Policy & advocacy @mediareformUK @hackinginquiry. PhD press & broadcasting policy, lectured @Kingspol_econ @MediaComGold, future of PSB research @CardiffJOMEC

Joined June 2010
We’re told the BBC belongs to all of us. In reality, we have no power over how 'our BBC' is run, governed or funded. Now the BBC Charter review has begun, I've started Whose Beeb? to write about the politics & policy shaping the future of UK public media: whosebeeb.substack.com/p/gre…
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It staggers me that Pact, representing a huge bloc of the UK's £4bn film & TV production sector, supports replacing the TV licence with a household levy. Staggered not because they support it, but because this major endorsement has done nothing to move stubborn DCMS ministers
The BBC's decision to close BBC Three and BBC Scotland linear channels underlines the urgent need for a sustainable funding model for the BBC, and producers need transparency around redirected funding and support. Read our statement in full: pact.co.uk/resource/pact-sta…
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When DCMS bothers to talk about public service media, 'supporting the UK's creative economy' is always an easy get on the bingo sheet. Recent White Paper gossip & muted reactions to more brutal BBC cuts suggests that support still starts and ends with nothing but bromides
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Tom Chivers retweeted
The BBC's decision to close BBC Three and BBC Scotland linear channels underlines the urgent need for a sustainable funding model for the BBC, and producers need transparency around redirected funding and support. Read our statement in full: pact.co.uk/resource/pact-sta…
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Tom Chivers retweeted
We are all saddened by the announcement that @R4Extra is scheduled for closure. Not only has the channel been the ideal outlet for the many programmes we have recovered, the staff have always been very encouraging, helpful, and, most importantly, have promoted what we do. (1/3)
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Tom Chivers retweeted
In my opinion, we're going to lose something incredibly valuable to the cultural fabric & history of this country. If Radio 4 Extra with its carefully curated archive isn't the epitome of public service broadcasting, well, I don't know what is. Only the BBC can do it. A sad day.
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Our brazenly corrupt political/media culture distilled in 10s. When most politicians watch this chummy crap or see Farage heading GB News for £££, they don't think "god, what an insult to democracy, journalism & the public's intelligence". They think "god, I wish that was me!"
Labour govt minister Yvette Cooper tells Labour peer Ayesha Hazarika, who is interviewing her, "you're a journalist"
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If you’re asking ‘why isn’t Ofcom doing its job?’, don’t worry: it is! After getting slammed by the High Court for failing to use proper definitions for when a politician shouldn’t present news, instead of strengthening its rules Ofcom simply relaxed them further
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FWIW this is what a ‘permanent’ BBC Charter means in practice. Proponents don’t really want to protect the BBC from gov, and certainly don’t care for real democratic accountability - it’s a transparent gimmick to ‘shield’ an unreformed BBC from Reform
I have no problem with the mainstream media shining a light on Reform. Supporting the principle of a free press means defending that type of scrutiny. However, if *every* undercover investigation is targeted at Reform and not at other parties (all of whom have their bad apples), it will just look like a politically-motivated witch-hunt by a partisan media establishment. Ironically, that will end up playing into Reform's hands - reinforcing the party's message that the entire establishment is against it.
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Tom Chivers retweeted
What no MP seems to want to tackle is the uncomfortable question that lurks within this statement: if people can’t afford £15 a month for a licence fee, why can’t they? What kind of politics is it when MPs propose scrapping public services rather than tackling wages and poverty?
People are already paying for subscriptions to Netflix, YouTube, Sky and countless other streaming services. If the BBC is struggling to stay afloat, perhaps it’s time to scrap the archaic TV licence fee and move to a subscription-based model. Let people decide for themselves whether the BBC is worth paying for, rather than forcing everyone to fund a service they have little interest in watching. With the cost of living already sky-high, why should ordinary people be forced to shoulder yet another financial burden to prop up an institution they neither use nor wish to support? The idea of effectively making people pay more for their existing streaming and entertainment habits to fund the BBC is completely out of touch with the financial pressures households are facing. People are already struggling to afford even the simplest pleasures in life. A trip to the cinema, a meal out or a night socialising with friends can feel like a luxury these days. For many, a Netflix subscription or a bit of YouTube at home is one of the few affordable ways to unwind and escape the daily grind. Stop reaching further into people's pockets and taking away what little respite they have left. If the BBC wants to remain relevant and financially sustainable, it should have to persuade people that its content is worth paying for, just like every other subscription service. If people value it, they’ll subscribe. If they don’t, that should be their choice. The last thing people need during a cost-of-living crisis is another unpopular, forced charge. I suspect it could provoke resentment on a scale reminiscent of the poll tax. Give people choice, respect their finances and let the BBC earn its subscribers rather than forcing the public to fund it.
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“The BBC” is not a person, but it’s true that the former commercial TV execs and private industry bigwigs brought in to lead it over the last 30 years have tried to bring ‘business savvy’ to public media principles, and failed miserably at both
The BBC has a fascinating, broken relationship with commercial media - constantly taking its cues from an industry where most of the business models are in a long-term death spiral, and replicating their shoddy content, despite facing none of those constraints itself.
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Worth noting the speed and severity with which BBC programmes that people actually like have been axed, compared to how quickly rumours of Newsnight being canned were denied. The crap chat show is here to stay
"If you want to lift up the poor, you have to create wealth." "How's that going?" Podcaster and former Mumford & Sons member Winston Marshall discusses taxes with economist and Green Party supporter Faiza Shaheen. #Newsnight
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For all the political & media grandstanding over the UAE/Telegraph takeover, barely anybody engaged with the legal process for stopping it. Almost as though the process isn't fit for purpose! mediareform.org.uk/blog/dcms…
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One is a bloated wreck coasting on a myth, wasting billions on boondoggle projects, driving a dumbed down, fickle culture of ideological untruths, facing constant allegations of graft and sexual misconduct. The other is the BBC.
This quoted post is unavailable.
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Full-throttle free market fundamentalism from a former Your Party figurehead This Charter Review has exposed many policymakers' total lack of democratic ideals or principles about public media, right across the political spectrum
People are already paying for subscriptions to Netflix, YouTube, Sky and countless other streaming services. If the BBC is struggling to stay afloat, perhaps it’s time to scrap the archaic TV licence fee and move to a subscription-based model. Let people decide for themselves whether the BBC is worth paying for, rather than forcing everyone to fund a service they have little interest in watching. With the cost of living already sky-high, why should ordinary people be forced to shoulder yet another financial burden to prop up an institution they neither use nor wish to support? The idea of effectively making people pay more for their existing streaming and entertainment habits to fund the BBC is completely out of touch with the financial pressures households are facing. People are already struggling to afford even the simplest pleasures in life. A trip to the cinema, a meal out or a night socialising with friends can feel like a luxury these days. For many, a Netflix subscription or a bit of YouTube at home is one of the few affordable ways to unwind and escape the daily grind. Stop reaching further into people's pockets and taking away what little respite they have left. If the BBC wants to remain relevant and financially sustainable, it should have to persuade people that its content is worth paying for, just like every other subscription service. If people value it, they’ll subscribe. If they don’t, that should be their choice. The last thing people need during a cost-of-living crisis is another unpopular, forced charge. I suspect it could provoke resentment on a scale reminiscent of the poll tax. Give people choice, respect their finances and let the BBC earn its subscribers rather than forcing the public to fund it.
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Tom Chivers retweeted
We're deeply concerned that the Shadow Culture Secretary appears to be arguing for an end to almost all public investment in arts & culture. A cut of this magnitude would be unprecedented and catastrophic. We've requested a full explanation of the numbers and a serious rethink.
We will cut the arts & culture budget by £1bn in order to fund 50,000 prison places. Keeping rapists and other dangerous offenders locked up is a priority for the @Conservatives. We will always put community safety first. @RichmoMusic If you need help understanding the numbers, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Always happy to talk you through. thetimes.com/article/77bcee1…
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Only the government could devise such an openly antagonising & ultimately dysfunctional funding model. They are sadistically obsessed with a ‘device linked’ licence, rather than making any serious case for public investment in British media
Only the BBC could devise a funding model where the solution to people not watching your programmes is to charge them for watching somebody else's. Under this logic, every time I order a Domino's, I should send Pizza Hut £2.50 to support the future of British pizza.
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MPs' proposals for renewing the BBC's Royal Charter fail to match the scale and urgency of crises facing the BBC. Read the MRC's statement & analysis of the recent Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee report on BBC Charter Review: mediareform.org.uk/blog/sele…
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Tom Chivers retweeted
Today on Feedback, we're hearing your thoughts on the recent cuts to @bbcradio4, specifically the axing of #YouAndYours. Here's a sample of what you have to say about the end of the long running consumer advice programme. Listen at 3.30pm 📻 Feedback | @bbcsounds
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Tom Chivers retweeted
The NUJ's just put this statement out on the BBC's decision to scrap You and Yours:
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Tom Chivers retweeted
Oh and ofc, we lost Birmingham-produced ‘Doctors’ during the time Andy Street was Mayor, ended because the Government’s licence fee freeze meant the BBC had significantly less money.
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