APPENDICES TO THE MINUTES
OF EVIDENCE
APPENDIX 1
Letter from the Secretary of State for
Culture, Media and Sport to the Chairman of the Committee
NEWS ON
ITV
I am aware of your keen personal interest in
the provision of news on television. I also understand that it
is possible that the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee
may decide, when the House returns, to undertake an inquiry into
the planned changes to the ITV weekday evening schedule which
include proposals to stand back from commitments many Channel
3 licensees gave in 1991 to the provision of the main evening
bulletin at 10 pm across the ITV Network. I thought it might assist
you and the Committee in your consideration of the issue if I
placed on the record my own views.
As you know, I have no formal locus in either
the detailed content of broadcasters' output or their scheduling.
It is not open to me, nor would I wish, to interfere with the
Independent Television Commission's performance of its statutory
duties under the Broadcasting Acts 1990 and 1996. However, I am
responsible for the Government's objectives for broadcasting and
for the overall regulatory framework within which the broadcasting
industry operates. While the ITC will have regard to many factors,
it may be helpful if I set out my own views as to some of the
principles which guide the Government's broadcasting policy, which
are reflected in the current legislation and which I hope they
take into account when considering the proposals of the Channel
3 licensees.
I start from the position that news programming
is a special element of television output which has a key role
in ensuring strong participative democracy. High quality news
programmes based on impartial presentation of serious issues represent
one of the best traditions of UK broadcasting and are a key feature
of the overall high quality mix of programmes available to viewers.
The broadcasting of such programmes in peak hours gives everyone
access to news during the main viewing period. It is for these
reasons that the provision of high quality live news bulletins,
broadcast simultaneously across all 15 regional Channel 3 franchises
and in particular at peak viewing times, is a key element of the
public service obligations that have been placed on the ITV Network.
This is spelt out in section 31 of the Broadcasting Act 1990.
Moreover, its importance was such that when considering the Broadcasting
Bill in 1996, Parliament determined that the provisions of the
1990 Act should be strengthened to make explicit that the provision
of news on Channel 3 must be of a standard "to compete effectively
with other news programmes broadcast nationwide in the United
Kingdom". In introducing these amendments to the 1996 Act,
the Minister of the day made clear that in the interests of diversity
and competition Channel 3 news was "an important counterbalance
to the news services provided by the BBC in informing public opinion".
Accordingly, I also welcome the fact that news programming is
currently available on the BBC channels and Channel 3 through
the heart of the peak viewing period, sustaining the mix of programming
throughout the evening which is key to the objectives of public
service broadcasting.
The ITC will have to consider whether the proposals
put forward by ITV to replace News at Ten with bulletins at 6.30
and 11 pm are consistent with these principles and meet the requirements
for competitive high quality news at peak viewing times. My own
view is that they do not. By moving the main Channel 3 bulletins
outside the heart of peak there is a risk of diminishing their
availability to viewers and their capacity to compete effectively
with the BBC and other nationwide news bulletins.
I understand ITV's desire to overhaul the current
weekday evening schedule to make their services more competitive,
and at the same time welcome Richard Eyre's commitment to sustaining
quality of output and not to move downmarket. But a balance must
be struck. It is for the broadcasters and the regulator to discuss
and determine the exact balance between these sometimes competing
objectives. My concern with the current proposals is to safeguard
the effective and timely provision of high quality impartial news
on ITV. The decisions which the ITC must take at this stage will
not be set in stone as we all recognise that the broadcasting
environment is changing rapidly, nor would the concerns I have
expressed necessarily hold as and when rolling news programming
is generally available and an established element of mainstream
viewing habits. I believe that regulating the broadcasting industry
while adhering to the principles I have outlined should reflect
the operation of the market and viewer behaviour as it is now
and not how it might be at some point in the future which has
yet to be realised.
In view of the fact that the Independent Television
Commission is currently consulting publicly on this issue I am
copying this letter to Sir Robin Biggam. I am also copying this
letter to Richard Eyre so that he may have the opportunity to
address any of the issues I have raised in the event that the
Select Committee does decide to undertake an inquiry on this issue.
5 October 1998
| 
