Not sure what to make of this hint about the possibility of a new dedicated free-to-air arts channel. On the one hand this particular minister (even if he survives much longer in the DCMS job) has not shown any great support for public service broadcasting hitherto. On the other, the current executive and management of the BBC have for some time shown very little interest in arts broadcasting, and there does appear to me to be a need for some fresh approach which could allow other organisations to provide free-to-air arts broadcasting. I don't really want to get into discussing the merits of Sky Arts here as that is a subscription-based channel and I am only concerned with the potential for a new channel which would be free to all licence-fee payers.
I presume what might be considered is a channel which is underpinned with public subsidy (either via licence fee or Arts Council funding) and transmits concerts, operas, plays and other arts programming, some of it live along the template of what has already been achieved by opera companies and the National Theatre. I think this is a worthwhile idea and as one who is not bound to the idea of the BBC being the only public service broadcaster, I would support it in principle.
I presume what might be considered is a channel which is underpinned with public subsidy (either via licence fee or Arts Council funding) and transmits concerts, operas, plays and other arts programming, some of it live along the template of what has already been achieved by opera companies and the National Theatre. I think this is a worthwhile idea and as one who is not bound to the idea of the BBC being the only public service broadcaster, I would support it in principle.
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