Dyke Warns Against Americanisation Of British Television
BBC director general, Greg Dyke, has launched an attack on the increasing Americanisation of British broadcasting and has warned that television is too important to be left entirely to market forces.
Speaking in New York yesterday, Dyke emphasised the need for a strong, publicly funded broadcaster at the heart of the British broadcasting and stressed that television is not “just another commodity” like Starbucks or Coca-Cola.
He argued that the BBC is vital as a catalyst for competition, quality and creativity and warned that relying on market forces could jeopardise the kind of television that people have a right to expect in their society – “TV which reflects their culture and their lives.”
“Television is only different from coffee or coke if we recognise that fact. If we treat TV like these things, it will become like them. We end up with nothing more than a briefly enjoyable experience devoid of any lasting value.” He said.
The BBC director general warned against the increasing Americanisation of British television in light of the Government’s recently passed Communications Act, which clears the way for US companies to buy any of the UK’s commercial broadcasters (see Parliament Finally Green Lights Communications Act).
He dismissed the recent criticism levelled at the Corporation (see BBC Should Sell Its Most Popular Programmes) and argued that its role was more vital than ever amid the continuing shake-up of subscription television and the advent of discussions on charter renewal.
Dyke warned that any move to cut the BBC out of the equation would have a detrimental effect on British broadcasting. He claimed that programming would evolve into a commodity rather than something of intrinsic value and warned that unbiased and challenging news would be the first to suffer.
He said: “Without the BBC the UK broadcasting industry would follow natural market forces to maximise profit by increasing the amount of imported programming with less money than original programming.”
The BBC will face the most extensive review in its history as charter renewal approaches. Culture Secretary, Tessa Jowell, insists the review will “look afresh at the shape and purposes of the BBC” amid growing criticism over the role of its governors and its use of the licence fee (see Government Details Root And Branch Review Of BBC).
BBC: 020 8743 8000 www.bbc.co.uk
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