BBC makes case for PSB plurality
- Published: 25 June 2008 17:33
- Author: Katherine Rushton
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- Last Updated: 26 June 2008 15:05
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The BBC is trying to prevent the PSB debate from becoming a tug-of-war with Channel 4 by urging Ofcom to maintain "institutional plurality" in the new PSB landscape.
In its submission to Ofcom on Monday, the BBC argued that the health of PSB content in the UK depends not only on the range of suppliers, but also on the range of supplier models. It identified ITV and Five as "shareholder-focused, commercially funded institutions" compared with the commercially funded, not-for-profit broadcaster C4, and said that Ofcom has underplayed the importance of this diversity.
"We believe that Ofcom does not give enough prominence to the crucial role that institutional plurality has played in the success of the current PSB ecology," the BBC said. "If Ofcom is to embark on fashioning new mechanisms for intervention, it has to consider not only the sources of funding, but the nature and incentives of the different public and private institutions involved."
The BBC argued that PSB broadcasters' historically wide scope and remit has meant that public service delivery is "ingrained in their approach to broadcasting" - but warned that a move towards specific PSB funding may undermine these benefits.
The warning was echoed at a press conference on Monday by BBC Trust chairman Sir Michael Lyons who urged journalists to widen the focus of their coverage. "A lot of you are looking at this through one particular lens and I challenge you to consider if it is the right lens," he said.
The submission also included a proposal to share resources with rivals, including new production technologies and the expertise of BBC Worldwide to help them exploit content rights internationally. The corporation also offered to share regional news-gathering resources with ITV, and to shoulder the costs of extending the DAB network and running a marketing campaign for digital radio.
Director general Mark Thompson said the package could "transform the economics of the entire [broadcasting] sector", and reduce production costs at other broadcasters by 20%.
