MGEITF 2006: Channel 4 Boss Rejects Allen’s MacTaggart Criticism

Luke Johnson, chairman of Channel 4, has rejected the criticism that Charles Allen launched on the broadcaster in his MacTaggart lecture, insisting that Channel 4 had fulfilled its public service remit.

In a session at the MGEITF this weekend, scheduled after the outgoing ITV chief had suggested C4 needed an overhaul, Johnson suggested ITV stop concerning itself with Channel 4 and the BBC. “An awful lot [of the lecture] was about Channel 4 and the BBC,” he said. “[Allen] wasn’t talking about the elephant in the room – new media, new technology, changes that are impacting ITV.”

He hit out at his competitor: “[Channel 4 is] bolder in our programming than ITV by a long chalk. Despite having less resources [than ITV], we punch above our weight,” he said. “Obviously ITV is finding it quite painful at the moment. They are finding life quite difficult.”

He added: “I don’t think we are the source of ITV’s problems. There is a bit of a creative vacuum [at ITV],” he said. “TV is commerce but it’s also art, it’s entertainment. You need to take risks and I think they have failed to do that really.”

On the issue of privatising Channel 4, he said: “I think Channel 4 is a remarkable success story. I start from the initial premise, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. I think it works remarkably well as it is.”.

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