Changing the Channel: A case for radical reform of the Public Service Broadcasting in the UK

Acknowledgements

Throughout the writing of this report I have been helped enormously by the input and comments of Anna Fazackerley and Natalie Evans at Policy Exchange. In particular, the paper has beneﬁted to a considerable extent from Anna’s persistent questioning of the arguments and evidence provided and help in making the document accessible, hopefully, to readers who may not be familiar with the history and detail of public service broadcasting in the UK. I have also received helpful comments on early drafts from Jeremy Mayhew and Peter Phillips. Lastly I would like to thank my colleagues at Oliver & Ohlbaum Associates and my partner, Rachael Young, who have shown remarkable patience over the last 9 months as I have drafted and redrafted versions of this report often at very odd hours of the day. Mark Oliver – December 2009

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Changing the Channel: A case for radical reform of the Public Service Broadcasting in the UK

Published on Jan 14, 2010

Policy Exchange

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By Mark Oliver Edited by Anna Fazackerley The current UK Broadcasting system which was set up in the 1950s is struggling to keep up with the extraordinary changes of the digital age. It is clear that the 20th century analogue institutions that were created are now worryingly out of date. This report warns that public service broadcasting needs to be radically overhauled if it is to survive in the new digital age. It calls for the BBC to place quality before ratings, and stop spending huge resources on sports rights, programmes for 16 to 35 year olds and popular entertainment, which other channels would deliver anyway. Instead of crowding out commercial schemes, the BBC management should spend up to 5% of total licence fee income on co-funding PSB programmes on other channels.

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