VLV?s 27th annual conference on Wednesday, 24
November, will consider a range of questions
raised by changes announced recently by the
Secretary of State for Culture, Media, and
Sport, Jeremy Hunt MP. They include the future
use of licence fee income and the new
responsibilities to be laid on the BBC for
funding the World Service, S4C and BBC
Monitoring, in addition to changes to the remit
and powers of the media regulator, Ofcom.
Announced on the same day as the Government?s
Comprehensive Spending Review, the decisions
were taken without Parliamentary debate or
public consultation, thus pre-empting the
consultation and review process scheduled for
spring 2011, in the lead up to a new
Communications Bill in 2012. VLV?s conference
will provide licence fee payers and others their
first opportunity to hear about the expected
impact of the changes from some of those affected.
Commenting, VLV Honorary President and Founder,
Jocelyn Hay said: ?These far reaching changes
raise a number of important questions, not only
about the nature and extent of new demands
placed on the BBC?s finances, but about the use
of licence fee payers? money to finance services
previously funded by Government Departments and
whether those Departments will seek to set
priorities for the licence-fee funded World
Service and BBC monitoring and the Welsh
language TV channel, S4C. The BBC, and
therefore licence fee payers, will now also pay
for the roll-out of broadband infrastructure in
rural areas in addition to the costs of
facilitating the switch-over to Digital Television and Radio transmission.
The changes announced to the remit and powers of
Ofcom, the media regulator, are equally
far-reaching, and over-ride safeguards built
into the 2003 Communications Bill to ensure its
independence. Such changes have implications
for the democratic process and must be debated
in public. VLV intends to provide opportunities
for licence fee payers to do this at a series of
events in the coming months. All will be open to the public.
Broadcasting: where are we going? More questions than answers?
Wednesday, 24 November, 10.30 ? 3.30pm (coffee from 10.15am)
at the Geological Society, Burlington House,
Piccadilly, London W1. Speakers include:
10.30am: Patrick Barwise, Professor Emeritus of
Management and Marketing, the London Business School
11.30am: Lord Burns, Chair of Channel 4 television
12.45pm: Presentation of Prizes for VLV?s 2010
Student Essay Competition by Jon Snow, Channel 4 News.
2.pm: Richard Klein, Controller BBC 4 with Roger Bolton, in the chair.
3.30pm: Tea followed at 4pm by the AGM of VLV Ltd
Ends
For more information please contact:
(Linda.Forbes /at/ VLV.org.uk) or call her on 01474 338711.
Voice of the Listener & Viewer (VLV) is an
independent, not-for-profit association, free
from political, commercial and sectarian
affiliations, working for quality and diversity
in British broadcasting. VLV represents the
interests of listeners, viewers and increasingly
new media users, as citizens and consumers
across the full range of broadcasting issues.
VLV supports the principles of public service
broadcasting and is concerned with the
structures, regulation, funding and institutions
that underpin the British broadcasting system. VLV does not handle complaints.
If you do not want to receive further e-mail
information from VLV about forthcoming events
linked to the future of public service
broadcasting in the UK, Europe and worldwide,
please return this e-mail, entering UNSUBSCRIBE into the subject box.
Linda Forbes
Conference Administrator
[]
Voice of the Listener & Viewer
PO Box 401, Gravesend, Kent DA12 9FY
Tel: 01474 338711 or 01474 338716
Email: (linda.forbes /at/ vlv.org.uk)
Website: www.vlv.org.uk <http://www.vlv.org.uk>
Forthcoming VLV events:
Westminster Seminar with the Secretary of State,
The Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP, Tuesday, 26th October
6-8pm, Palace of Westminster, London SW1 -
POSTPONED - new date to be made shortly
'Broadcasting in Scotland and Wales: The Future'
VLV's Annual Scottish Conference, Friday, 5th
November 2-6pm at The Scottish Storytelling Centre, Edinhurgh
VLV's Annual Autumn Conference on Wednesday 24th
November at The Geological Society, Burlington
House, Piccadilly, London W1 . Speakers
include: Lord Burns, the new Chair of Channel 4,
Patrick Barwise, London Business School. More details to follow shortly
For tickets/enquiries please contact Linda Forbes, Conference Administrator,
tel: 01474 338711 email: (linda.forbes /at/ vlv.org.uk)
or visit www.vlv.org.uk <http://www.vlv.org.uk>
