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Culture Secretary rejects BBC funding changes

(June 2002)

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BB
BBC LDN
BBC NEWS ONLINE | UK POLITICS :: Wednesday 5 June 2002 0526 GMT 0626 UK
Jowell 'rejects' BBC funding shake-up


The BBC will continue to be funded by the television licence fee for the next 15 years, Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell has signalled.

Ms Jowell said the prospect of funding the corporation without the licence fee lied "somewhere between the improbable and the impossible".

In an interview with the Financial Times newspaper she appeared to rule out a radical overhaul in the BBC's funding.

Her comments sparked fury from shadow culture secretary, Tim Yeo, who branded her comments "absolutely astonishing".

The BBC is overwhelmingly funded by the £2.3bn a year it receives from TV households paying a £109 licence fee.

This is secure until 2006 when the corporation's current charter expires.

The government has indicated that between 2004 and end of the current charter it will consider alternative funding.

Options could include privatisation, subscription charges for viewers or turning the BBC into a mutual society.

But Ms Jowell's comments indicate the government will not pursue these, favouring the renewal of the charter for a further 10 years.

Ms Jowell told the newspaper she is proud of the BBC as a trusted broadcaster and the role it played in the Queen's Golden Jubilee.

Opposition critical

"When I say that this is a no holds barred charter renewal, it's a renewal not a deconstruction [of the BBC]," she said.

"The prospect of the UK without the BBC funded by the licence fee is anywhere between improbable to impossible because the BBC is one of the most loved and trusted UK institutions."

But Ms Jowell said she did not want to predict the outcome of a study which would involve widespread consultation with media exectutives.

Her comments infuriated the opposition.

Mr Yeo said they made a mockery of the impending review of the charter.

"In the 10 years since the last charter renewal the whole television and broadcasting sector has changed radically," he told the newspaper.

"To simply dismiss the alternative possibilities before the debate has taken place not only shows a closed mind but may also work against the interests of viewers and broadcasters."



Comments?

And can we please try not to turn this into the usual 'abolish the licence fee', 'tear up the BBC Royal Charter', 'get rid of the BBC' type debates that usually culminate from such news headlines...

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PE
peterrocket Founding member
On come on, your wanting comments on an article saying that the license fee is going to stay around for 15 years so of course your going to get comments from the side who say it should be abolished.

Is a a discussion on the future of the license fee, so it wouldn't be much point in it if people can't say they want rid of it.

For the record, I've mixed views on it. I'm getting more annoyed seeing sh*te like "In It To Win It" taking up almost an hour on a Saturday evening with it's pointless format that just does nothing but waste time.

Also, isn't the BBC giving away lots of money these days?

£90,000 last weekend on Dale's show, £15000 on THe Waiting Game, add The Weakest Link at about £2000 a day. Still alot of license fee payers money!

I don't want to pay my fee only to find it goes to Doreen from Spalding in some stupid Lottery show.
MG
MikeG
peterrocket posted:
On come on, your wanting comments on an article saying that the license fee is going to stay around for 15 years so of course your going to get comments from the side who say it should be abolished.

Is a a discussion on the future of the license fee, so it wouldn't be much point in it if people can't say they want rid of it.

For the record, I've mixed views on it. I'm getting more annoyed seeing sh*te like "In It To Win It" taking up almost an hour on a Saturday evening with it's pointless format that just does nothing but waste time.

Also, isn't the BBC giving away lots of money these days?

£90,000 last weekend on Dale's show, £15000 on THe Waiting Game, add The Weakest Link at about £2000 a day. Still alot of license fee payers money!

I don't want to pay my fee only to find it goes to Doreen from Spalding in some stupid Lottery show.


A hell of a lot of money is generated, however, by merchandise. This might pay for things like this. IIRC, The Tweenies made a hell of a lot for the BBC last year.

As for the abolision of the licence fee. I have mixed views on this but I think my view would be for it to be kept.
CW
cwathen Founding member
Quote:

As for the abolision of the licence fee. I have mixed views on this but I think my view would be for it to be kept

It's all very Tessa Jowell though. Basically 'We're not getting rid of the license fee because I don't want to' which is basically the same way in which she has consistantly blocked BBC3.

I can't consider it feasible to keep license fee funding going for 'at least another 15 years'. The pressure to abolish it will be far too great by that time. The next election manefesto is also likely to have to address the issue of complete changeover (or not) from analogue to digital broadcasting, and any TV oriented debate will have to address the BBC.

And in any case, I can't really believe that Tessa Jowell will still be the culture secretary in 2006, so by the time the charter comes up for renewal, it will probably not be up to her what happens to the licensee fee anyway.
SE
Square Eyes Founding member
I expect that Tessa Jowell will now become the darling of the BBC Brigade, for allowing the BBC to remain in it's safe little bubble of guaranteed funding for the next decade. I guess you'll let her off for BBC3 now.

Now, my views on this issue have been made clear on this subject before. There is a debate to be had here about the future of the BBC and its funding and about how the corporation makes use of these funds. I know my opinions are perhaps a little extremist, but I'm a reasonable person, and I am prepared to compromise.

Now, I could go along with the idea of a much reduced licence fee, say £55. This would give everyone BBC One, Two and the national and regional radio stations. It would also fund the news gathering operation of the BBC.

Where I do have a problem is all of these extra services that the BBC have tagged on over the last few years. Services which nobody wants. And we know nobody wants these because nobody watches them, however we have to fund them regardless if we watch them or are even able to receive them or not. Now, I don't have any problem with them exisiting or for the BBC to specialise or narrowcast, however this flirtation, under the guise of public service broadcasting should not be funded by the licence fee paying tax payer. So what I would propose is that News 24, BBC Choice, BBC 4, CBBC, CBeebies & Interactivity all form a subscription based package. Say for another £55 a year, you would be able to subscribe to this package as well.

So, £55 for BBC Basic, and an additional optional subscription of £55 for BBC Enhanced. BBC Enhanced could then carry sponsorship as well, and they would be free to develop additional services as they see fit funded entirely by the proceeds of these subscriptions.

I believe this is fairer, it allows the BBC to exist free to all via the licence fee for the essential public broadcasting services, with the additional option of subscribing if you want to the other channels.
WH
Whataday Founding member
square eyes posted:
I expect that Tessa Jowell will now become the darling of the BBC Brigade



And the hate figure for ITV Worshippers, eh! Laughing
SE
Square Eyes Founding member
Whataday posted:
square eyes posted:
I expect that Tessa Jowell will now become the darling of the BBC Brigade



And the hate figure for ITV Worshippers, eh! Laughing


No, I'm an ITV Idealist.
TS
tsunami_active
cwathen posted:
And in any case, I can't really believe that Tessa Jowell will still be the culture secretary in 2006, so by the time the charter comes up for renewal, it will probably not be up to her what happens to the licensee fee anyway.


The decision on the Charter is made early in 2004; she's got a fair chance of making that far if Wembley is finally sorted out.

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