A FUTURE FOR PUBLIC SERVICE TELEVISION CONTENT AND PLATFORMS IN A DIGITAL WORLD

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Foreword by Lord Puttnam Public service broadcasting is a noble 20th century concept. Sitting down to write this preface just a few days before the most significant British political event of my lifetime, with no idea of what the result might be, there is every temptation to escape into neutral generalities. That would be a mistake. If the past few months have taught me anything, it is that our need for trusted sources of information, comprised of tolerant balanced opinion, based on the very best available evidence, has never been greater. For 40 years, a mixture of distortion and parody with regards to the operation of the European Union has been allowed to continue unchallenged, to the point at which any serious discussion of its strengths and weaknesses became impossible. The virulence of much of the referendum debate has at times been so shocking that there seems little prospect that, whichever way the vote goes, anything like ‘normal political service’ is likely to be resumed for a very long time. However, whilst at times frustrating, for viewers and listeners as much as the practitioners, the UK’s public service broadcasters have, over the final weeks of the campaign, behaved with very creditable restraint and responsibility. If only the same could be said of much of our national popular press. Our democracy suffers a distorting effect in the form of mendacious axe-grinding on the part of most of the tabloid newspapers. In his brilliant new book, Enough Said, the former director general of the BBC Mark Thompson writes that: “Intolerance and illiberalism are on the rise almost everywhere. Lies go unchecked. At home, boundaries – of political responsibility, mutual respect, basic civility – which seemed secure a mere decade ago, are broken by the week.” 1 Our Inquiry set out to discover if the concept of public service broadcasting could survive in the hyper-commercial, market dominated media environment of the 21st century. In the pages that follow I believe that we have made that case that, not only do the public believe it should survive, but that our evolved PSB ecology functions as the most reliable bulwark available to truly plural and informed democracy in its battle against market totalitarianism. The successful democracies of the 21st century are likely to be those in which the provision of news and information is rapid, accurate and trusted. ‘Rapidity’ is now a given, ‘accuracy’ remains a challenge, but ‘trust’ is proving increasingly elusive. It is a commonplace to believe that trust lies at the heart of a sustainable democracy, yet as Mark Thompson suggests, it is evaporating on a daily basis and, once shredded, could prove all but impossible to regain. 1 Mark Thompson, Enough Said: What’s gone wrong with the language of politics? London: Bodley Head, 2016. 4
To instruct democracy, if possible to reanimate its beliefs…such is the first duty imposed on those who would guide society. Alexis de Tocqueville (1863) Clearly this is a battle we are losing as the public has made it clear that they no longer have any faith in the press and are developing increasing reservations about television. I think most people accept that knowledge and understanding play a vital role in our ability to navigate the complexities and opportunities of our times. So where do we look for guidance; what defines an informed and active citizen? This report argues that a well-resourced and fully independent public service television system that is free of political coercion offers our most reliable means of rebuilding public trust and accountability. From time to time we glimpse the possibility of renewal, all too frequently evolving out of tragedy; we have to get better at grasping and building upon the lessons of Hillsborough, Bloody Sunday, the deaths of Milly Dowler and Dr David Kelly and, as I write, the murder of Jo Cox MP. “It is a revered national institution, and a familiar treasured companion. It is a cultural, economic and diplomatic force that touches the lives of almost all of those who live in the UK and hundreds of millions beyond these shores.” Of what else in British life could a similar claim be made? Our report attempts to analyse both the strengths of, and the threats to, the whole of our PSB ecology, and to offer an evidencebased argument for the conditions under which it can, not just survive, but thrive. David Puttnam 18th June 2016 I started out by suggesting that public service broadcasting was a ‘noble idea’. The issue surely facing us is whether we can find the nobility to nurture and protect it. In his introduction to the white paper on charter renewal the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, John Whittingdale, MP says of the BBC: 2 Quoted in Department for Media, Culture & Sport, A BBC for the future: a broadcaster of distinction, white paper, May 2016, p. 5. 5
Page 1 and 2: A FUTURE FOR PUBLIC SERVICE TELEVIS
Page 3: Contents Foreword by David Puttnam
Page 7 and 8: Welcome Television is leading a cha
Page 9 and 10: CONTENT AND PLATFORMS IN A DIGITAL
Page 11 and 12: PSB channels 71.9% All other channe
Page 15 and 16: Why television matters Television i
Page 19 and 20: 1982 1990s 2012 The BBC-ITV duopoly
Page 23 and 24: Time for action Today’s policymak
Page 29 and 30: Basic principles At the core of pre
Page 39 and 40: The multichannel revolution Perhaps
Page 51 and 52: The BBC For most people, the BBC is
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CONTENT AND PLATFORMS IN A DIGITAL
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Channel 4 If the BBC is the most im
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Only 8% of Channel 4’s total spen
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ITV and Channel 5 The focus of atte
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The changing face of ITV 1993-2002
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New sources of public service conte
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Television and diversity We have ea
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THE PEOPLE SHOULD BE TELEVISED If t
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Nations and Regions Public service
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Content diversity One of the key wa
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Sports content now accounts for som
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Talent development and training In
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Conclusion Television is changing.
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Recommendations General The UK’s
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Appointing the BBC board Sir David
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APPLICATION OF THE NOLAN PRINCIPLES
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BAFTA members’ survey delivered i
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Public service broadcasting, public
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Inquiry events Do we still need pub
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Acknowledgements Inquiry Report Con
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A FUTURE FOR PUBLIC SERVICE TELEVISION CONTENT AND PLATFORMS IN A DIGITAL WORLD

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