NEW CHARTER FOR THE BBC

New Zealand Listener, Volume 16, Issue 394, 10 January 1947, Page 7

NEW CHARTER FOR THE BBC

Points from the House of Commons Debate

HE licence, which authorises the British Broadcasting Corporation to operate came up for discussion in the House of Commons on December 11, and there was a keen debate before a new licence was unanimously approved, new governors were appointed, and a fresh agreement drawn up between the Government and the BBC. The House was not concerned with the BBC’s Charter, which outlines its organisation, objects, and powers in detail, but only with the terms on which the Postmaster-General authorises the Corporation to operate. The following cabled account of the decision and the debate came to "The Listener’ through the office of the High Commissioner for the United Kingdom. It is fuller than anything that has appeared to date in our newspapers.

because the Government intends to continue the BBC in substantially its present form. Most of the current licence period fell under the strain of wartime conditions and it is therefore considered fair to give the BBC a further term under stable conditions to carry through developments interrupted by the war, and to test the effectiveness of wartime technical improvements. The new licence runs five years instead of 10. in licence are few No Commercial Broadcasting The licence prohibits commercial and sponsored broadcasts. It requires the, BBC to refrain from broadcasting any —

matter, on written notice from the Post-master-General, but this has never been exercised. The BBC is prohibited from expressing its own. opinions on public policy, but is allowed to broadcast on matters of religious, political, and industrial controversy. Positively, the Corporation is required to broadcast Government announcements. It has a general obligation to broadcast during prescribed hours of the day. In overseas services it accepts the views of Government Depargments about times and languages, but remains independent in preparing programmes. Each Department gives information on imperial foreign affairs and it is accepted that the BBC will give due consideration to information received. The Government hopes "that the fruit of expenditure on overseas broadcasts will be a better

understanding between the peoples of the world. Brendan Bracken, wartime Minister of Information, criticised the inclusion in the new agreement of paternal provisions which were placed there when the BBC was in its infancy and he considered no longer suitable to such an institution. Government rights had not been abused, but they might be abused under another Government. Other points raised were the allocation of the licence-fee paid by listeners between the BBC and the Treasury which takes 3/- out of the annual 20/-, and whether and how the BBC could be improved if subjected to competition. Qualified Controversy Herbert Morrison, Lord President of the Council, said it,was not his business to defend the BBC, which had no obligation to do what the Government wants -‘so it is a perfectly free situation on both sides." Broadcasting had been interfered with very little, even in the war. Government announcements are sent to the BBC like any other an: nouncements. If the BBC thought the Government was sending too many they

said so, and sometimes suggested. alterations and an amicable arrangement was made. Mr. Morrison welcomed controversy and more of it, subject only to two limitations. Both sides of the case must be presented, and, secondly, the BBC must take care not to shock any substantial body of listeners who might be worried about what their children heard. Brendan Bracken thought that the independence of the BBC was prejudiced by the Treasury taking part of the fees it received from listeners, but Mr. Morrison said he thought there was no harm in ploughing back part of the profits for the general benefit of taxpayers. It was better that the BBC should agree with the Treasury about needs for expenditure and research as it goes along and Treasury would give sympathetic consideration to demands for increased expenditure. Rather than build up reserves, the BBC had better justify current expenditure. "It is very ‘good for expensive institutions to have negotiations from time to time with the Treasury, otherwise there might be squandering of public money right and left," he said. Mr. Morrison stressed the value of emulation between organisations under common ownership and control A competitive spirit had developed between the Home Service, the Light Programme and the Third Programme, particularly since the latter started, and there was also competition among the Regional Programmes. New Management Lord Inman, the new chairman of the Board of Governors of the BBC, was educated at Headingley College, Leeds University, and has wide public and commercial interests. Formerly Philip Inman, he is Chairman of the Charing Cross Hospital, London, and as Chairman of the Finance Committee of the Church of England, he reorganised the Church’s central finances. He was adviser on the new non-governmental organisation for developing. tourist-catering holiday services, and he has been a frequent broadcaster on the Brains Trust and other programmes. His business interests are publishing and hotels, and he was made a peer this year, as a Labour member of the House of Lords. Lady Reading, the new vice-chair-man, is well known for many public services, notably as Chairman of the Women’s Voluntary Services. She was a member of the Broadcasting Committee of 1935 and Governor of the BBC this year. She is the widow of the first Marquis of Reading, Viceroy of India. The other new Governor, Mr, John Adamson, is President of the Scottish Chartered Accountants in England. The remaining Governors are Miss Barbara Ward, Assistant Editor of The Economist, Air Marshal Sir Richard Peck, Director of Air Ministry Public Relations during the war, the Right Hon. Geoffrey Lloyd, formerly Minister in Charge of the Petroleum Warfare Department, and Mr. Ernest Whitfield. The Prime Minister, announcing these new appointments, explained that Sir Allan Powell, retiring Governor, and Mr. Millis, Vice-Chairman, had been appointed to a second term on the understanding that the position would be reviewed at the end of the war He expressed the Government's appreciation of their public spirit in continuing to serve after the war and their great services during their long periods of office, particularly their contribution to the splendid war record of the BBC,