BECTU CONCERNED ABOUT TV WATCHDOG

BECTU have raised concerns about the future of ITV regional programming under new industry regulator Ofcom.
The proposal for a new body to oversee broadcasting, telecommunications, and new media, came in the government’s White Paper which ruled out privatisation of Channel 4, but paved the way for more takeovers in the ITV network.
BECTU have said that a proposal to scrap the rule limiting ITV companies to 15 per cent of the overall audience, together with a relaxation of the 20 per cent ownership limit for shareholders in ITN, could lead to a repeat of the industry shake-up which followed the 1990 Broadcasting Act.
BECTU led a successful challenge last year against one licence-holder, Grampian, for failing to meet their obligation to local viewers and the union have said that the concentration of ownership in ITV has led to a significant reduction in the volume of regional programme-making.
The union say that the creation of a new regulator will also affect staff working in the current broadcasting regulators, the ITC, Radio Authority, and Cable Authority, and that they will face major upheavals as they are brought together under one roof with Oftel. Many of them are BECTU members, and the union will be seeking assurances from government about their future security.
Regulation of ownership and content will be concentrated into one new body, the Office of Communications (Ofcom). While the BBC, S4C, and the British Board of Film Classification, all remain independent institutions, Ofcom will be the final port of call for TV and Radio users who complain about public broadcasters failing to fulfil their remits.
Channels 4 and 5 are to be regulated by Ofcom, with reviews planned for both. Channel 4 can expect a firmer definition of their remit to provide "distinctive and innovative programming," while Channel 5 may see some of their public service obligations relaxed as similar channels become more available through digital systems.
BECTU have welcomed the White Paper's confidence in the quality and future role of existing public service broadcasters, who are said to maintain 40 per cent of audiences in digital households with access to as many as 250 TV channels.
However, during the period of consultation on the government's plans for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries, the union plan to raise concerns about the effect that increased concentration of ownership will have on regional diversity, especially in ITV.
The union’s response will also question whether regulation of content, aimed at maintaining quality and diversity, will be properly fulfilled within a single organisation which also has responsibility for all business matters, some of which like takeovers could cause a conflict of interest within Ofcom.
(CD)