Our clueless DCMS Secretary, Nadine Dorries, announces the licence fee will be frozen for two years before looking to replace it with a new funding model when the current BBC Charter is up for renewal at the end of 2027... "if the Conservatives are still in power" - so no need to worry then?!
Firstly, let me reassure you this is a media blog and far better informed political commentaries on all manner of issues are available elsewhere - but, as I regularly do, I won’t shy away from sticking my ore into matters involving our industry.
An ally of Dorries, who looks set to decide the future of Channel 4 despite recently falsely claiming the broadcaster is "in reciept of public money", told the Mail on Sunday:
It is not yet clear whether the future will be share ownership or subscription, but there will be no more licence fee renewals as long as Boris is PM.
Again, no need to worry - "as long as Johnson is PM".
This has been debated for years of course, but today’s announcement comes amid the Partygate scandal which the BBC and every credible news outlet is reporting on with facts.
Is this just the final straw in the government’s vendetta against the corporation? (It was actually ITN and the Mirror that broke the stories).
The subscription model is always floated by critics - and while it could work for particular services, much of what the BBC does currently - notably traditional radio - couldn’t be sustained (see Phil Riley’s blog).
If the BBC were to enter the ad market, it would decimate the existing commercial sector. Overall broadcast spend wouldn’t just magically skyrocket. Budgets would be reallocated.
Plus, ITV’s total ad revenue is about £2bn less than license fee income so nowhere near enough to fund the most valuable BBC services.
All that remains is general taxation - even if it would raise questions about the BBC’s independence from government; although some (wrongly) believe it is partisan already.
You're never going to please everyone!
