Letter from David Abraham, Chief Executive,
Channel 4 (C4 01)
CHANNEL 4 EVIDENCE SESSION ON 28 JULY 2010
I am writing to you in response to the letter
we have received from Andrew Griffiths, Second Clerk of the Committee,
dated 4 August 2010, which asked us for follow-up information
on some of the issues we discussed in the session. I am very happy
to provide more detail on these points.
OUT OF
LONDON COMMISSIONING
In response to the Committee's question on whether
Channel 4 had explored the possibility of relocating commissioners
away from Horseferry Road, I can confirm that while we have not
undertaken a full cost-benefit analysis of this issue, in recent
years we have made efforts to increase our commissioning presence
outside London.
Scotland is currently the only location outside
London with a dedicated Channel 4 office, and the Nations and
Regions team based there has recently expanded into a larger integrated
`Creative Diversity' division. This division, which is likely
to grow again in 2011, includes an additional two posts based
in Scotland, including a Media Project Manager position with responsibility
for commissioning content across a range of genres. In addition
to its activity in Scotland, Channel 4 also has 4iP commissioners
working in Yorkshire and the West Midlands who are responsible
for engaging with digital companies based outside of London.
I understand that the management of Channel
4 has frequently considered new ways in which it can improve Channel
4's out of London commissioning, specifically from the nations
of the UK. However, Channel 4 is a relatively small organisation
compared to other network broadcasters such as the BBC and ITV,
with no in-house production facilities. Commissioning departments
are made up of only a small number of people, and Channel 4 believes
that moving limited numbers across the UK is unlikely to have
as much impact as encouraging all Channel 4 commissioners to spend
more time with production companies based in the nations and regions.
Channel 4 therefore holds regular nation-wide commissioner briefing
days, as well as undertaking more targeted initiatives, such as
the establishment of a special commissioning team with the objective
of increasing contact with independent companies in Northern Ireland.
This has resulted in a number of new commissions from the nation.
Nonetheless, this is an issue that I wish to
keep under active review and it will be something that will be
revisited by the new Chief Creative Officer of Channel 4, as part
of a broader consideration of how we can enhance our performance
across the UK, when that appointment is made in the near future.
BURSARIES FOR
THE TELEVISION
JOURNALISM MA AT
CITY UNIVERSITY
The Committee also asked for further detail
on the criteria used to determine Channel 4 bursaries for the
Television Journalism MA at City University. This scheme is open
to anyone with an "in-depth knowledge" of the African,
Caribbean, Bangladeshi or Pakistani communities. It was put in
place to address the low levels of representation of these groups
within newsrooms, particularly compared to the number of stories
about these groups.[1]
Recognising that coverage is enhanced if newsrooms can draw upon
journalists with specific expertise, the scheme aims to develop
journalists with knowledge and understanding of these groups.
It is not a requirement that recipients are from the specific
ethnic communities; students are eligible as long as they possess
detailed knowledge, have sufficient ability, and are not otherwise
able to fund themselves. That said, all recipients of the bursary
so far have been from these backgrounds.
CHANNEL 4 AND
DIVERSITY
I would also like to take this opportunity to
follow up on the broader discussion we had with the Committee
on the issue of diversity that was prompted by Philip Davies MP's
question; particularly the implication that Channel 4's new entrant
and development schemes are overly focused on certain minority
groups and that this denies opportunities to other groups. We
strongly refute that suggestion, and I thought it might be useful
for me to explain our policies in the context of stimulating diversity
in employment, both within Channel 4 and across the industry.
Channel 4 is proud of its record of supporting creative
talent from diverse backgrounds, both on- and off-screen. As you
know, Channel 4 has a specific remit to "appeal to the tastes
and interests of a culturally diverse society". The Digital
Economy Act reaffirms this role and includes a new purpose for
Channel 4 to support the development of people with creative talent.
In delivering our remit, we therefore strive to ensure that people
working at Channel 4 and in the companies we work with come from
diverse backgrounds.
However, it is important to draw a distinction
between raising the aspirations of people from diverse backgrounds
to learn more about the media industry as a whole, and the policies
we apply to recruitment and employment. Channel 4 is an equal
opportunities employer; candidates for employment are selected
solely on their experience and ability, using competency based
interviews and assessment. To ensure that we attract prospective
job candidates from the widest range of backgrounds, Channel 4
uses a variety of networks such as 4Talent schemes, general press
advertising and links on partnership websites. As part of our
day-to-day practices, we monitor all our recruitment activities,
including candidate profiles, to help us better understand the
range of people making applications. However, none of this information
is used to select candidates.
At a headline level, we believe we have a responsibility
to do more to make the talent working within the industry more
diverse and inclusive of people from a wide range of backgrounds.
To help achieve this, Channel 4 runs a number of new entrant schemes
with the specific aim of breaking down the barriers to entry for
people who want to work in the media, irrespective of age, socio-economic
background, qualifications, race, disability or gender. Our schemes
are aimed at enabling people from a wide range of backgrounds—who
might not otherwise consider a career in the media—to discover
the opportunities open to them through short work placements,
open days and talent development schemes. This includes people
from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds and disabled
people, as well as people from a range of ethnic communities.
Some recent initiatives are outlined below.
— Channel 4's Work Related Learning schemes
are offered to school and college students aged between 14 and
25, and include work experience placements with Channel 4 and
our independent suppliers. Applications for the work experience
placements were open to any student and selected via an open day
and written application process—Channel 4 worked with a
range of partners to identify schools and colleges across London
to participate, and potential candidates were identified by the
schools and academies. Through these schemes, to date this year
Channel 4 has worked with over 1,000 students from 170 schools
across the UK.
— The majority of our support initiatives
for companies and talent are not aimed specifically at minority
ethnic groups, but are open to all applicants. However, in a few
instances we have targeted initiatives for groups where under-representation
in the industry is particularly marked. This includes a partnership
with Operation Black Vote in which six managers from minority
ethnic groups undertook nine-day placements within various departments
at Channel 4. This scheme recognises that there is under-representation
of ethnic minorities at higher levels within the media and across
the UK workforce as a whole,[2]
and is aimed at providing opportunities for those with management
and leadership potential to progress their career.
— Channel 4 has also developed schemes
aimed at improving opportunities for people with disabilities
to enter and progress their career within the industry. For example,
as part of our commitment to the Paralympics we have launched
a major initiative to discover new disabled, on-screen talent—our
aim is for disabled presenters to make up 50% of our on-screen
talent during the Paralympic Games.
Channel 4's special remit to nurture new talent
and "appeal to the tastes and interests of a culturally diverse
society" means it is an important talent pipeline, and all
of our work experience schemes have been put in place with the
aim of opening up opportunities to those who might not otherwise
believe that the media is accessible to them. Rather than this
being an issue where Channel 4 and our colleagues across the industry
should stand still, we believe there is more to be done to foster
a workplace that is open to all, regardless of background.
I hope that this information answers the Committee's
questions more fully and helps to put into context the range of
work that Channel 4 does to support creative talent, including
people from a diverse range of backgrounds as well as those from
the different nations and regions of the UK.
Do let me know if you would like to discuss
this or any other matters further. I look forward to continuing
our dialogue with the Committee in due course.
24 August 2010
1 See ESRC seminar series, "Widening Ethnic Diversity
In The News Media Workforce" 2010; The Guardian "A Job
For The Wealthy and Connected", 7 April 2008. Back
2
Business in the Community, "Race to the top", 2009. Back
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