Broadcasters Must Work To Restore Viewers Trust

Michael Grade, ITV’s new executive chairman, has said that broadcasters must work to eradicate lapses in editorial programming standards, at a speech today at the Royal Television Society in London.

Grade said there was a “casual contempt” for audiences, which has crept into UK broadcasting, and this must be stamped out.

He added that recent events, such as issues surrounding the participation TV sector or wider editorial issues with programme integrity, should “sound a wake-up call” to all broadcasters and that viewer trust is not valued enough.

Grade proposed that broadcasters remember that “audiences and ratings are not the same thing”.

“We must continually remind ourselves that the trust which our audiences have in our fair dealing as broadcasters is not negotiable, whatever the pressure – editorial or financial,” he said.

“As our different screens are increasingly invaded by new unlicensed video services of variable authenticity, trust and integrity must be one of the crucial distinguishing features of what we offer,” Grade added.

Viewers’ trust in broadcasters has been at an all-time low of late, after several scandals – from the Celebrity Big Brother race row (see Channel 4 Reveals Big Brother Charity Beneficiaries) to the TV phone-in quiz show scandals (see Hanging On The Telephone).

The participation TV sector in particular has been under close scrutiny of late, with new rules introduced by Icstits and Ofcom, after alarming issues surrounding a selection of programmes came to light in the first half of 2007 (see Broadcasters May Need To Apply For Call-TV Licences).

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