‘BBC Is Monopolistic And Anti-Competitive’ Says Kelvin MacKenzie

At last night’s Media Tel Media Question Time, Talk Radio’s CEO Kelvin MacKenzie made no secret of his contempt for the BBC, and its monopolistic position in the media industry.

Speaking in the BBC’s own Radio Theatre, MacKenzie expressed delight at the concept of the BBC being dismantled, and looked forward to the dismemberment of the licence fee within his lifetime. He feels that it is bad enough he has to deal with a monopolistic state-funded body which “is killing him”, – preventing him from increasing his revenues at Talk by using licence-payers money to outbid him on sports rights.

He added that the last thing he needed was to have to compete with the BBC for advertising revenues, demanding that, should the BBC ever be permitted to carry advertising, it ought to be privatised first:

“I don’t want them also to have the damn right to take advertising revenues as well. If they want to come into the real world, be my guest – I’d love to take you guys on – on a straight surface – but that doesn’t happen. You want it all your own way.”

“I think the BBC is fundamentally anti-competitive, and someday I will prove it’s anti-competitive.”

The charismatic CEO put his own question to the audience, asking how many people would pay the £100 BBC fee if it were not a legal requirement. Despite his imposing arguments about half the audience dared to raise a hand.