Examination of Witnesses (Questions 100
- 106)
WEDNESDAY 11 JULY 2007
Ms Dorothy Byrne and Mr Jim Gray
Q100 Baroness Eccles of Moulton:
The next question really has been partly based on the commercial
viability of news. In the Ofcom recent report, in relation to
the fact that the independent PBS channels at the moment have
a privileged access to the analogue spectrum, which, of course,
will come to an end when all broadcasting becomes digital, it
says that the statutory mechanisms to enforce the inclusion of
news on television "may only work on BBC and probably Channel
4", and I am quoting from paragraph 1.25 in the report. What
do you think of that? Do you think that this is an accurate summary?
Ms Byrne: It is interesting. ITV is a very important
news provider and particularly important to me because we make
our news together. Will it be to ITV's advantage to have news
after that date? Yes, because it would mark it out from the many
other channels that are out there. You may all have a view on
that but having really good news does make a statement about your
channel that I think is very attractive to viewers, and I find
it interesting that ITV, for example, in current affairs, keeps
Tonight with Trevor McDonald and keeps it in prime time,
because it obviously thinks it does a good job for it. Currently
I think ITV News is a very good programme and it is doing pretty
well. I would hope that ITV would continue in some way with news
but—
Q101 Baroness Eccles of Moulton:
Do you think that Channel 4 News can survive in its present form?
Ms Byrne: I go back to it. It has to survive.
Channel 4 News is the key and most important purpose of Channel
4. We just have to all be clear about that. I do not walk about
Channel 4 saying, "I am the most important person in Channel
4", but I do walk about saying, "What I do is the most
important thing that Channel 4 does", and I have to say that
everybody agrees.
Q102 Chairman:
You mean everybody in Channel 4 agrees?
Ms Byrne: Everybody in Channel 4 agrees. The
marketing and the promotion of news and current affairs at Channel
4 I think is a demonstration of its real commitment to it, and
it is not just at the heart of what we do; it is us. I always
say that Channel 4 News is the soul of Channel 4. It is what it
is for.
Q103 Chairman:
The last time I heard anyone say, "It has to survive"
several times it was the British Leyland Rover management in Birmingham,
but I will not go down that road. You suggested that if ITV took
over ITN Channel 4 would review the situation. Actually, there
is nothing you could do about it, is there? I mean, the only thing
you could do, I suppose, would be take another news provider if
you felt that strongly.
Ms Byrne: Yes. If we felt it was not right that
would be what we would consider doing.
Mr Gray: ITN, we obviously hope, would propose
a model of the kind of news that would still meet all its responsibilities
and obligations.
Q104 Chairman:
I may be wrong but I did not get an overwhelming sense that you
were totally confident that ITV was going to continue in the news
area.
Ms Byrne: I hope that they do. I think there
are very good reasons for them to do so.
Q105 Chairman:
Just to end where we began, the bottom line is that at the moment
you are supported by roughly £10 million a year to keep your
Channel 4 news programmes going and that money has got to come
from somewhere in your view because it is not going to come from,
if I can put it this way, the market place?
Ms Byrne: Exactly.
Q106 Chairman:
Thank you very much indeed. It has been a very interesting session.
We have undoubtedly got more questions for you but perhaps we
could put those on paper and send them to you.
Mr Gray: Of course.
Chairman: Thank you very much for coming.
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