This needs no further comment (at least for the present): http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18641551
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If Mr Pee were here he'd be quick to tell us how much better BSKYB is. -
That's* obviously all down to Murdoch (or Hunt, or Cameron).Originally posted by Flosshilde View Post
*[I don't mean Mr Pee's down to them, of course. Or perhaps he is.]Comment
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This is the BBC's response.
I don't know why he's quoted on sport, though. I know the govt dept is Culture, Media and Sport but the story is making a point about the arts and classical music. He doesn't respond to that at all, so I suppose we can take that as correct.It isn't given us to know those rare moments when people are wide open and the lightest touch can wither or heal. A moment too late and we can never reach them any more in this world.Comment
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Yes, a 40% drop in arts and classical music programming on the main terrestrial channels from 2006 to 2011 is shameful and the BBC's response doesn't address that statistic at all. I wouldn't have thought that 2006 was in any case a particularly high point for arts broadcasting, so it would presumably be possible to plot an even steeper decline.
The question that an organisation with more backbone and stronger teeth than the BBC Trust might be asking is what really is the point of the BBC as a public service broadcaster if it ignores the arts (and original drama commissioning) to such an extent, or is it just for covering big fests like the Jublympics (in which it hasn't so far distinguished itself)?
There is a slight irony in that as that Ofcom report comes out, the BBC is about to broadcast a series of Shakespeare plays starting tonight with Richard II on BBC2, although even this programming has only come about because of its link to the Cultural Olympics, not because the BBC thinks it is worth doing in its own right. The sad thing is that there does not seem to be anyone in BBC senior management willing to stand up for arts programming.Comment
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