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BBC announcement is capitulation to Murdoch
Joy Johnson, CPBF national council & lecturer at City University
DATELINE: 28/2/10
With the election outcome looking less certain by the day, BBC bosses have chosen an odd moment to pre-spin an announcement due next month on their strategic review. They have clearly been spooked by attacks from News Corporation and other vested interests, and capitulated.
The Times reports (26 February):
"The BBC will close two radio stations, shut half its website and cut spending heavily on imported American programmes in an overhaul of services to be announced next month."
"Mark Thompson, the Director-General, will admit that the corporation, which is funded by the £3.6 billion annual licence fee, has become too large and must shrink to give its commercial rivals room to operate."
News Corporation had complained that the BBC digital expansion had dislocated the media market and that commercial players could not compete. Put another way, Rupert Murdoch wants to charge for online content but cannot do so while the BBC is producing a free website that outstrips its commercial rivals. As a result, 25 per cent of the staff who work on the BBC's fantastic website are to pay the price and face redundancy while popular stations like 6 Music are facing the chop.
The origins of this appeasement to the Murdoch Empire, which will be seen as an attempt to curry favour with an incoming Tory government looking to threaten the BBC licence fee, are from James Murdoch's speech to the Edinburgh Television Festival last August. Murdoch Jnr. accused the BBC of a "land grab" causing the Director General, and others at the top, to take fright.
The beeb has been weakened by revelations that more than 100 of the BBC's senior staff earn £21.2 million exacerbated with over-the-top expenses. While financial hubris has been demonstrated with their expansionist plans – not least in going over budget on the rebuild of Broadcasting House. And by letting BBC worldwide buy Lonely Planet. This sense of entitlement has meant they've been subjected to similar coverage to that meted out to MPs.
All this makes defending the BBC harder to do. Yet defend it we must if we want to protect a public service media. A universal licence fee means that the BBC has to provide a service for everyone and one that everyone wants. Otherwise the cry will go up to scrap the licence fee. A diminished BBC is what its detractors want. Bad political judgement and financial mis-management in the past is what Mark Thompson seems intent on delivering.
Last modified: Sunday, February 28, 2010
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World Press Freedom Day on Friday May 3, 2013 is being marked in Britain by a rally to highlight the dangers facing journalists in Turkey and in this podcast, Nicholas Jones speaks to Barry White, Organiser at the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom, and Sam Bamford, the TUC's policy officer for Eastern Europe and Africa about the importance of a campaign to highlight international press freedom.
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Previous stories
'future Of The BBC...'
Minister gets the message over licence fee
Dyke in BBC 'conspiracy' claim
BBC's future: a welcome dose of reality
Is BBC News online "next in line" for Conservative cuts?
Keeping Broadcasting Public
Keep Broadcasting Public - Victoria Brittain
Keep broadcasting public - Brendan Barber
Keep broadcasting public - Dr. Georgina Born
A view from the Guardian
Keep Broadcasting Public - observer's report
Keep broadcasting public - Tom O'Malley
Keep broadcasting public - James Purnell MP
BBC Conference Warns Against Complacency
Green Paper, white in parts
Ofcom's remedy is not ours...
Conference presentations can now be read here...
Ofcom's mission to destroy...
First cut or narrow escape?
PSB matters says Ofcom spokesman
Collective action & intervention can save public service
