View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. News
January 22, 2008

Purnell’s critics fear shared licence fee could ruin BBC

By paulmcnally

Culture secretary James Purnell’s proposals to share the BBC licence fee with other public-service broadcasters will weaken the BBC’s ability to make quality programmes.

That’s the view of Barry White, the national organiser of the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom, writing in today’s Guardian.

“If James Purnell wants to be ‘bold’ in devising a new structure for broadcasting and promoting legislation to preserve the public-service ethos in the digital age, he needs to be more original in his thinking than just wheeling out the old chestnut, floated recently by Ofcom, of top-slicing the BBC licence fee,” White says.

“Top-slicing to allow commercial broadcasters to bid for funds to make public service programmes would immediately weaken the BBC’s own programme-making ability. Other funding models need to be considered.”

Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee, meanwhile, agrees that meddling with the licence fee could ruin a national institution.

“This very bad idea is in danger of gaining ground unless a sufficient public outcry stops it dead in its tracks,” she says.

“Labour has paved the way for a Tory government to privatise much of the NHS, education and job centres. Does it really want to breach the founding principles of the BBC too?”

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

Topics in this article : , , ,

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network