Of course, internet access for all is really super. Hurrah. But the failure and misjudgement by Digital Britain on other big questions leave me totally underwhelmed. There’s no progress on a Channel 4 and BBC Worldwide deal and the easy option of top slicing the BBC licence fee is a huge mistake. It is a slippery road.
First up once you have taken BBC licence fee cash you will do it again. It will give the next government so help us all the encouragement it needs to dig into the BBC a little deeper.
Early evidence of this comes if you look at the remarks of Conservative MP John Whittingdale who rebuked BBC Trust chairman Sir Michael Lyons for his robust defence of the corporation. Whittingdale says it is up to Parliament to decide the level and organisation of the licence fee. The man is an idiot.
He wants to organise how the licence is spent? Does he want to run the BBC as well? Of course, he does. I say again so help us all.
The BBC, as Sir Michael said, are guardians of the licence fee. Some might say they need to improve their guardianship in certain areas, but it does a lot and it does a lot really well.
There are no doubt some in the commercial sector, if not many, who welcome this. They would like nothing more than to see the BBC taken down a few pegs.
That is a mistake as it only plays into the hands into the hands of international media companies, like News Corporation and Bertelsmann, who are the only people who really benefit by taking cash away from the BBC.
They do not want to see a BBC that is strong enough to sit alongside the other big players in the broadcasting and media landscape; one that invests in high-quality journalism and other public service content, and supporting the creative economy. As we have seen this week as it has proved itself just about the best around with its coverage of the election aftermath in Iran.
It you could think of one way to waste money then spending it on yet more little-watched local news produced by ITV is the way to do it.
The problem with local news at the moment (and the BBC does a lot of it) is that it is not local enough. As someone said to me during the heavy snow we had this year all they wanted from local news was detailed coverage of what was happening in their village/town and beyond. That isn’t available.
What is available is the chance to watch local politicians warble on about whatever it is they warble on about. Local politicians are the only ones who really enjoy this.
Why publicly fund two sets of local news? I really don’t get it. Better to relax regulations on regional newspaper mergers and give those groups more freedom and encourage the development of online hyperlocal websites where people can find the information they really want.
ITN boss John Hardie talks about competing with the BBC locally (to provide “much-valued choice of sources and opinions”), but I think really all he wants (like everyone else) is more money to strengthen his organisation’s future. It needs to do that without the BBC.
Local news is the last place we need that choice. In some markets its, frankly, overrated.
The BBC has already proposed better ways than Digital Britain of working with the commercial sector and moving forward through partnership.
“The BBC has come up with an ambitious programme of partnerships to help the wider industry support public service content during tough economic times. The BBC will continue discussions with Channel 4 about a possible joint venture with BBC Worldwide that would create value for both parties.”
He is also right when he says top-slicing would damage BBC output, reduce accountability and compromise independence. It would he says become a slush fund. As I said, once it has been done once it will be done again. A Conservative government will not be able to keep its hands off of it (“did someone say there’s a big pot of money around?”). The temptation will be too great: Digital Britain will have provided all the justification that it needs.
That is why top slicing must be rejected.
Lyons is also right when he says that the move would lead to the licence fee being seen as another form of general taxation. He says the BBC Trust will not sit quietly by and watch this happen.
“In particular, the Trust is not convinced of the proposal in the Digital Britain report to apply any of the surplus to fund a second regional news operation. There has not yet been a full and open debate about the suggested costs of these services, and it appears that the current proposals have failed to take into account potential sources of commercial funding as well as alternative sources of public funding.”
