صحافة دولية » BBC faces criticism in strategy review responses
Guardian
Maggie Brown
The BBC Trust set a deadline of 25 May for responses to director general Mark Thompson s strategy review, called Putting Quality First, published on 2 March.
BBC management s attempt to reposition itself before the next charter renewal has been dominated by reaction to one of its few pledges to cut services, 6 Music.
But the overall emphasis, to put quality first, do fewer things better, and reprioritise £600m a year in favour of higher quality output, has attracted critical comment.
The strategy, devised by BBC executives, selects five areas for redirected funds, while cutting 25% of its website content by 2013.
The five targets, or aspirations, are:
· the best journalism in the world;
· inspiring knowledge, music and culture;
· ambitious UK drama and comedy;
· outstanding children s content; and
· events that bring communities and the nation together.
The BBC Trust is not publishing responses to its strategy review consultation, but chairman Sir Michael Lyons will make a speech on the subject on 30 June.
Here we summarise some key submissions.
Voice of the Listener & Viewer
This consumer organisation is traditionally a staunch supporter of the BBC, but says: "We have grave concerns about the ability of the organisation to adjust to new standards."
There will have to be a radical change from the past few years, of television channels chasing high ratings, at expense of quality, with makeover and reality shows replacing drama and do*****entaries.
On the issue of the best journalism in the world, VLV points to the BBC1 6pm news, where "analysis [is] replaced with speculation. We wonder how the BBC can claim its journalism will be the best in the world?".
It highlights a lack of classical music on television; a failure to tackle classic drama, from Shakespeare to Ibsen; how CBBC "resolutely excludes material aimed at the younger teens"; and says it is disappointed that only an extra £10m extra of funds are allocated by the review to children s TV.
VLV is perplexed that the BBC has chosen online and digital radio for cuts in services, rather than targeting non-programme areas. 6 Music is "a good example of public service broadcasting, done well", while "it is essential that the BBC has a major presence on the web".
It highlights missing areas in the review – no mention of education, technical standards, or the need to manage property better.
VLV recommends that the corporation should curb the high salary and bonus culture, and "slim down management perks".
Bectu
The broadcasting union s main criticism is that the BBC is too defensive, in the face of commercial and political critics, and warns that its stance will encourage opponents.
Instead, Bectu urges the BBC to remember its role "as the cornerstone of our broadcasting system".
Bectu calls for drastic cuts in top executive pay, and says no one in the BBC''s management should earn more than five times the mean salary across the corporation.
The union challenges the policy of doing fewer things better, calling it a "self-defeating strategy of cuts".
Bectu opposes cutting online spending, condemns proposals to end strands for young people, Switch and Blast!, welcomes the opposition to culling 6 Music, is unconvinced about closing Asian Network, and is disappointed about the retreat from the BBC local strategy.
Pact
The independent producers trade body broadly welcomes the strategy focus on raising the proportion of BBC spending on content and distribution of output to 90% of its total income, pointing out cuts of £250m in spending since 2007 by UK broadcasters, but would like more details on future spending plans, divided into amounts for TV, radio and online.
Pact says the BBC pledge to reduce imported programmes by 20%, to £80m by 2012, should specify that it will only buy foreign shows when there is a clear public service rationale.
The BBC should not cut online spending, and review the commissioning process that guarantees in-house producers a 50% share of programming.
Pact says the issue of children s programming is not properly addressed, and wants a further £50m a year pumped into original children''s content, rather than the £10m proposed. It also wants the BBC Film budget doubled to £20m a year.
Institute of Welsh Affairs
The IWA is astounded at the "total lack of consideration or reference to programme services" made for the smaller nations of the UK in the BBC review.
The omission calls into question the workings of a metro-centric corporation, it adds. The IWA calls for a BBC Trust for Wales, to replace the current audience council, which it says is not fit for purpose.
It says that television programmes in English for BBC Wales have been cut by 18% per since 2003/04 and spending has fallen to £23m a year, half that for BBC Scotland. This should be boosted over three years to £40m a year.
As for the best journalism in the world, the IWA says the BBC Wales nightly news programme should be more distinctive, there should be more drama and comedy for specifically Welsh audiences, beyond Doctor Who and Torchwood, more made for Welsh children, and that a 25% cut in online spending will cause disproportionate damage in Wales.
It reminds the trust that digital radio transmission is far less suited to Wales than the current FM network.
BSkyB
The satellite broadcaster says the whole BBC strategy review is flawed, because the BBC Trust should not have handed the exercise to the executive.
The ease with which the BBC can produce £600m a year to repriotise "demonstrates how inefficient it has become", which means the licence fee can be cut, and savings passed back to the public. The proposals to make cuts are "arbitrary" and designed to attract attention to small changes, such as axing 6 Music. It should be clearer that "fewer things better means doing less".
Sound Start
Children s radio is overlooked according to lobby group Sound Start, chaired by Baroness Warnock, and including veteran children''s radio campaigner Susan Stranks.
Sound Start has proposed that the BBC allow the vacated frequencies of the Asian Network, or less likely, 6 Music, to be handed over to a partnership/joint venture for an experimental two-year period from 2011, to see if a form of public service children''s radio can be established.
It says that the educational and cultural benefits of speech radio must not be ignored, and points out that in the past 16 months children have lost Go for It on Radio 4, while the CBeebies audio stream is "hidden away" on Radio 7. It says the venture should draw on and amalgamate the £3.3m spent annually on BBC Schools Radio, which is transmitted for recording overnight.
Maggie Brown
The BBC Trust set a deadline of 25 May for responses to director general Mark Thompson s strategy review, called Putting Quality First, published on 2 March.
BBC management s attempt to reposition itself before the next charter renewal has been dominated by reaction to one of its few pledges to cut services, 6 Music.
But the overall emphasis, to put quality first, do fewer things better, and reprioritise £600m a year in favour of higher quality output, has attracted critical comment.
The strategy, devised by BBC executives, selects five areas for redirected funds, while cutting 25% of its website content by 2013.
The five targets, or aspirations, are:
· the best journalism in the world;
· inspiring knowledge, music and culture;
· ambitious UK drama and comedy;
· outstanding children s content; and
· events that bring communities and the nation together.
The BBC Trust is not publishing responses to its strategy review consultation, but chairman Sir Michael Lyons will make a speech on the subject on 30 June.
Here we summarise some key submissions.
Voice of the Listener & Viewer
This consumer organisation is traditionally a staunch supporter of the BBC, but says: "We have grave concerns about the ability of the organisation to adjust to new standards."
There will have to be a radical change from the past few years, of television channels chasing high ratings, at expense of quality, with makeover and reality shows replacing drama and do*****entaries.
On the issue of the best journalism in the world, VLV points to the BBC1 6pm news, where "analysis [is] replaced with speculation. We wonder how the BBC can claim its journalism will be the best in the world?".
It highlights a lack of classical music on television; a failure to tackle classic drama, from Shakespeare to Ibsen; how CBBC "resolutely excludes material aimed at the younger teens"; and says it is disappointed that only an extra £10m extra of funds are allocated by the review to children s TV.
VLV is perplexed that the BBC has chosen online and digital radio for cuts in services, rather than targeting non-programme areas. 6 Music is "a good example of public service broadcasting, done well", while "it is essential that the BBC has a major presence on the web".
It highlights missing areas in the review – no mention of education, technical standards, or the need to manage property better.
VLV recommends that the corporation should curb the high salary and bonus culture, and "slim down management perks".
Bectu
The broadcasting union s main criticism is that the BBC is too defensive, in the face of commercial and political critics, and warns that its stance will encourage opponents.
Instead, Bectu urges the BBC to remember its role "as the cornerstone of our broadcasting system".
Bectu calls for drastic cuts in top executive pay, and says no one in the BBC''s management should earn more than five times the mean salary across the corporation.
The union challenges the policy of doing fewer things better, calling it a "self-defeating strategy of cuts".
Bectu opposes cutting online spending, condemns proposals to end strands for young people, Switch and Blast!, welcomes the opposition to culling 6 Music, is unconvinced about closing Asian Network, and is disappointed about the retreat from the BBC local strategy.
Pact
The independent producers trade body broadly welcomes the strategy focus on raising the proportion of BBC spending on content and distribution of output to 90% of its total income, pointing out cuts of £250m in spending since 2007 by UK broadcasters, but would like more details on future spending plans, divided into amounts for TV, radio and online.
Pact says the BBC pledge to reduce imported programmes by 20%, to £80m by 2012, should specify that it will only buy foreign shows when there is a clear public service rationale.
The BBC should not cut online spending, and review the commissioning process that guarantees in-house producers a 50% share of programming.
Pact says the issue of children s programming is not properly addressed, and wants a further £50m a year pumped into original children''s content, rather than the £10m proposed. It also wants the BBC Film budget doubled to £20m a year.
Institute of Welsh Affairs
The IWA is astounded at the "total lack of consideration or reference to programme services" made for the smaller nations of the UK in the BBC review.
The omission calls into question the workings of a metro-centric corporation, it adds. The IWA calls for a BBC Trust for Wales, to replace the current audience council, which it says is not fit for purpose.
It says that television programmes in English for BBC Wales have been cut by 18% per since 2003/04 and spending has fallen to £23m a year, half that for BBC Scotland. This should be boosted over three years to £40m a year.
As for the best journalism in the world, the IWA says the BBC Wales nightly news programme should be more distinctive, there should be more drama and comedy for specifically Welsh audiences, beyond Doctor Who and Torchwood, more made for Welsh children, and that a 25% cut in online spending will cause disproportionate damage in Wales.
It reminds the trust that digital radio transmission is far less suited to Wales than the current FM network.
BSkyB
The satellite broadcaster says the whole BBC strategy review is flawed, because the BBC Trust should not have handed the exercise to the executive.
The ease with which the BBC can produce £600m a year to repriotise "demonstrates how inefficient it has become", which means the licence fee can be cut, and savings passed back to the public. The proposals to make cuts are "arbitrary" and designed to attract attention to small changes, such as axing 6 Music. It should be clearer that "fewer things better means doing less".
Sound Start
Children s radio is overlooked according to lobby group Sound Start, chaired by Baroness Warnock, and including veteran children''s radio campaigner Susan Stranks.
Sound Start has proposed that the BBC allow the vacated frequencies of the Asian Network, or less likely, 6 Music, to be handed over to a partnership/joint venture for an experimental two-year period from 2011, to see if a form of public service children''s radio can be established.
It says that the educational and cultural benefits of speech radio must not be ignored, and points out that in the past 16 months children have lost Go for It on Radio 4, while the CBeebies audio stream is "hidden away" on Radio 7. It says the venture should draw on and amalgamate the £3.3m spent annually on BBC Schools Radio, which is transmitted for recording overnight.
