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Articles about public service broadcasting

Public service broadcasting – in 1949

Published 23 January 2017

The former editor of the Daily Herald decides what is public service broadcasting and whether the BBC manages to produce it

In pieces

Published 5 October 2015

Channel 4’s new look examined

Living in the past

Published 21 January 2010

‘Set BBC targets to partner its rivals’, says ex-Channel 4 chief From the tone of Andy Duncan’s Oxford Media Convention speech, you get the impression that he thinks that he’s…

The final eviction?

Published 26 August 2009

Channel 4 to launch ‘creative overhaul’ as it axes Big Brother Big Brother axed by Channel 4 Channel 4’s decision to axe Big Brother admittedly wasn’t that unexpected, but it…

BBC expenses: Still nothing to write home about

Published 17 July 2009

Despite protestations from a number of Guardian/Observer readers (and the odd columnist) that there wasn’t much of a story in BBC executives’ expenses, now here’s a second round. There is even less of a story this time.

Exactly the wrong thing to ask for

Published 3 July 2009

ITN newscaster Alastair Stewart calls for a “Beeching style enquiry” into the BBC to assess whether its services are all really “necessary and viable”. What a ridiculous idea.

For local news, switch to BBC One

Published 28 April 2009

Ofcom head Ed Richards sounds death knell for ITV regional news Yes we know that the media industry is going through hell at the moment – and this is particularly…

Piling on the pressure

Published 1 April 2009

Channel Five boss claims government sees logic of merger with Channel 4 It seems that Dawn Airey and RTL have spotted a gap in the broadcasting wilderness and are desperately…

Well she would say that

Published 2 February 2009

Merger of Channels 4 and Five still possible, says Dawn Airey The ever-hopeful and clearly optimistic Dawn Airey is still making noises about a merger between Channel 4 and Five…

Stepwise migration

Published 29 January 2009

digital britain – interim report: Government outlines plans for UK’s digital transition Today saw the publication of (Lord) Stephen Carter’s interim report entitled “Digital Britain”, which in one sense is…

What happens to Teletext?

Published 23 January 2009

The fall out of the recent Ofcom report into the future of commercial public service broadcasting continues, with The Guardian reporting that Ofcom are not aren’t convinced that there will need to be a separate Teletext franchise going forward.

Public argument

Published 21 January 2009

BBC licence fee ‘digital surplus’ could help fund new PSB body, says Ofcom Ofcom: Report summary plus links to full versions Now that the long-awaited report from Ofcom has finally…

Olive branch

Published 11 December 2008

BBC outlines £120m partnership plans with other public service broadcasters After a couple of months where the BBC superficially seemed to be upsetting everyone from readers of the Daily Mail…

Public or private?

Published 26 November 2008

Government ditches plans to give Channel 4 £14m digital switchover help So the Government has decided rather tacitly to withdraw the earlier digital switchover help proposed for Channel 4 in…

A predictable outcome

Published 25 September 2008

NUJ warns of 500 ITV job cuts It’s no surprise whatsoever to learn that Ofcom has ‘bought’ the economic arguments put forward by ITV plc in its determination to cut…

Easy options

Published 28 July 2008

Plans for reduced public service role are good news for ITV Despite much talk of ‘radical’ solutions being required for the “digital age” – whatever that is, although for the…

Pay-per-PSB? Not as a package

Published 20 July 2008

COO of BSkyB, Mike Darcey, writing in the Royal Television Society journal Television (Vol. 45:6, July 2008 p12), reckons Ofcom – and many of the rest of us – are…

Lies, statistics, and ITV viewing figures

Published 17 July 2008

Ofcom chairman disputes BBC’s ‘unique link’ with licence fee payers There’s more than a hint of trying to defend the indefensible when Ofcom chairman David Currie yet again attempts to…

Two-way street

Published 23 June 2008

BBC: ‘We’ll share expertise to save licence fee’ This could theoretically end up being the best solution to the lingering problem of how best to support broadcasters with public service…

Left to its own devices?

Published 4 June 2008

EU minded to block BBC aid for Channel 4’s digital switchover This if anything is potentially good news for both the BBC and (paradoxically) Channel 4, namely that the European…

They want your money

Published 14 May 2008

Andy Duncan ‘fed up’ by Channel 4 funding ‘squabble’ Hot on the heels of the BBC Trust chairman Michael Lyons declaring that the BBC’s piggy bank wasn’t to be raided…

It was a bad idea to start with

Published 12 March 2008

Ofcom scraps ‘public service publisher’ plans The only surprise was what took them so long, namely Ofcom finally conceding defeat with the (expected) scrapping of the ‘public service publisher’ idea….

How to make the BBC fit for the twenty-first century?

Published 22 January 2008

A top-sliced licence fee will trigger the BBC’s destruction Whether de-coupling the licence fee from the BBC is the way forward or not (and I personally have my doubts), I…

Why PSB matters

Published 2 October 2005

The need for public service broadcasting

Private eyes

Published 1 January 2005

Private television would benefit everyone

Between two stools

Published 1 January 2004

The British approach to public service

Tellytubby television

Published 18 May 2003

Because we’re all stupider now

Public Service ITV

Published 1 January 2003

Inside a socialist myth

Nationalise broadcasting

Published 1 January 2003

A better way?

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