Davies Hits Back At BBC3 Delay
BBC chairman, Gavyn Davies, has criticised the Government’s decision to further delay the launch of BBC3, claiming that it could delay plans for the digital switchover.
Speaking at a meeting of the Westminster Media Forum yesterday, Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell, said that she would not approve BBC3, the digital channel aimed at 16-34 year-olds, until she received further assurances from the BBC about how much the channel would cost UK commercial broadcasters.
Jowell said that she wanted to be certain that the channel would be distinct from its rivals Sky One and E4 and would not have a detrimental impact on the “fragile” and “competitive market.”
In response to Jowell’s comments, Davies said: “Without BBC3, our digital proposition looks much less compelling and analogue switch-off looks that much further off.” He continued: “Every month that passes without getting permission to launch BBC3 is another month in which we cannot spend £80m on domestic production.”
The BBC currently estimates that BBC3 will cost the UK’s commercial broadcasters around £4m in revenues, but the ITC, which has been called in to mediate the decision, puts the figure at £25m (see BBC3 Could Cost Commercial Broadcasters £25m). Jowell said that she will not give BBC3 the go ahead until discrepancies between the two figures are resolved.
The decision will come as a blow to the BBC, which has also come under criticism for dumbing down its programming in order to compete with commercial broadcasters (see GEITF 2001 MacTaggart Lecture).
Responding to these accusations, Davies defended the BBC’s programming record, saying: “BBC One has not dramatically changed the mix and content of its programmes in the past 10 years. In fact, we are spending just as much as we have ever done on arts, science, history and current affairs, and we are showing more public service hours in peak time than we did five years ago.”
He said that criticism that the BBC is lowering its standards come from the same kind of people: “They tend to be southern, white, middle class, middle aged and well educated. Strangely enough, they are already the type of people who consume a disproportionate amount of the BBC’s services.”
A decision on BBC3 is expected soon after Easter. If the channel is approved strict limits are likely to be set on its entertainment output.
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