There is a new urgency to debates about the future of public broadcasting. The first question we should be asking is not how the BBC can be saved from its enemies on the right, but more constructively, what kind of public media organisation would best meet the technological and political challenges of the 21st century?
I assume, as the BBC is to be saved from its enemies on the right, that the right is to be excluded from public services?
This is [Lord Hall’s] legacy: the further embedding of commercial culture and the further erosion of the BBC’s political independence and capacity for impartial journalism.
Apparently the outgoing D-G has shifted the BBC to the right from its traditional neutrality. This may come as a surprise to hard right bigots and racists.
How I weep with Victoria Derbyshire.
This is a hilarious article. How is it possible for anyone to write drivel such as this?
“The corporation has been thoroughly integrated into the market, and its senior executives are positively enthusiastic about this”
They make it impossible to access their back catalogue – who would not want to watch their output of the 70s and 80s rather than the crap they spew out now. They have no clue how to market themselves
With circa £4bn in free money why the hell would they change?
Tom Mills appears to be surreptitiously making your argument Tim. The G’s subs being too thick to notice.
BTW it’s easy to opt out of the licence fee by filling in the online form. Even though I answered question 3 honestly (“Are you blind?”) I haven’t been visited or had any follow up.
I wonder what Richie thinks of a poll tax that exposes the poor to the risk of imprisonment when tax dodgers almost never do time.
Just watched Series 12, Episode 3 of Dr Who, pure, unadulterated global warming propaganda. They are completely killing the show. It seems every drama the BBC makes this day has to have a left wing political theme.
Article written by a lecturer in sociology at “Aston University”.
Peter Simple would have approved.
“The response to state strong-arming has to be based on a vision of genuinely representative institutions, accountable to citizens, not politicians; on a vision of a system that is democratic and truly representative of the society it serves in all its diversity. ”
How do these people go from “state strong-arming” and “accountable to citizens, not politicians”, to then being against markets? Markets are the ultimate accountable to citizens, not only lots of choice, but being able to rapidly change choices. They meet the demand of Wolfie Smith raising a fist in the air and saying “power to the people”. Mrs Miggins in Clacton gets to pick between Netflix, Hallmark and Rocco Siffredi. With the cost of the gear, and how easy it is to push to YouTube, it’s wildly democratised.
You can’t even say that the BBC is pushing the envelope. Most of it is not The Ascent of Man. It’s Antique Hunt and cookery competitions.
We should be able to choose content we value, rather than be subjected to the incessant nudging of commercial platforms
They wrote that without irony. These wet-fish twats have no insight into themselves at all.
They needn’t worry, for sadly there’s no way Boris will get rid of the license / BBC.
Sell it, bit by bit. And just to show some socialist solidarity with the masses, confiscate its pension fund assets.
If this is the best justification they can come up with the BBC is doomed
“confiscate its pension fund assets.”
The nine biggest components of which are shares in Facebook, Tencent Holdings (Chinese internet), Alphabet (owner of Google), Alibaba, Amazon, Illumina Inc (manufacturer of integrated systems for genetic & biological functions), BP, Microsoft and Tesla.
£337.1m invested in evil capitalist companies.
‘not how the BBC can be saved from its enemies on the right, but more constructively’
They view the right as impotent. So far, they are correct.
Diogenes:
For the most part the TV studio programmes of the past which involved actors were made under very limiting contracts – often the fees paid covered, typically, two screenings over a couple of years. This means that screening them now involves negotiating new contracts with every actor, or their heirs if you can find them, who appeared in every episode. This is obviously very time-consuming and expensive and is unlikely to be undertaken for anything other than the programmes most likely to be popular. For example Dad’s Army.
This can be criticized as being extremely short-sighted but few people before home video and multiple channels devoted to repeats saw any long-term financial value in paying more. Don’t forget that it wasn’t so long before – and within the working lives of those making the decisions – that most TV programmes weren’t recorded at all, they just disappeared, like live theatre.
To be fair to the BBC (reluctantly) most ITV programmes were made under similar contracts and the unions were very much against any other form of contract and they were extremely powerful at the time.
The major exception to this rule were the filmed series made by Lew Grade’s ITC a subsidiary of ATV. They were made very much like feature films in film studios and under “buy out” contracts, where the actors received a flat fee. Grade did this because he was very much aware of foreign sales. Being shot on 35mm film meant that they looked great on any foreign TV system and there were no extra fees paid to actors for foreign screenings, as there was with TV Studio shows.
That’s why it’s far easier to screen The Saint or UFO than it is Paul Temple or Adam Adamant.
Grade’s approach also meant that the programmes had much more of an afterlife and there was more incentive to preserve them. It also avoided one problem with shooting on videotape – the temptation to record newer programmes over old ones.
Appalling as the current BBC lot are, they are in this particular case hamstrung by the decisions of their predecessors.
“£337.1m invested in evil capitalist companies.”
Evil capitalist companies are the best kind of companies.
“The corporation has been thoroughly integrated into the market
And yet I still have to pay for it even if I don’t want it.
You don’t have to inform anyone. Just stop paying the telly tax. You might get frequent threatening letters, but they can be safely ignored. And if a goon from crapita turns up at your door asking why you haven’t paid, just tell them to fuck off (or if it’s raining, let them stand there getting wet while you refuse to answer every question – much more entertaining than anything broadcast by the BBC)
@DocBud. Quite agree on Dr Who. The preachy speech was excruciating.
Dr Who now reminds me of the Sylvester McCoy years in terms of the story quality.
Time for a 15 year pause again, I think.
I don’t remember being an enemy of the BBC before they declared war on me and my ilk.
JS; Dear John – the sitcom about the singles club, “were there any, sexual problems?” with a character named Kirk St Moritz. Quite popular upon broadcast, but limited repeat showings and largely forgotten about today. The issue being that they used songs by various popular beat combos as background-cum-incidental music pretty much throughout, including an episode where the accountant character decided to run a mobile disco.
But the rights acquired to those songs for the show were fairly limited. So, no repeat runs, video or DVD release, no streaming.
Guido is reporting that BBC News division has just announced 450 job losses. That’s just the News division. Let’s hope it’s only the tip of the iceberg.
Unfortunately it’s probably only the guys with cameras and sound mikes getting the chop – the ‘talent’ will likely keep their bloated pay packets – but it would be nice to start a rumour that it was all ‘cos of that bint winning her equal pay dispute.
Reinforces? No, Confirms
Sell all of it and new BBC has one TV, one Radio channel plus World Service radio & TV
@TMB
Yes, the writer contradicts himself “right want ended” and “Lord Hall made it right wing”; normal Left crap
What’s wrong with BBC? Zero to 39,000 Viewers and ~£250,000 salary
BBC Victoria Derbyshire is Cancelled
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7EjLWgBTWc
I watched once when interviewing someone, maybe Farage. An aggressive, openly biased harridan. As Akkad says, a bitch. Good riddance. Nicky “baiting” Campbell next for chop?
or maybe this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VqZbmmqSc4
@DocBud, Raffles
Since Capaldi resigned, not watched. Decided to have a look recently and watched S12E03. As you say, unadulterated Left wing, SJW, global warming propaganda
Sylvester McCoy – I have always believed BBC chose him so they could end Doctor Who
@rhoda
+1
The dek says “We should be able to choose content we value, rather than be subjected to the incessant nudging of commercial platforms” which means “I should be able to choose content I value, because I am a Guardian journalist and therefore better than you plebs.”
Bernie G,
I assume, as the BBC is to be saved from its enemies on the right, that the right is to be excluded from public services?
I was listening to Laurence Fox on the Delingpod (I knew he was sound well before the latest brouhaha following his QT appearance, and he was saying he never gets approached by the BBC (QT being independent) and never expects to. But then he says he never watches their crap either.
If Steve was a porridge wog:
“Fugitive of the Judoon” – Doctor Who’s most stunning and brave episode ever
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_-hqqcS_xg
(some great reviews in a similar vein on that channel)
@ BiW
Yep, best way to deal with the Beeb Tax is to not pay it. As you say, changes of Crapita turning up are slim (especially my way as they have to come down a long unmade track).
I note that the BBC’s supporters have stopped making what they imagined was their clinching argument: the BBC makes content the commercial stations won’t because it’s not profitable. Even they haven’t failed to notice the BBC is wall to wall cheap fillers and rip-offs from commercial stations.
@PJF
I recently discovered The Critical Drinker – he’s hilarious.
Aye, Jonathan. Though I think he owes a bit to Mr Plinkett:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgWcNsdmoyE
@BiND January 30, 2020 at 8:34 am
Agree. Also progs that would have been on BBC2 are now on BBC4; move back to 2, shut 4 = £44million saved. All the new BBC Rs are another waste of £10s of millions pa
In equality Britain why is Women’s hour still broadcast and women’s hours & hours & hours on World service?