to fight for its future every ten years. It says it should be free of Government interference and Board appointments. And while not backing another licence fee, we should all pay towards the BBC to keep it as a universal service.
Elsewhere the BBC wants the Government to lift the cap on borrowing so its Studios business can better compete with commercial rivals. Last year the BBC’s total income was £5.9 billion, mostly from the licence fee. However, the commercial side of the BBC chipped in a record £2.2 billion. Most of that comes from producing programmes which are sold around the world. The BBC also distributes the hit children’s show Bluey – a franchise worth up to two billion dollars.
The response is 118 pages long so you may not want to read it all but here is the link
A BBC For All: Our response to the government’s Green Paper
The Times speculated that Radio Four’s Today programme is being neglected in favour of TV and digital news. Disgruntled insiders complain that staffing and budget cuts have hit hard and it’s even becoming difficult to attract a new editor.
Finally, the search for a new DG may have found an unlikely candidate. Former Google executive Matt Brittin is being mentioned as a possible contender. His hi-tech background fits in with a rapidly expanding digital agenda but some people question his lack of news experience in a rocky political world.
