Competing future visions of the BBC

This has been an interesting week for those interested in the future of broadcasting, with two vision of the BBC’s future being laid out, first by the Adam Smith Institute and secondly by Labour leadership candidate David Milliband and former Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell.

The Adam Smith Institute, a right leaning think tank and is keen for the BBC to shrink back to a core service. The report was written by David Graham, a former BBC employee and calls for an end of the license fee to be replaced by a subscription because it penalises the poorest, privatisation of some BBC radio stations and a new regulation framework among many things

The press release states ‘This report, by media expert and former BBC producer David Graham, argues that the TV Licence Fee should be abolished, and that the BBC should instead become a subscription service. The report makes a number of points against the Licence Fee, but also makes a more positive case for reform, suggesting that shifting to a voluntary subscription model would encourage the BBC to compete with the big US studios, export more high quality content overseas, and spark significant growth in the UK broadcasting industry and its contribution to the wider economy.

While over at the Labour leaning Progress website, the option being floated is to turn the BBC into a Co-operative.

They state ‘Under a mutual model, membership of the BBC could be open to everyone who pays the licence fee. Members could have the right to elect representatives to a members' council that would elect a majority of members of the BBC Trust. This would give licence fee payers a way to democratic voice in the priorities of the BBC.

Greater public engagement with members could also take place via the website, to ensure the BBC was providing responsive services. With those running the BBC directly accountable to their members, they would have a clear mandate to canvas licence fee payers on all major policy decisions. Ideas like this should be considered as major questions about the future of media policy are confronted in the coming months and years.'

What both have in common is the need for more accountability from the BBC something few could argue with.

And normally when these ideas are floated they cause a few ripples and then disappear without a trace, but with the Coalition government committed to changing the UK’s broadcasting rules its important to know who is saying what and who is supporting each idea.

Whether these changes or others get the go ahead it will have an impact here in Wales, especially with BBC Wales being such a major provider of news and entertainment in English and Welsh plus it’s vital to make sure we the Welsh viewers and listeners are kept up to date with developments of the BBC future and the battles that lie ahead.Any source