THE BBC was told yesterday to expand the number of programmes it makes
in Scotland, and to and pay more attention to what the public wants,
when it was given a 10-year reprieve by the Government.
A White Paper rejected privatising the corporation, and allowed it to
keep its licence fee instead of forcing it to resort to advertising.
The BBC will be required to agree to increase production in Scotland
and the other nations and regions of the UK in the new agreement it has
to make with the Government before its Royal Charter is renewed for a
decade from 1997.
The corporation was also told to ''pay more attention in future than
it has done in the past to the views of audiences of what is acceptable
in its programmes''.
''Many people,'' the White Paper says, ''believe there is too much
violence, sex, and bad language in television programmes. The public may
be less tolerant, especially of violent scenes, than they were a few
years ago.''
The governors are told to ''keep in touch with the BBC's audiences''
and ensure that programmes reflect their needs and interests. They are
also told that their role is to look after the public's interest within
the organisation, not to manage the BBC.
The licence fee will be kept as the main source of finance but
reviewed before the end of 2001.
The National Heritage Secretary, Mr Peter Brooke, told MPs that the
Government wanted the BBC greatly to extend the range of its commercial
ventures, especially abroad, and evolve into ''an international
multi-media leader''.
Mr John Birt, the much criticised director-general, not least by his
own staff, emerged as the probable saviour of the corporation as Mr
Brooke told one MP that the Government's approach might not have been
the same but for the radical changes he had introduced.
Mr Birt said he regarded the new 10-year charter as ''a vote of
confidence'' in the BBC. ''We are determined to become the world's
leading local broadcaster,'' he added.
The system for handling the complaints of listeners and viewers is to
be streamlined by merging the Broadcasting Complaints Commission and the
Broadcasting Standards Council. The BBC will deliver a statement of
promised new standards to the homes of all licence payers.
Mr John McCormick, controller, BBC Scotland, said the White Paper
recognised the important role of BBC Scotland through the service it
provided for viewers and listeners in Scotland and the rest of the UK,
and wanted to see them strengthened.
He said the BBC had already made a significant move in that direction
through its regional policy which would see a large investment in
programme-making outside London over the next three years with BBC
Scotland a main beneficiary.
Scottish Secretary Ian Lang described the White Paper as ''very good
news'' for Scottish broadcasting.
He said: ''I believe that we have the creative talent here in Scotland
capable of producing a wide range of programmes of high quality. The
opportunity to make more programmes -- confirmed by the White Paper --
will enable that talent to flourish in Scotland.''
Mr Lang said the ''clarification and strengthening'' of the role of
the BBC's national governor for Scotland and the Broadcasting Council
for Scotland, outlined in the White Paper, should ensure that BBC
Scotland played its full part in contributing to the BBC's output
throughout the UK.
The Shadow Scottish Secretary, Mr George Robertson, said: ''There is
no commitment that skills and jobs will follow the previously announced
production moves. Decentralisation should have been at the heart of
reinvigorating UK public service broadcasting.''
SNP leader Alex Salmond wrote to Mr Brooke asking if the new charter
would enhance the strategic role and autonomy of the Scottish National
Broadcasting Council. He said: ''People in Scotland deserve a BBC that
is national in character, not regional.''
Mr Brian Wilson, Labour MP for Cunnighame North, said Scottish
broadcasters did not want to produce just more inward looking prgrammes
but a fair opportunity to make programmes that went out to the rest of
the UK.
Labour's spokesman, Dr Marjorie Mowlam, said the party was relieved
the Government had rejected privatisation but said it had gone for the
status quo instead of being more ambitious. Mr Robert Maclennan, for the
Liberal Democrats, attacked the continuing ''cosy self-regulation'' by
the BBC governors and called for an independent regulator for all
television.
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