Ofcom Paints Bleak Picture Of Public Service Broadcasting
Ofcom’s review of public service broadcasting in the UK has painted a damning picture of the content currently offered by terrestrial broadcasters and has made a number of recommendations for urgent remedies to the situation.
The recently formed media super-regulator questioned more than 6,000 people and analysed five years of programming for the review, which examined viewers attitudes towards public service broadcasting.
It found that viewers were generally pleased with the provision of news programming from terrestrial broadcasters, but felt that television lacked innovation and original ideas, relied too much on copycat programming and occasionally talked down to audiences.
There were also strong concerns raised that programme schedulers are currently failing to provide an viewing environment that could protect children from unsuitable content in pre-watershed time slots.
Viewers felt that closer scrutiny of the current taste and decency standards needed to be undertaken, but recognised that some early-evening programmes have an important social role to play in airing complex and controversial issues. Ofcom has pledged to undertake a thorough review of the different approaches to regulation in the area.
The main terrestrial television channels are required under the Government’s recently passed Communications Act to deliver programmes that cover a wide range of subject matters. They must meet the needs of different audiences, inform and entertain, as well as support cultural minorities in the UK.
However, Ofcom claims that a number of these requirements are currently not being met and singled out the BBC for its increasingly competitive approach to programming and its aggressive scheduling tactics (see IPA Report Deplores Aggressive And Commercial BBC).
The regulator concludes that public service broadcasting needs to be more widely received to be effective. It claims this could be remedied by breaking away from narrow obligations specifying hours of certain types of programming across the schedule and instead pushing PSB content into more mainstream offerings.
Ofcom believes that the BBC should use its ‘unique and privileged’ funding status to make programmes that always strive to reflect the broad purposes and character of public service broadcasting to some degree. However, it recognised that not every programme shown by the main commercial terrestrial channels could always reflect these purposes and characteristics.
The regulator recommends that the BBC ‘reaffirm its position as the standard setter for delivering the highest quality PSB’. It calls on the Corporation’s governors to take the lead in ensuring the broadcaster addresses the concerns raised over derivative formats, aggressive scheduling and a balanced schedule in peak viewing hours.
The review suggests that moves towards pay-per-view television could increase public service viewing. It states: “Where a high cost of delivery is associated with low viewing figures, it will be harder to justify continued public intervention. Alternative means of funding, such as subscription, should be considered for these services.”
Ofcom’s report also highlighted the need for progress towards digital switchover and emphasised that a new model of public service broadcasting regulation will need to emerge during the next five years. It stated: “If new institutions are to be created, or older ones reformed to play an effective role in the digital world, development should begin now rather than at the point of digital switchover.”
Commenting on the review, Ofcom chief executive, Stephen Carter, said: “This review makes it clear that television in this country is thriving and changing. We and the broadcasters must prepare our public service broadcasting for the digital future.”
Ofcom’s report forms the first stage of a larger review that will define the future of output from the BBC and commercial broadcasters. The BBC’s charter is also up for review in 2006 and has already sparked demands by some for a radical rethink of the Corporation’s funding (see UK Viewers Call For Change In Way BBC Is Funded).
Ofcom: 020 7981 3040 www.ofcom.org.uk
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