Tony Hall Backs External Regulation of the BBC

LONDON: In a speech to the Cardiff Business Club, BBC Director-General Tony Hall said that he backs the full external regulation of the corporation.

Hall expressed that he would welcome the BBC to be regulated by an external regulator, outside of the BBC Trust—one that "holds our feet firmly to the fire on distinctiveness."

He spoke about the need to safeguard the corporation's stability and independence, with a warning that it had been "eroded" over the last 20 years. “The foundations of the BBC’s independence became weaker. The traditions and informal arrangements which protected it had been eroded…. Politicians had not done this deliberately—it happened under all parties.”

Hall said he wants a regulator that reviews the BBC's performance and has the power to implement solutions if it does not meet its purposes, but also must not stifle creative freedom. "Some think that the BBC should only be able to produce what the market doesn't. That our creativity should begin only where others fail, always second-guessing the market and backing away from the most promising ideas," he said.

"Some want every part of the country to have an exact proportion of the license fee spent on it, regardless of where the best ideas are found. Or they want to choose how to ring-fence our spending. Or even simply reduce our audience, regardless of whether—as in the last Charter—we got there by becoming more distinctive.

"Regulation must be effective, but not prescriptive. And it must not become paralyzing."

In conclusion, Hall said: "My goal is simple. Open up the BBC to its audiences as far as possible as the best way of guaranteeing the independence and accountability they need, to ensure the quality and creativity they trust and rely on.

"I began by talking about the remarkable economic benefits the BBC confers on the U.K.—the incredible competitive advantage that our approach to creativity offers this country around the world.

"I believe that the next Charter can offer the BBC a chance to do even more to secure that growth dividend for Britain in the decade to come—by making our fundamental independence secure.

"An effective regulatory regime, not a prescriptive one, that moves from informal to formal guarantees of creative and editorial independence, allows us the freedom of movement to build a stronger BBC for the internet age, and establishes a fully collaborative relationship with our audiences all across the nations and regions, putting them right at the heart of our services and our decision-making.

That is the vision I am working towards."