It seems that Ofcom knows what the fundamental problems are in British broadcasting - which is promising in itself - but is virtually admitting that it has no power to force Channel 4 to become more public-service orientated. Therefore it has elected to propose another new channel instead to do the job that Channel 4 should be doing but isn't doing, though how many people will actually watch this new channel remains to be seen.
There's one issue that Ofcom may have got wrong though; in theory Channel 4 ought to find the prospect of having another channel take over its key public service obligations acutely embarrassing, but the channel has gone so far down the road of commercialism that it would probably be far more relieved than embarrassed. And I don't foresee the BBC's output being affected by such a channel either.
But if there's some consolation to be had from all of this, at least it appears that Ofcom knows how to dig UK broadcasting out of the hole that it has found itself in, but lacks the appropriate tools to do so. Someone better lend Ofcom a JCB digger before it's too late.
