Broadcast News

Bookmark and Share
16/03/2001

OFCOM TO HAVE SEPARATE CONTENT FUNCTION

A REPORT from the Select Committee on Culture, Media and Sport has partially supported a call by BECTU for new regulatory body OFCOM to have a separate section to deal with content issues.
Recognising the difference between economic decisions and content regulation matters that would apply within OFCOM, the report calls for the new regulator's structure to be debated by Parliament, with a recommendation that there should be "greater lay involvement in content regulation".
However, BECTU's views on control of media ownership found less favour with the Committee. The report rejected the union's view that the government should keep cross-media ownership rules limiting newspaper holdings in television companies, with BECTU said to be simply supporting the status quo.
Plans to exclude the BBC from the new regulatory framework, supported by BECTU, were questioned by the Committee, who described as "absurd" the argument that Parliamentary scrutiny of the Corporation would be diminished if it were overseen by OFCOM.
The report noted that BECTU had sought to emphasise the need to “ensure such obligations were maintained in practice, with particular regard to regional news and the contribution of regional production to network programming”.
The report further urged that the right to approve new BBC digital channels should be transferred from the Department of Culture, Media, and Sport, citing Chris Smith's decision to delay a review of BBC News 24 until after the general election as an example of political interference.
Ever since the BBC's continuous news channel began broadcasting, it has been viewed as a favourite kicking stool for members of the Committee.
Public service broadcasting was given qualified support by the Committee, but the report threw out BECTU's view that any relaxation of quality and diversity obligations would lead to a fall in programme standards.
Instead, the report set out three principles for Public Service Broadcasting (PSB) - firstly, public service is not provided only by the recognised terrestrial broadcasters, and equally, not all the output of BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5 qualifies for the description. Secondly, the costs of providing public service should be transparently measured, and compared against "other means of achieving the desired ends".
Thirdly, and the most alarming, in the opinion of BECTU, for current PSB broadcasters, is the principle that provision of public service content from "whatever source" is more important than protecting the "privileges of certain broadcasters".
OFCOM, said the Committee, should be responsible for an annual audit of progress towards analogue switch off, and a leaflet on digital TV should be distributed to every household, followed by a public information campaign on free-to-air channels.
Along with other submissions on the White Paper from organisations, the report from the Select Committee will be considered by Ministers at the DTI and DCMS.
The new Communications Bill is likely to feature in the legislative programme of the next government if Labour are re-elected, and the proposed changes could become law within the next year. (CD/SP)
Solidmate Ltd Memory Card Hire London

Top Related Stories
Click here for the latest broadcast news stories.

21/04/2023
Qvest Strengthens Position In Australia And New Zealand
Qvest is strengthening its position in Australia and New Zealand through the integration of tm stagetec systems. With the new Qvest Australia hub, the
19/04/2023
Avid Launches New Partner Program
Avid® has launched a new partner program, Works with Avid On Demand, that enables customers to expand their workflow capabilities through a growing ra
21/01/2009
BECTU Website Gets Major Upgrade
The independent trade union for those working in broadcasting, film, theatre, entertainment, leisure, interactive media and allied areas, BECTU is goi
03/02/2004
Bectu condemns BBC 'cull' following Hutton Report
Bectu has called for a halt to the wave of BBC resignations that followed the Hutton Report. Regretting the departure of Director-General Greg Dyke, w
06/05/2003
Relph Report criticised by BECTU
BECTU have criticised the Film Council's Relph Report on low budget UK films. Whilst BECTU's initial response congratulates the Film Council for spark
08/03/2024
New Actus Multiviewer And AI Products To Be Unveiled At 2024 NAB Show
Actus Digital has productised the six specialty areas within its platform to now also offer each as an affordable standalone product. After significan
05/03/2024
Alfalite Launches New UHD Finepix LED Panels
Alfalite has announced the market launch of the new Alfalite UHD Finepix AlfaCOB® fixed installation LED panels with pixel pitch from 0.6 to 1.8mm. Th
05/03/2024
Glensound To Unveil New And Upgraded Products
Glensound is demonstrating its agility by introducing new and upgraded products much influenced by customer feedback. AoIP is now an essential ingredi
04/03/2024
d&b Group Opens New Immersive Technology Experience Centre
d&b group has opened a new immersive technology experience centre (ITEC), located at the world-renowned Science Museum in London, itself famed as a ce
29/02/2024
Atlona Is Now Shipping Two New Accessories
Atlona is now shipping two new accessories to help installers establish connectivity and simplify installations in learning and meeting spaces. The ac
29/02/2024
Ateliere Offers New Complimentary Professional Services
Ateliere Creative Technologies has launched a new complimentary Professional Services offering that provides assessments for studios, broadcasters, po
24/10/2023
New York's CMSI Invests In New Cablecast System
Cablecast Community Media, a division of Tightrope Media Systems, has announced New York's Community Media of Staten Island (CMSI) has invested in a n
01/08/2002
ITV issue response to joint committee report
Following the publication of the Report of the Joint Committee on the draft Communications Bill, Clive Jones, Joint Managing Director of ITV, said: “I
24/05/2002
ITC report to committee on Communications Bill
The Independent Television Commission (ITC) have published evidence prepared for the Joint Scrutiny Committee on the draft Communications Bill. Settin
22/10/2019
The DPP Releases New Report
The DPP has announced the development of a proof of concept to demonstrate how component-based workflows using IMF (the Interoperable Master Format) c