Examination of Witnesses (Questions 300-301)
MS JANE
LIGHTING AND
MS SUE
ROBERTSON
13 MARCH 2007
Q300 Chairman: Michael Grade told
us that in the long-term he did not see any originated children's
programming surviving on the main ITV channel. He told us that
he did not think news regional programming would continue on the
main ITV channel. Do you think you can sustain your present mix
or do you also think you are going to have to draw back from some
of these areas?
Ms Lighting: It is absolutely
my intention that we sustain the level of children's programming
that we do, or something close to it.
Q301 Chairman: And all the others,
programmes about global warming or the lack of it and all the
other—
Ms Lighting: Absolutely. I think
one of the strengths of a public service broadcaster is the breadth
of its offering. The minute, I believe, you drop important areas
like the news or children's and you fail to have that breadth
of coverage, you become one of the many, and therein describes
the whole of multi-channel. I think there are many merits in being
a public service broadcaster: standing, and reputation is also
important, as is breadth of coverage.
Chairman: The Committee has already commended
you in the past for maintaining the coverage of cricket on terrestrial
television, so we are pleased to hear it. Thank you very much.
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