Speech given in Manchester
27
February 2002
Printable version
Good evening
everyone. I would like to welcome you all tonight to our dinner in Manchester
- a dinner to mark the occasion of the visit by the Board of Governors
to the north west. Today, we have visited New Broadcasting House to
be briefed by Martin Brooks and Wayne Garvie on the vast array of regional
and national programmes which the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ makes here. And we visited the
magnificent site for the Commonwealth Games, which will bring intense
global attention to your region in August. Tomorrow, we will hold our
regular monthly board meeting in ManchesterΒ’s New Broadcasting
House Β– and hopefully we will be able to correct some of that London
bias which people think we inhale in the air around the old, original
BH, in Portland Place, London.
It is not
very often that I can welcome to a dinner like this someone who is clearly
the best who ever lived at the particular job they have chosen to do.
But tonight I can do precisely that. (And, no, Greg, I am not talking
about you Β– at least not yet!). I am talking about the best football
manager who ever worked in Britain Β– Sir Alex Ferguson.
I understand
that Sir Alex has had some run-ins with Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Sport in the past, but I
hope he will recognise that we tried to set the record straight by hiring
a former director of Manchester United as our own Director-General two
years ago. Ever since then, we have been accused of pro-United bias
Β– especially from the City half of Manchester.
I have
a close friend who is a City fan. He has become increasingly frustrated
during the 1990s about the phenomenal successes of United. In fact,
he says his life has been blighted ever since 1968, when City won the
league Β– only to be totally overshadowed a week later when United
won the European Cup at Wembley. He resented this deeply for over 30
years. But now he feels much better Β– in 1999, United won the European
Cup again, along with the FA Cup and the Premiership. But, according
to my friend, City finally managed to overshadow them a week later Β–
by winning the Second Division play-off final at Wembley against Gillingham,
5-3 on penalties. So he now thinks the relative achievements of United
and City in the past four decades have been something of a score draw.
Seriously,
Sir Alex, we are privileged to have you with us Β– and if you ever
did decide to retire, no doubt to the rejoicing of football fans everywhere
except in Manchester, I am sure Gary Lineker could find space for you,
doing the half-time interviews on Match of the Day. So you see, there
can be life after football management.
ThatΒ’s
enough about football. This is my first major public speech since becoming
Chairman of the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ last October, and I want to take this opportunity
to share some of my thinking, plans and excitement about the future
of the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ at this time. For a whole host of reasons itΒ’s probably
the most exciting time to be at the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ for a generation.
Let me
start with what we are doing in the north west. It is particularly appropriate
to be here because recently Greg Dyke outlined what he saw as a key
role for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ - that it can operate, uniquely among British broadcasters,
simultaneously at the community, national and global levels. Over the
coming months you can see that at its best here in the North West.
Β·
Community -
Β· the three Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ local radio stations in the North West, Radio
Lancashire, GMR and Radio Merseyside attract a million listeners every
week making it one of the strongest areas in the country for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ local
radio listening;
Β·
on TV, North West Tonight continues to be one of the best performing
regional news programmes with a handsome lead over Granada Tonight;
Β·
and our first open centre opened a year ago in Radio LancashireΒ’s
building in Blackburn, and has proved to be a phenomenal success. Other
similar projects are following around the UK including one in Merseyside
opening next month.
Β·
National -
Β· Mark and LardΒ’s multi-award winning flagship Radio 1 show
comes from Manchester;
Β·
the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔΒ’s network religious department is based in Manchester and
the last year has seen both the 40th anniversary of Songs of Praise
and the brilliantly innovative Son of God;
Β·
Two years ago the Governors set a target that the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ should do more
programming for the North of England. One consequence of this has been
some great dramas set here in the North West and made here in the North
West. These include Playing the Field, Clocking Off, Merseybeat and
Linda Green. Great to see so many of the talented cast and production
team from those programmes here.
Β·
Global -
Β· This summer the eyes of the world will be on Manchester for
the Commonwealth Games and as the host broadcaster itΒ’s the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ
which will bring the Games to the world.
The Commonwealth
Games is just one of the highlights of what promises to be a great summer
for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ. We also have the football World Cup and, of course, coverage
of Her MajestyΒ’s Golden Jubilee Celebrations.
But we
are also particularly excited about the new television and radio services
that we are in the process of launching this year. From the early 1970s
to the mid 1990s, the basic structure of the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ did not change very
much Β– two television channels, four or five national radio stations,
about 40 local radio stations Β– and, of course, the always magnificent
World Service.
Then, in
the late 1990s, we launched News 24, Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Online, and Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Parliament.
And this year, we plan a further significant increase in output. Some
new services are already launched - Five Live Sports Extra on the radio,
and our two new digital childrenΒ’s TV channels, CBeebies and CΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ.
Others will hit the airwaves very soon - Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Four, our new television
arts and culture channel, and Radio 6 Music. Three further new radio
channels will follow later this year. And one key service is still awaiting
permission - Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Three, a new TV channel for young adults.
Taken together,
this amounts to the greatest expansion of our services ever. It will
give us a coherent portfolio of services which will bring the best of
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ public service values, quality and creativity to the digital world.
It will not replicate what the private marketplace already provides
and will not keep expanding exponentially as many critics claim. This
portflio will enable the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ to give audiences - some of whom are currently
underserved by the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ - the choice of something distinctive that they
simply wonΒ’t get anywhere else.
All this
builds on the strength of an encouraging performance across the whole
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ this year.
Across
all of our services, audience figures were extremely strong.
Β·
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio took a 53% share of the total radio audience, well up on previous
years.
Β·
Our online service Β– Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔi - increased its reach to almost six million
users, 60% of the internet population.
Β·
The World Service attained a new high of 153 million regular listeners
worldwide.
Β·
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ TWO remains the only one of the traditional television services
which is retaining its audience in the face of multi-channel competition.
Β·
And last year Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ ONE overtook ITV in audience share for the first time
ever. That was some feat when you consider that even when ITV was off
the air owing to a strike for 12 weeks in the late 1980s, they were
still ahead of Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ ONE in the ratings!!
But the
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ must never be all about ratings - or even mainly about ratings.
In the past year, we have made a raft of terrific programmes which stand
comparison with the best the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ has ever done: Blue Planet, Walking
with Beasts, Son of God, Clocking Off, The Way We Live Now, Conspiracy,
Lost World.
I could
go on and on about these and so many other programmes but instead let
me show you a short tape which summarises just some of what we have
already achieved and points to what we hope to do in the futureΒ…
Tape
Actually,
watching that tape you become aware not just of the huge range of great
programmes that the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ broadcasts but the absolutely central role the
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ continues to play in the life of the nation.
The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ
is part of the glue which binds the United Kingdom together. At those
times of national moment - of joy or sadness, in the UK or around the
world, at times when the nation wants to celebrate, mourn or just enjoy
itself people turn to the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ.
Be it to
celebrate the millennium or a major sporting event like the Germany-England
game, to mark events of national significance or even to enjoy the return
of great programmes like Only Fools and Horses last Christmas - people
turn in their millions to the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ.
ItΒ’s
astonishing to think that 35 million people in the UK turned to the
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔΒ’s news services on September 11th. The things we all share,
we share through the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ.
And actually
this role of uniting the nation becomes more not less important in the
fragmenting media world we hear so much about. Without the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ, the
proliferation of television and radio channels by the private sector
would simply result in more and more channels, with tiny audiences,
all seeking to do the same thing. The future would be one of fragmentation
Β– fragmentation without either plurality or diversity. If you donΒ’t
believe me, just look at the history of commercial radio. There are
now about 250 commercial stations available in the UK Β– and almost
all of them are trying to do exactly the same thing. Top 40 pop songs,
jingles, weather, traffic news. I enjoy the mix myself Β– but I
am relieved that I can escape to the richness of choice offered by Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ
Radio for most of the time.
The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ
provides the commentary on our lives, the soundtrack of the nation.
It is one of the most powerful unifying forces in the United Kingdom
today.
I mentioned
earlier that this is my first major speech for the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ since becoming
Chairman. But I havenΒ’t been idle. I have spent most of my time
since my September travelling around the country listening to what people
have to say about the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ. IΒ’ve hosted public meetings. IΒ’ve
been out to collect licence fees from people who were reluctant to pay
Β– quite an experience! IΒ’ve sat in on focus groups. I have
had the good fortune to talk to dozens of MPs and Peers about what the
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ is doing wrong.
All in
all, I have heard from hundreds of people about their Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ. And I have
confirmed what I knew already about the British public Β– they really
care about the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ, they feel a sense of ownership, and they are genuinely
affronted when we let them down.
They also
believe that the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ offers good value for money. At most of the public
meetings I have attended, I have asked the following question. Imagine
you could keep the Β£109 a year that you currently pay on the licence
fee. But then imagine that, in exchange, you had to give up everything
you currently get from the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ, on television, radio and online. Is
that a bargain you would like to accept?
So far,
almost no-one has said that they would like to save the Β£109,
and give up the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ. One of the effects of the growth of subscription
television services in the UK has been that people have become aware
that broadcasting costs money Β– and compared to the hundreds of
pounds that people need to spend each year to get the full packages
of sports and movie channels, the licence fee looks like a bargain.
By my calculations, the average British citizen spends 22% of their
leisure time in the company of the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ. ThatΒ’s a lot of information,
education and entertainment for Β£109 a year.
The commercial
competitors of the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ are, of course, seeking to marginalise us, to
box us into a smaller and smaller space. This is not surprising - commercial
companies should be expected to act in their own naked self-interest.
They would be happy if they could reduce the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ to the same scale as
the tiny public service broadcasters in the United States. That would
leave more space for themselves to occupy, more profits for them to
earn. But it would not be in the public interest, and the British people
know it.
There is,
however, one criticism of the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ that worries me, and I want to end
by commenting on it. It is the accusation that we have only been able
to maintain our audience share by "dumbing down" our output,
especially on television, and especially on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ ONE.
I think
that the perception of dumbing down stems partly from the massive proliferation
of television output which has occurred in the past 10 years. Not all
of it can be good, and when you sample 200 channels, 10 seconds at a
time, with your remote control in hand, you can be forgiven for concluding
that most of the output is of dubious quality.
But actually
that is why the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔΒ’s family of quality channels is becoming more
important than ever before. And our analysis of what is available on
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ ONE and Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ TWO does not support the claim that we are dumbing down
our main channels. Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ ONE has not dramatically changed the mix and
content of its programmes in the past 10 years Β– in fact, we are
spending just as much as we have ever done on arts, science, history
and current affairs, and we are showing more "public service"
hours in peak time than we did five years ago.
One thing
has gone missing from our schedules at peak time Β– the off-the-shelf
American drama series like Dallas. But surely that is a good thing.
We should certainly be spending our licence fee income on Clocking Off
- a great British drama tailored for a British audience - ahead of American
imports.
Many people
say to me Β– why canΒ’t we have television series like Civilisation,
and the Ascent of Man, which we had 30 years ago, in the so-called golden
age of television? They were great series, but they attracted very small
audiences, in the region of one to two million per week. We still make
great series Β– like the Blue Planet, Simon SchamaΒ’s History
of Britain and Walking with Beasts. And they attract audiences five
to ten times as large as the landmark series of yesteryear. So we must
be doing something right.
Yet still
the criticism for dumbing down will not die down. Typically, this criticism
comes from a particular group of people in the UK. They tend to be southern,
white, middle class, middle aged and well educated. Strangely enough,
they are already the type of people who consume a disproportionate amount
of the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ's services - people who get more out of the licence fee than
they put into it. In some cases, the criticism of dumbing down is simply
a respectable way of trying to hijack even more of the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔΒ’s services
for themselves.
The unique
thing about the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ is that we all pay exactly the same amount for it.
The Asian teenager on the streets of Manchester has just as much right
to be heard, and to be served, as a member of the House of Lords in
Westminster. The fact is that they may not want exactly the same thing,
but we have to serve them both.
Having
said that, we must serve them both without reducing our unremitting
commitment to raising standards, and ensuring distinctiveness in everything
we do. The public looks to the Governors of the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ, as well as to the
Director-General and the Executive, to ensure that this is the case
- and this we will continue to do. Only yesterday, we published a series
of reforms to ensure that the is fit for the modern age, and we will now set about
implementing these reforms with gusto.
TodayΒ’s
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ governors are chosen by a public appointments process, involving
open advertisements, and formal interviews under the Nolan rules, conducted
by respected public officials. If the Board ever were a retirement club
for declining gentlefolk, it certainly isnΒ’t so today. The Governors
have a clear role to play Β– in setting objectives for the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ,
approving strategy, monitoring compliance, and ensuring accountability.
Having done all that, and having made key executive appointments, the
Governors should then leave the operation of services to the professional
broadcasters who are paid to make and schedule great programmes.
The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ
has always been a unique institution, the envy of many other countries.
We have always been a mass market broadcaster, but one which is committed
to distinctiveness and public service. Some people argue that we must
choose between mass audiences and programme quality. But at our best
we can and do achieve both. To retain public confidence, we must continue
to do both in future years.
