Abramsky Defends BBC Radio Ahead Of Charter Renewal
The BBC’s director of radio and music, Jenny Abramsky, has defended the Corporation’s radio operations in a keynote speech to this year’s Radio Festival in Birmingham.
Addressing the audience, the radio boss described the past year as turbulent, declaring that the Hutton inquiry and its aftermath had “plunged the BBC into crisis” and that the difficulties facing the Corporation were now compounded by impending charter renewal.
The radio boss said: “BBC charters have always been about radio. During the 80 years of BBC history there have been only seven charters, the seventh ushered in digital radio.”
Outlining the BBC’s commitment to radio and the developments it has spearheaded, Abramsky waxed lyrical over the Corporation’s new digital stations, but was quick to give credit to their commercial rivals. She said: “Commercial radio has been central for growth, with new stations and formats and investment in DAB digital radio. I applaud commercial radio’s commitment and innovation, but the BBC must move radio forward.”
On the topic of charter renewal, Abramsky said: “The BBC has to make the case for public service broadcasting in a world of multi-channel radio.” She also claimed that the BBC’s services were diverse enough to warrant continued public funding, stating: “Being a public service broadcaster brings responsibility to serve the young and the old because they all pay their licence fee not just those the commercial broadcasters don’t want to serve.”
The radio chief also revealed a new audience measurement system to rate the popularity of its online and on demand services. Abramsky stated that, since the last charter renewal made no mention of online services, more effort must be made to quantify the Corporation’s investment. She said: “From autumn I am going to publish the BBC’s online streaming and on-demand usage. We will publish this on the web.”
Closing her address, Abramsky hit back at calls from many media commentators for the licence fee to be abolished, stating: “I know that some think the BBC should be funded by another source other than the licence fee, but its independence is its greatest asset. Public service broadcasting puts the viewers and listeners interests first.”
The BBC’s contribution to public service broadcasting in the UK was put under the spotlight recently by Ofcom. In the watchdog’s first PSB review both the BBC and its commercial stablemates were criticised for neglecting news and current affairs content and for dumbing down schedules (see Ofcom Paints Bleak Picture Of Public Service Broadcasting).
Radio Academy: 020 7255 2010 www.radioacademy.org
Recent Radio Stories from NewsLine Television Will Lead Switch To Digital Radio DAB Broadcasters Face Threat From Ipod Generation Elstein Sets Out Optimistic Vision For Commercial Radio
Subscribers can access ten years of media news and analysis in the Archive