BBC Hits Back at Critics

LONDON: In an e-mail to BBC staff, the pubcaster’s director-general, Mark Thompson, called James Murdoch’s recent tirade against the organization and other attacks "out of touch" with what audiences are saying, while Michael Lyons, the chairman of the BBC Trust, has issued an open letter to license-fee payers.

Thompson began his email by citing a recent Guardian poll that showed "very strong public support" for the BBC. "None of this comes as a surprise to us—our own tracking research has indicated that, at a time when public faith in many other British institutions is eroding fast, belief in the BBC is actually strengthening. Our services have never been stronger—just look at the summer of music, drama and sport we’ve been able to deliver to the public. And our approach to the editorial problems of the past two years and to the wider issue of openness and candour in public life seems to have struck a real chord with the public."

He continued: "But the poll must have made uncomfortable reading for those critics who would like the world to believe that trust and pride in the BBC is getting weaker rather than stronger. We’ve seen a pretty relentless onslaught from the press over the summer, culminating in James Murdoch’s MacTaggart Lecture. The most important thing to say about that lecture and about many of the recent attacks on the BBC is that they are desperately out of touch with what the audience themselves are telling us."

Thompson acknowledged that the BBC is certainly facing its fare share of challenges. "It is the right time to take a searching look at what the BBC should look like in the post-2012, post-switchover world," he said." Back in June I agreed with the Trust that this autumn we would do just that, examining the way the BBC can best serve the public in the future, assessing the scale and scope of our operations, and—without compromising on our fundamental duty to serve the public—look at how we can help promote the right environment for the creative industries as a whole, an environment in which other media providers can grow and succeed and plurality can flourish.

Meanwhile, Lyons issued a defense of the license fee in his open letter, which begins: "There has been a lot of public debate recently about the future of broadcasting, with much questioning of the role and size of the BBC." He goes on to say: "We want to make sure that your interests are placed at the centre of this debate and that we deliver the type of BBC that you want. Recent indications suggest we are moving in the right direction. You tell us that you are proud of the BBC, that you see the BBC as trustworthy, and increasingly that you would miss it if it wasn’t there.  But you also tell us that there is more to be done."

Lyons address two key areas: criticism over the size of the BBC and its role in providing free news content on the Internet; and the government-backed suggestion that the license fee should be shared. "Both arguments are rooted in the problems faced by the broadcasting and wider communications industries as the internet challenges the traditional role of both broadcasters and newspapers and the recession cuts into advertising revenue. Of course there are winners as well as losers amongst the commercial providers and companies like Google and Sky are performing strongly. But how should the BBC respond to these pressures?"

He continued: "We must put the interests of licence fee payers first. Based on emerging findings from our new survey research, the Trust believes that if, in future licence fee settlements, there was money the BBC did not need, the public would not want it hived off and given to other media outlets. Our research offered six possible options for what should happen to the licence fee once current spending on digital switchover is complete. Around half of those asked would prefer the licence fee to be lowered by £5.50, compared to just six percent who wanted additional money to be spent on regional news on other channels. That reinforces our concern about any attempt to use the licence fee to subsidize commercial operators, as proposed by the Government in its Digital Britain report. This would weaken the BBC; threaten its independence; reduce accountability to licence fee payers and could in time lead to a bigger licence fee because it could merge with general taxation and be used for causes that have nothing to do with broadcasting."

He added: "We also acknowledge that as digital change accelerates, so the need to reshape the BBC on behalf of the public becomes more pressing. That’s why, before the summer break, the Trust agreed with the Director General that he should conduct a thorough review of what the BBC should concentrate on in the future. In particular we want this to consider whether the BBC is the right size and is operating within the right boundaries, what its role should be in a fully digital world, how it can support the wider industry and U.K. economy, and how it can provide more of the genuinely fresh and new programs that audiences want.