Sponsorship for the Beeb?

 I have always been an admirer of the BBC. I think that by and large the services they provide in the areas of entertainment, news, information and education are second to none. Not just their television channels but on radio too, and the other areas in which they have become important players. Indeed they seem to be spreading their net so wide that they may be in danger of trying to cover too much of the media spectrum to the detriment of the areas in which they excel. The founding fathers of the BBC were far sighted, their wisdom laid the foundations on which their successors were able to build the Corporation into the most respected media centre in the world, but even they couldn’t possibly have foreseen the way electronic media would develop The question now is how will the current governors and board maintain and enhance that reputation with ever decreasing funds at their disposal?

 Consider the areas in which they now operate, Radio, Television and the conferences, concerts and the publishing of books associated with those programmes. They produce CDs and other reference and resource service centres and in addition have a major presence on the internet and in all the online activity that generates. Looked at as one media conglomerate, it rivals any other anywhere in the world. But all these areas call for professional expertise and those skilled in one discipline will not be skilled in another, so operational costs must continue to rise every time a new project is contemplated, and this at a time when the Government is reluctant to increase the amount they grant to the Corporation and those who must buy a TV license every year simply cannot afford to pay more for it.

Obviously the Beeb must keep up with modern developments but should they treat all the branches of the tree the same way? Should they all be under the control of one board of directors? In the current circumstances perhaps it’s time to review the whole remit of the Corporation and ask questions like, “What is the role of the BBC in the modern world?” and “Is it time for the Beeb to accept some form of advertising sponsorship?” “Couldn’t the new channels be used to experiment with new content and perhaps even take some form of commercial sponsorship?” After all they sell their programmes to other countries where they form part of a commercial output. Or does the BBC think its audiences should still be protected from commercialism? The Beeb is not averse to making profit, they make a lot of it selling their programmes and other products

 I raise the matter because other media, in an effort to compete and survive, have for years quite deliberately launched new titles and services aimed at particular sub-sections of their perceived markets. A classic example is the market for women’s magazines. When I was working for Woman’s Own, that title sold over four million copies a week and was only second in the market, other titles weren’t far behind. In the women’s monthly magazines segment Woman and Home was the brand leader selling nearly a million copies monthly, Family Circle overtook them. Now Saga claims the leadership. Look at both markets now, new titles seem to appear every week; tatty looking magazines with front covers screaming about the happenings in the soaps on the telly, readers stories of humiliation or abuse of one kind or another, and yet another scandal involving a ‘celebrity’. None of them reach the levels of sale of past eras but all seemingly satisfying some sort of need.

So I can’t help wondering why the BBC have decided to launch new television channels if they don’t intend to use them to show new thinking, new ideas and fresh approaches to programming as they do on Radio. At present they use them to show basically the same sort of programme as those on the two main channels. Those areas have of late  begun to show signs of stretched budgets, in particular comedy programmes have with one or two exceptions bordered on the pathetic and often remind me of the amateur ‘end of the pier’ shows that were once the prerogative of seaside towns during the holiday season. Tinkering with the running of the BBC will not solve any of their problems, it needs a complete overhaul and restructuring in line with modern technology and business methods. It shouldn’t be trying to follow the likes of Sky or anyone else, brand leaders are supposed to set the standards not follow them and there is no bigger brand world wide than the BBC. To stay that way it must clearly define its modern mission statement and make dramatic changes to deliver it.