» SubscribeMain section
-
Top story
Charter Review Monthly Report No 6 - October 2004
BBC CHARTER REVIEW - OCTOBER 2004
MONTHLY REPORT
Welcome to the sixth monthly update on how the BBC Charter Review is progressing.NEWS
The latest?
- Fourth and Fifth Charter Review Informed Seminars take place...
(i) Commercial Services
The last update reported that Lord Burns's series of seminars was well underway with seminars on the Public Purpose of the BBC, Funding, and Principles of Governance and Regulation already under our belts.
On 22 September, Lord Burns presided over the fourth of the series, this time on commercial services. The debate covered whether the Corporation should, in its view, provide commercial services at all; and if so, what the guiding principles of the BBC's commercial activities should be. Possible limits and potential targets for the commercial services were discussed alongside the relationship between such activities and the BBC's public service objectives. It also touched on fairness and transparency. Further details can be found at:
http://www.bbccharterreview.org.uk/seminars/seminars_sept_cs.html (follow the link below)
(ii) Television
This seminar, the fifth in the series, exploring BBC Television, took place on 14th October.
Howard Davies and Tim Gardam - members of Terry Burns panel of experts - chaired and facilitated on the day and they were, as ever, joined by heads of BBC television and a number of specialist industry representatives on the top table.
The seminar, extremely popular and over-subscribed, looked at the position and role of BBC television in the current broadcasting ecology, and at issues surrounding the future provision of BBC television in a digital age. It also provided the opportunity for discussion about the BBC's current television output, and looked at the quality of programming and content across the BBC's entire television portfolio, including the BBC's digital channels. The seminar also considered issues surrounding the role of the BBC as producer, commissioner, and broadcaster of television. At the time of writing details the seminar had only just finished, and a written account was not yet available, but they will be included on the Charter Review Website shortly.
Transcripts of the earlier seminars can be found at (now each with their own dedicated page):
Principles of Governance and Regulation:
http://www.bbccharterreview.org.uk/seminars/seminars_sept_govreg.html
Funding Seminar:
http://www.bbccharterreview.org.uk/seminars/seminars_july_funding.html
Public Purpose:
http://www.bbccharterreview.org.uk/seminars/seminars_july_pp.html
Please note that you can also watch web-cam (as live) recordings of these (and future) seminars at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/thefuture/seminars/dcms_seminars.shtml
- Report on New Digital Services Released
You're probably aware that the Secretary of State, Tessa Jowell, commissioned Professor Patrick Barwise to conduct an independent review of the BBC's Digital Television Services in April 2004. The report has just been published.
The report follows the Secretary of State's approval of the BBC's proposals for the re-launch of their digital channels, BBC Choice and BBC Knowledge, as BBC3, BBC4, CBeebies and CBBC. All the approvals were subject to a number of conditions, one of which was that the services would be subject to a review after two years.
The document is the sister review to Tim Gardam's report on the BBC's digital radio services, which will be published on 19 October. Both reports are supported by a market impact assessment conducted by Ofcom, and published below. Both reviews form part of a rolling programme of independent reviews of the BBC's new services. The Lambert report on News 24
was published in December 2002, and the Graf report on BBC Online in July 2004.
A copy of the report can be found at:
http://www.culture.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/et4ih4gay653hxfopei6kgyclw24vaymjtr3o
s3bsknmx753ifjvoj2q5nfw542r5qvbnujgwpid246bpy3glukkxtd/IndependentReviewofth
eBBCsDigitalTelevisionServices.pdf
The DCMS's accompanying Press Release can be found at:
http://www.culture.gov.uk/global/press_notices/archive_2004/dcms126_04.htm
(Both are accessible from the CPBF site)
WHAT'S HAPPENING IN DCMS AT THE MOMENT?
Work is very much focused on pulling the remainder of Lord Burns's seminars together. Five down, and seven to go. Updated details of when these are to be held can be found later in the update;
The Charter Review Website (http://www.bbccharterreview.org.uk/) continues to be updated regularly, to ensure that all publications and transcripts of seminars are available for viewing as soon as possible after the event. All the information the Team receives from the BBC in connection with the separate projects will continue to be placed on the site, on the relevant
seminar-related page.
Please note: The Charter Review Team would still be very keen to hear from anyone with an interest in, and knowledge of, one of the specific project areas, and who would be interested in participating in the on-going cross cutting reviews of:
- Learning
- Representation of Nations, Regions and Communities
- Informed Citizenship
- Cultural Patronage
- International activities
Contact details at the end of the update.
WHAT SHOULD WE LOOK OUT FOR NEXT?
19 October: Report of Ofcom review of radio due.
26 October: Tessa Jowell to appear before Culture, Media and Sport Select
Committee Enquiry into the Charter Review
Early next year: Ofcom to report on its review of Public Service TV
ARE THERE ANY CHARTER REVIEW EVENTS PLANNED?
Since the last update I'm pleased to be able to report that the dates for the remainder of the seminars have now been finalised (where there are two, the former will be held in the morning, and the latter in the afternoon).
They are as follows:
28 October - Radio seminar;
17 November - Learning, and Representation of Nations, Regions and Communities;
24 November - Informed Citizenship, and International Role;
26 November - Culture, and Sport (the only ones not being held in DCMS, details to follow...)
Details of all these seminars, including transcripts, will of course also be available on the Charter Review Website shortly after each seminar has been held.
WHAT IS THE OVERALL TIMETABLE FOR THE CHARTER REVIEW?
Beginning 2005 - Green Paper and consultation
Autumn 2005 - White Paper and further consultation
2006 - Completion
WHO TO CONTACT?
Contacts in Government Departments can contact me directly on nick.crowther@culture.gsi.gov.uk, or 020 7211 6422 at any time, and with any thoughts on any aspect of the Review. I would encourage stakeholder organisations to whom this note is forwarded to contact their stakeholder
managers within the Department, who will forward any comments to me. Or, if something comes up at short notice you'd like to pass on to us or would like advice on, then you can of course always contact me directly. All feedback will be considered very carefully.
More soon from the Charter Review Team.
Kindest regards
Michelle McCarthy
BBC Charter Review
Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS)
4th Floor
2-4 Cockspur Street
London
SW1Y 5DH
Tel: 020 7211 6918 (Fax ext:6330)
Website: www.bbccharterreview.org.uk
Email: Michelle.McCarthy@culture.gsi.gov.ukLINKSCharter review web site
September seminars
Governance and Regulation seminar
Funding seminar
Public Purpose seminar
Barwise report on BBC digital services
Last modified: Friday, October 22, 2004
Previous ofcom stories
First tranche of October Ofcom documents published
Ofcom publishes report on BBC's digital services
Consultation on OFCOM broadcast code
Ofcom review: A flawed, contradictory document
ofcom watch
Ofcom Consultation - Principles for setting Licence Fees and Administrative Charges
ofcomwatch - bloggers with no agenda!
Other submissions to Ofcom and Charter Review
OfcomWatch
OFCOM NEWS RELEASE - Ofcom simplifies advertising regulation with 'one-stop-shop' for consumer complaints
OFCOM UPDATE - Ofcom publishes process for the future licensing of FM commercial radio
Ofcom consultative documents
OFCOM Watch
OFCOM Watch
On and Ofcom...
OFCOM AND PRESS REGULATION
OFCOM role to include the BBC?
-
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
Ofcom
First tranche of October Ofcom documents published
Ofcom publishes report on BBC's digital services
Consultation on OFCOM broadcast code
Ofcom review: A flawed, contradictory document
ofcom watch
Ofcom Consultation - Principles for setting Licence Fees and Administrative Charges
ofcomwatch - bloggers with no agenda!
Other submissions to Ofcom and Charter Review
OfcomWatch
OFCOM NEWS RELEASE - Ofcom simplifies advertising regulation with 'one-stop-shop' for consumer complaints
OFCOM UPDATE - Ofcom publishes process for the future licensing of FM commercial radio
Ofcom consultative documents
OFCOM Watch
OFCOM Watch
On and Ofcom...
OFCOM AND PRESS REGULATION
OFCOM role to include the BBC?
