Channel 5 director of programmes Dawn Airey has defended the broadcaster's successful bid to cut its original production quotas by 120 hours a year (Broadcast, 4.6.99).

C5's total minimum requirement for original

Channel 5 director of programmes Dawn Airey has defended the broadcaster's successful bid to cut its original production quotas by 120 hours a year (Broadcast, 4.6.99).

C5's total minimum requirement for original productions drops from 52.7 per cent to 51.3 per cent of its output following changes to its licence approved by the Independent Television Commission last Wednesday (2 June).

The revised licence comes into effect immediately.

Areas of original production affected include entertainment, sport, current affairs and drama. It is the fifth time C5's licence has been altered since it began broadcasting in March 1997 and the third time production quotas have been cut from the original level of 57 per cent.

Airey said the revised licence would allow the broadcaster to produce better quality programmes on a bigger budget.

'We got what we wanted,' she said. 'We have only got£70 million (a year) to spend on original programming and this will enable me to increase the budgets for the original programmes that we have got left.'

Airey said the revised licence would allow her to commission longer runs of entertainment shows such as Fort Boyard and more 60-minute documentaries with a budget of about£60,000.

The changes come after C5 fell short of its original drama production quota for the second successive year. In 1998 it aired only three-and-a-half hours of original drama, excluding its weekday soap, Family Affairs, against a licence requirement of 18 hours. This commitment has now been cut to 12.

An ITC spokesman said the station had undertaken to 'maintain a diverse schedule but will focus more on areas the channel has established are attractive to viewers'.

C5 is expected to show more documentary and features, news, films and children's shows.

Leader, page 15.