GEITF 2002: Thompson Outlines New Vision For Channel 4
Channel 4’s chief executive, Mark Thompson, has criticised British television for being “dull mechanical and samey” and has outlined his plans to reinvigorate TV as a creative medium.
Delivering the annual MacTaggart lecture at this year’s Guardian Edinburgh International TV Festival, Thompson attacked “risk-averse” broadcasters for their “pervasive sense of predictability” and warned that Government plans to liberalise media ownership regulations could threaten the future of Channel 4.
The newly appointed chief executive outlined plans for a major shake-up at Horseferry road and said that extra funds might be needed to protect Channel 4’s core programming budget if it is to survive in the newly deregulated marketplace.
Thompson praised the originality of programmes such as Teachers, 24 and The Book Club, but criticised television’s lack of adventure, saying “the idea that British TV is teeming with that kind of creative risk is a joke.”
According to the former BBC director of programmes, terrestrial television in this country has become defined by a “culture of conservatism” which has led to imported MTV and HBO productions such as Sex In The City, The Osbournes and Jackass becoming the most groundbreaking shows on British TV. He said: “British TV used to be famous for risk taking. Now we’re clearly lagging behind American TV.”
Thompson said that programming directors like ITV’s outgoing David Liddiment (see Liddiment Quits ITV Director Of Channels Role), who has been a vociferous critic of the increasingly ratings hungry BBC (see Liddiment Defends Risk Taking), should not blame their problems on others, but should focus on creativity in an increasingly competitive and fragmented marketplace.
He admitted that Channel 4 had been distracted by its ambitious digital plans and had neglected its core business. However, he indicated that major changes were in the pipeline, saying: “The public don’t want tired programmes from Britain’s most innovative broadcaster.”
In what was a wide-ranging speech, Thompson suggested that Channel 4 is uniquely placed among UK broadcasters to reinvigorate TV as a creative medium. He said: “The purpose of Channel 4 is to be the creative space in the centre of British TV, where new ideas, new genres, new kinds of programmes can be invented; to be the place where new talent and new opinions can find their voice; to be on the side of iconoclasts, the awkward squad, the rule breakers.”
In order to achieve this Thompson outlined plans to decentralise editorial decision-making and vowed to be braver in the scheduling of programmes. He said that operations would be streamlined across the board and that the channel’s cost base would be reduced by a third on 2000 levels to deliver an additional £30 million annually to invest in programming.
However, he made it clear that this may not be enough to secure the future of Channel 4, arguing that the effects of deregulation in the forthcoming Communications Bill could undermine the channel’s ability to deliver its public service remit.
He dismissed a return to the old funding formula, whereby Channel 4’s programming budget was underwritten by ITV, but said that the Government should consider methods of additional funding for the broadcaster.
Thompson concluded his speech by acknowledging that he would not be judged by his words but by his actions and vowed to make Channel 4 the “cultural catalyst” for the future of UK broadcasting.
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Reports on this year’s Guardian Edinburgh International TV Festival will appear on NewsLine throughout the week.