CRCA Issues New Proposals For BBC Charter
Media watchdog Ofcom has received another suggestion on the regulation of the BBC, ahead of the Charter Renewal due in 2006 from the Commercial Radio Companies Association (CRCA) proposing a three-pronged approach to re-shuffle the Corporation’s approach to governance and regulation.
CRCA has published an independent paper from international governance expert, Stilpon Nestor, which examines the future governance and regulation of the BBC. The paper concludes that the BBC currently has no body whose sole purpose is to represent the interests of the licence fee payers.
Nestor suggests the creation of ‘Ourbeeb’ which would take over key ownership functions currently performed by the DCMS and Governors, including reviewing the public service remit of the BBC, setting new conditions for new services, and either approving, or playing an important role in the approval of new services.
As a result of ‘Ourbeeb’ it is suggested that the BBC’s Board of Governors and its executives should morph into a unitary board, which would be dedicated to the effective management and enthusiastic championing of the BBC.
Nestor also puts forward the idea that, Ofcom’s current regulatory remit should be expanded to address ex ante competition issues, and to bring regulation of the BBC’s output into line with other broadcasters.
Commenting on the new proposals, Paul Brown, chief executive of the CRCA, said: “We are excited by the ideas presented in this paper. They seem to us to represent an excellent way to bring the governance and regulation of the BBC into line with modern international best practice. Importantly, they present a framework by which each of the three discrete roles currently performed by the BBC Governors, those of ownership, management and regulation, could be best handles by the most appropriate agency.”
Earlier this year former Five chief and CRCA chairman executive David Elstein called for the BBC’s licence fee to be abolished and for rivals broadcasters to be allowed to bid for funding to make public service programmes (see Tory Report Calls For Reduction Of BBC Licence Fee).
The Incorporated Society of British Advertisers has used its charter review submission to call on the Government to stop the BBC using its ‘massive licence-fee funding’ to compete with commercial broadcasters. ISBA argues that the BBC’s annual £116 licence fee is ‘inequitable and unsustainable’ within the multi-channel landscape and supports Elstein’s calls for a new public service fund for all broadcasters (see ISBA Calls For Government To Take Action Against BBC).
BBC: 020 8743 8000 www.bbc.co.uk CRCA: 0207 306 2603 www.crca.co.uk
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