Examination of Witness (Questions 100
- 107)
TUESDAY 23 NOVEMBER 1999
LORD GORDON
OF STRATHBLANE
100. That would add, would it not, to the further
penalty which is really being put upon the early adopters of these
premium channels? They are in fact paying for it twice because
they are already paying for the premium channels and with the
digital supplement they are going to be asked to pay again and
they are the people who wanted the sports and film channels.
(Lord Gordon) This is precisely the point: it is going
to increase antagonism to the licence fee. If I had stumped up
a year ago for these extra services and nobody had mentioned a
digital licence fee to me and then retrospectively somebody imposes
a digital licence fee, I am going to resent that and say, "Hold
on. I'm not doing this to watch the BBC". Therefore when
it comes to the charter review in 2006, your constituents will
be arguing to you that the licence fee is dodgy. I think it is
increasingly difficult to justify, but it is worthwhile retaining.
One of my principal concerns about the Committee's recommendation
is that it is going to increase opposition to the licence fee.
Mr Fraser
101. What is your opinion about the derisory
concessions given to the blind and the deaf through their licence
fee?
(Lord Gordon) I think you have used the adjective.
They are derisory. The idea of £5 off if you are blind is
not much. However, there is a problem and it is the usual problem
linked in with definitions of blindness, disability and everything
else. At the margin, if you have poor sight, you could qualify.
I am quite happy if we look as generously as possible at people
with any disability but to be fair it should not be the BBC licence
fee that is doing that. That is what Government is there to do.
At the moment the BBC is sometimes trying to be a surrogate government
and it is going to do all this in education. The Government is
charged with doing that and they should subsidise.
102. Does it not become slightly party political
if that happens?
(Lord Gordon) Providing things for people who are
blind or disabled or deaf is party political but I do not think
any political party is against it.
103. You talked about the remit of the public
service aspect of the BBC. I actually have had two letters on
the subject I am just about to mention. The people who are responsible
to an extent for that public service content are the presenters
and those who are fronting up programmes. You talked about one
particular show which you did not like particularly. Do you think
a way of overcoming this is to revisit the contracts that these
presenters have and are they paid too much to do their jobs?
(Lord Gordon) It is not presenters who are responsible
for the content of programmes.
104. They are for bad delivery.
(Lord Gordon) It is producers. At the end of the day
it is a matter of budget. You can do poor
Lord Gordon) There are
also football players who attract rather a large amount of money
as well.
Chairman: Football players have fans.
I do not think BBC administrators have many fans.
Mr Fraser
106. We perform a public service here and we
do it far more efficiently than perhaps some of these presenters
at the BBC who make their reputation out of these programmes and
then sell on their services at great cost elsewhere.
(Lord Gordon) In a narrow market with increased number
of outlets the price of talent is going to go up. We have just
lost a presenter to another radio station. Clearly if you have
all these channels the first thing they will do is poach the good
on-air talent they know people want to watch and so the price
goes up. That is inevitable in a market driven situation.
107. More compatible with the commercial sector.
(Lord Gordon) No, it is not. Actually the BBC set
the price for a lot of things. The BBC actually pay quite a lot
of money to people. The BBC cannot plead being poor mouths in
this, it just is a very difficult marketplace. In a situation
where people are trying to get audiences, they will overpay for
things which they think will deliver audiences, whether that is
football rights or presenters.
Chairman: I should like to thank you
very much indeed. We have overrun a little because the Committee
was so interested in your evidence. Nevertheless we have pulled
in a great deal because of the briskness of your answers. I would
suggest that people screen the video of this session in order
to be able to see how people ought to answer a select committee.
Thank you very much indeed.
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