Category:
Northern Ireland; ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½
Date: 29.06.2004
Printable version
The biggest
shift of investment out of London and into the Nations and Regions in
the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½'s history was announced today by the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½'s new Chairman Michael
Grade and Director-General Mark Thompson.
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At its heart is a clear commitment to continue the
devolution of the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ to the nations, regions and communities of the
UK.
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As its title Building Public Value suggests, the document
sets out a vision for the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ of the future founded on the creation
of "public value" and based on the principles of universality,
fairness and accountability.
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It calls for "a ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ which reflects the whole UK
in its output and which significantly shifts its broadcasting, production
and other operations out of London and into the rest of the country."
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There are three specific new commitments to the Nations
and Regions of the UK:
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Firstly, the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ pledges to increase its total expenditure in the Nations
and Regions to more than £1 billion during the next ten year Charter
period (ie 2007 to 2016) – an increase of around 35% of the present
total
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Secondly, the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ pledges to increase the number of
its public service staff based outside London from the present figure
of 42% to at least 50% over the same ten year period
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Thirdly, it pledges to devolve around a fifth of all
ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ network programme commissioning out of London – a total of
around £400 million in today's terms – in a radical shift
from the present situation, where virtually no network commissioning
happens outside London.
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Central to these pledges is a strategy to increase the
localness of ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ services across the whole UK and the proportion of
network programmes made in different parts of the UK.
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Included are outline plans to:
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Develop and expand local services within Scotland,
Wales and Northern Ireland on television, radio and online to meet the
growing demands for more local news and information in each Nation
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Create a highly local digital television news
service - making TV news as local as radio by offering up to 60 areas
across the UK new services of local news and information – throughout
the day and on demand
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Offer all ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ local radio services on digital
platforms, and developing the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Where I Live websites to enhance their
distinctiveness and so that they become truly local
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Extend the network of ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Open Centres and ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½
Buses where partnerships allow and audience need is greatest, to help
people learn basic computer skills and take part in our programmes.
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Seeking to stimulate the creativity of audiences,
by creating more opportunities for them to contribute to local ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ projects
like Voices, Video Nation and Digital Storytelling
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Reinforce the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½'s commitment to the UK's indigenous
languages, including Welsh, Gaelic and Irish, and help future generations
to learn them by providing learning resources across all media platforms
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Increase the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½'s spending on network programme-making
outside London from its production centres in the three Nations, its
three main regional production centres in England, and from the independent
sector outside London
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Explore the potential for moving professional
and support staff out of London as part of a continuing drive to reduce
ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ overheads.
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The ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½'s new Director-General, Mark Thompson, said
today: "The ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ is still far too London-based and this is simply
not acceptable for a modern public service broadcaster that draws its
income from all parts of the UK.
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"The ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ should reflect the
whole UK. One of the best ways of ensuring that it does is to base it
across the whole UK, close to audiences and talent in all the nations
and regions.
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"Over the period of the next Charter, there will
be a significant shift of money, commissioning power, production and
people out of London and into the rest of the UK.
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"Licence payers everywhere
will benefit from a ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ that is far more active in the area where they
live and creates more programmes and services that are directly relevant
to their lives and interests."
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Welcoming the promise of further investment by the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½
in Northern Ireland, Anna Carragher, Controller of ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Northern Ireland,
said: "This is a vision of a ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ determined to expand its local
services in all parts of the UK and increase the value it brings into
people's lives everywhere.
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"It also gives us a platform to build on ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Northern
Ireland's great success in delivering high quality network programmes
to the whole of the UK.
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"These are challenges we will address with energy
and imagination."
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Notes to Editors
The ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½'s combined current expenditure on local and regional programming
across the UK, and on network production outside the M25, is approximately
£750 million. A 35% increase will take this figure above £1
billion.
42% of the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½'s public service staff - ie, excluding staff who work
for the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½'s commercial subsidiaries or the World Service - currently
work outside the M25. Based on these current staffing levels, a shift
of around 1,700 from London to the rest of the country will be required
to reach the new target of 50%.
