A seminar aiming to widen involvement in debate about communications reform will be hosted jointly by the Independent Television Commission (ITC) and Public Voice on Tuesday 16 January. The event, chaired by Jon Snow, follows the publication late last year of the government’s Communications White Paper (see White Paper Paves Way For Communications “Revolution”), which could bring about some of the biggest changes in broadcasting for ten years.
ITC chief executive, Patricia Hodgson, commented, “Whilst the key players in the communications sector have commented widely on the issues addressed in the White Paper, perhaps not enough has been heard from citizens and consumers.”
Public Voice is a new voluntary sector campaign which hopes to counteract this. It has been established to secure regulation in the public interest and to give the voluntary sector and other interested parties a chance to voice the concerns of those they represent.
The seminar will also be used by the ITC as a platform to present results of a research and consultation process undertaken to establish attitudes of viewers, including children, towards Public Service Broadcasting.
Speakers will include Patricia Hodgson and the chair of Public Voice, Christine Kent. A panel debate will be held, with the panel consisting of Paddy Coulter, of the Media Trust and 3WE, Barry Cox, deputy chair of Channel 4, Sarah Thane, ITC director of programmes and cable and a representative from the voluntary sector.
The pre-seminar debate will take place at 9.30am and the seminar at 10.30am at the Royal Society of Arts. A limited number of tickets are available from the ITC.
ITC: 020 7255 3000 www.itc.org.uk Public Voice: 07778 271361 The Media Trust: 07980 212814 www.mediatrust.org
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