APPENDIX 38
Letter to Chris Bryant MP from Head of
Public Affairs, ITV Digital
During ITV's appearance before the Select Committee
you asked for details about the charges levied to viewers making
telephone calls to Pop Idol. We promised to write to you with
details of how these calls are charged for.
Callers are charged 10p per call. When commissioning
the show, Claudia Rosencrantz, ITV's Controller of Entertainment,
insisted that the programme's producers charged viewers the lowest
possible rate based on the need to cover the charges for the phone
lines and the costs of administering the vote.
Premium rate phone lines are sometimes used
when there is the opportunity for those calling to win a prize
of some sort. However, this is clearly not the case with Pop Idol.
Claudia also took the view that, as the participation of viewers
in the show through voting is integral to the programme's appeal,
viewers should not in this instance be charged more than the minimum
for taking part.
I hope this answers your questions. If you have
any further queries about Pop Idol please do not hesitate to give
me a call.
31 January 2002
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