BBC Trust chairman publishes an open letter to licence fee payers
The BBC Trust chairman Sir Michael Lyons has published an open letter to BBC licence fee payers, which says viewers would rather see a reduction in the licence fee cost than see revenue shared among commercial broadcasters.
Lyons’ unprecedented move comes as the BBC prepares to fight Lord Carter’s proposal, as set out in the Digital Britain report, to top-slice some of the corporation’s licence fee to compensate ITV’s regional news service and help fund children’s programming.
In his letter, Lyons quotes the independent research carried out by Ipsos Mori, which the BBC commissioned, saying the public supports the BBC and would, if anything, like to see a reduction in the licence fee as opposed to surplus money being given out to commercial broadcasters.
Lyons also unveils details of a strategic review looking into what activities the BBC should focus on in the future, something that will be conducted by the BBC director general Mark Thompson.
His letter follows James Murdoch’s recent attack on the BBC in the MacTaggart Lecture at the Media Guardian Edinburgh International Television Festival.
Murdoch made it clear that he would be happy if the BBC were to lose some of its licence fee, saying he believes the corporation should be “much, much smaller” and shouldn’t feel it has to serve everyone and get involved with everything, a criticism aimed at the BBC’s recent Lonely Planet acquisition.
In what appears to be a response to Murdoch’s comments, Lyons said: “The BBC is not frightened of change but is clear that changes must be driven by what the public wants and not by commercial or political pressures. The seismic shifts currently taking place in the economy and in technology require us to think bigger, even though it may mean the BBC becoming smaller, and above all to ensure we really are delivering the BBC that licence fee payers want and are willing to pay for.”
In his letter, Lyons said he wanted to give the BBC’s Trust’s perspective on the debate about broadcasting and the role of the BBC.
He feels strongly that the BBC should concentrate on “working as a strong and generous partner with both established companies and new providers” rather than sharing its licence fee.
Talking about the upcoming review, Lyons said: “We also acknowledge that as digital change accelerates, so the need to reshape the BBC on behalf of the public becomes more pressing. That’s why, before the summer break, the Trust agreed with the director general that he should conduct a thorough review of what the BBC should concentrate on in the future.
“In particular we want this to consider whether the BBC is the right size and is operating within the right boundaries, what its role should be in a fully digital world, how it can support the wider industry and UK economy, and how it can provide more of the genuinely fresh and new programmes that audiences want.
“We want a BBC that is smarter, more efficient and no bigger than it needs to be. Above all, a BBC that maintains its independence, continues to be a trusted source of impartial news, produces great output and meets the high expectations you have of it.
“Around half of those asked would prefer the licence fee to be lowered by £5.50, compared to just six per cent who wanted additional money to be spent on regional news on other channels.
“That reinforces our concern about any attempt to use the licence fee to subsidise commercial operators, as proposed by the government in its Digital Britain report. This would weaken the BBC; threaten its independence; reduce accountability to licence fee payers and could in time lead to a bigger licence fee because it could merge with general taxation and be used for causes that have nothing to do with broadcasting.
“So we believe we have a clear message from licence fee payers and the Trust will press your case with the government,” the letter concluded.