Audiences set today's standards

Very well said by Graham Norton in the observer today. Whatever you think about The BBC this needs to be said - and often pic.twitter.com/nEbLltN6wc

— charlie higson (@monstroso) April 25, 2021

Interesting point from Graham Norton - traditionally, this was undoubtedly the case... but is it still this simple in a multi-media age?

Firstly, although it’s not perfect (is any large organisation?), I’ve always passionately defended the BBC’s existence and funding model. Its high quality journalism, education resources and broadcast output make it one of this country’s proudest institutions.

In the days before the internet, when a handful of TV/radio stations reigned supreme, the BBC was the commercial sector’s only competitor - and it didn’t have adverts then either.

Nowadays, you also have the likes of Netflix, Spotify and an ever-growing range of digital media including podcasts which are raising the bar for all traditional broadcasters, including the BBC.

Of course, two ad-free pop stations with huge budgets behind them (including the UK’s most listened-to, Radio 2) are still huge competition for commercial radio - but traditional radio/TV isn’t just competing with its own anymore.

To put it simply, audiences are setting the standards more than ever.