» SubscribeMain section
-
Top story
Hunt to give final verdict on News Corp's BSkyB bid on 26 April
Mark Sweney guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 30 March
DATELINE: 31/3/11
The culture secretary, Jeremy Hunt, expects to return his final verdict on whether to approve News Corporation's £8bn takeover of BSkyB around 26 April, but admitted that the plurality review system "may not be as robust as it should be". Hunt, who earlier this month recommended regulatory approval as long as News Corp spins off Sky News, said that he expects to announce the final decision as soon after parliament returns from the Easter break on 26 April.
"I hope we'll have it shortly, probably now, just after the parliamentary recess, but we are going through all the consultation responses we received and we're going to do this as quickly as we can," he said, speaking on BBC Radio 4's The Media Show on Wednesday.
Hunt has faced criticism for allowing the News Corp-BSkyB merger – including from an alliance of media owners including Guardian Media Group, which publishes MediaGuardian.co.uk – and he admitted that there needs to be a strengthening of the grounds for which a plurality test can move to a full investigation.
He said that there needs to be "mechanisms similar to competition law" that might allow intervention regardless of if a merger was taking place, a view also previously raised by Ofcom chief executive Ed Richards.
"What no one wants to have in a free society is a situation where any one person has too much control of our media and what I think this process has exposed is that the system may not be as robust as it should be," Hunt added.
However, Hunt also gave an assurance that if the takeover proved to have a major negative impact on the commercial landscape then News Corp, owner of News International titles including Sun and the Times, would face regulatory investigation.
"Even if right now [it] doesn't cause competition concerns if in five years time the situation was to change, and this is a very fluid marketplace, all the competition remedies are there," he said. "Irrespective of my decision, competition law will mean that if News Corporation were to become too dominant in the media market the Office of Fair Trading could trigger an investigation by the Competition Commission and with no reference to politicians at all the Competition Commission has some very radical remedies at its disposal."
Hunt also said that there needed to be a better system for looking at issues of impartiality in BBC coverage.
"If you talk to MPs in parliament there are lots of people who aren't happy and I would like to have a better mechanism whereby when these issues come up they are better able to be addressed," he added.
Last modified: Thursday, March 31, 2011
Your comments:
» Click here to add your comment.
Comments will be subject to approval and should not be defamatory, obscene, racist, in breach of copyright, or contrary to law. The CPBF is not reponsible for any views expressed here.
Previous media ownership stories
What the Sky decision tells us about media reform
BSkyB takeover - what the papers said
It's a whitewash - What a way to decide media policy! -Stop the Murdoch power grab for BSkyB
Pic of the DCMS demo, Thursday 3 March
Rupert Murdoch to fund hived-off Sky News in bid remedy
Sky Movies making 'excess profits', says Competition Commission
Why media pluralism matters
News Corporation and BSkyB: What price remedies?
Don't let history repeat itself
Murdoch and Ofcom – why ownership matters
Hunt plans competition probe over Sky bid, but undertakings will be considered first
Campaign against Murdoch gets boost
Who controls the News
BSkyB bid: Cautious Hunt set to reject approach from Murdoch
Decision Day
Ofcom to demand further inquiry of BSkyB buyout Competition Commission may now scrutinise bid but Jeremy Hunt could reject recommendation
BSkyB takeover - 63% back full and independent probe
Jeremy Hunt is not impartial - please sign the petition
Vince Cable 'has declared war on Murdoch'
EU clears Murdoch's News Corporation BSkyB bid
Keeping the pressure on Murdoch
Campaign launches Radio Free Press
BSkyB and News Corp - Campaign welcomes Cable's intervention
Business Secretary intervenes in proposed BSkyB acquisition
News Corporation's bid for BSkyB faces probe
News Corp seeks European approval for takeover of Sky
British media join forces against Murdoch takeover of BSkyB
The BBC is on Murdoch's side
FT urges Vince Cable to investigate News Corp's BSkyB takeover
Tell Vince...
-
Notices
Events & Announcements
World Press Freedom Day
More reporters are currently imprisoned in Turkey than in any other country in the world. Only a matter of weeks ago lawyers failed to persuade a Turkish court to release a 76-year-old journalist from a Turkish internet news station.
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.
The World Press Freedom Day rally is being staged by the National Union of Journalists at the NUJ head office, Gray’s Inn Road, London WC1 on Thursday May 2, 6pm-8pm.
DATELINE: 27/4/13
UK launch of EU media campaign
DATELINE: 13/3/13
The UK launch of a 'European Citizens' Initiative' calling for EU rules against concentration of media power will take place on Thursday March 21 from 11:00am – 12:30pm in Committee Room 4A at the House of Lords, London. Guest speakers will include actor and activist Hugh Grant (pictured), media consultant Claire Enders, Professor Steven Barnett, Barry McCall (President of the NUJ) and Marc Gruber (Director of the European Federation of Journalists).
A European Citizens' Initiative is an official petition, like a Downing Street petition. If it succeeds in gathering a million signatures across the EU, the Commission is obliged to respond.
This petition calls for the EU to act to protect media pluralism and press freedom.
CPBF Annual General Meeting
DATELINE: 1/3/13
Make a note in your diary
Saturday 13 July 2013 from 10.00am
NUJ HQ, 308/312 Gray's Inn Road, London WC1.
Leveson, media ownership, CPBF future work.
DOWNLOAD FREEPRESS NOW
DATELINE: 26/3/10
Download Freepress in PDF, ePub or mobi format. Issue 194 now available.
MEDIA FOR ALL CONFERENCE
DATELINE: 26/3/10
Papers from the Media for All Conference
MEDIA MANIFESTO
DATELINE: 26/3/10
The media’s job is to inform and entertain us but we rely on them too to tell us what our rulers and representatives are up to. In the run-up to the Iraq war the government used spin and disinformation in the media to create panic and mislead people. The truth is coming out now, but we need stronger, more independent media to be able to scrutinise governments and make informed choices.
-
Previous stories
Media Ownership
What the Sky decision tells us about media reform
BSkyB takeover - what the papers said
It's a whitewash - What a way to decide media policy! -Stop the Murdoch power grab for BSkyB
Pic of the DCMS demo, Thursday 3 March
Rupert Murdoch to fund hived-off Sky News in bid remedy
Sky Movies making 'excess profits', says Competition Commission
Why media pluralism matters
News Corporation and BSkyB: What price remedies?
Don't let history repeat itself
Murdoch and Ofcom – why ownership matters
Hunt plans competition probe over Sky bid, but undertakings will be considered first
Campaign against Murdoch gets boost
Who controls the News
BSkyB bid: Cautious Hunt set to reject approach from Murdoch
Decision Day
Ofcom to demand further inquiry of BSkyB buyout Competition Commission may now scrutinise bid but Jeremy Hunt could reject recommendation
BSkyB takeover - 63% back full and independent probe
Jeremy Hunt is not impartial - please sign the petition
Vince Cable 'has declared war on Murdoch'
EU clears Murdoch's News Corporation BSkyB bid
Keeping the pressure on Murdoch
Campaign launches Radio Free Press
BSkyB and News Corp - Campaign welcomes Cable's intervention
Business Secretary intervenes in proposed BSkyB acquisition
News Corporation's bid for BSkyB faces probe
News Corp seeks European approval for takeover of Sky
British media join forces against Murdoch takeover of BSkyB
The BBC is on Murdoch's side
FT urges Vince Cable to investigate News Corp's BSkyB takeover
Tell Vince...
