Sean: a Celebration

[antongould]

It's a state broadcaster in effect.Of course BBC happy with the new socialist gov ( who would have guessed) . It's going to give BBC it's big budgets and bigger licence fee rises . Thankfully not had a penny from me for 12 years

a socialist government …… do you really think so ……. ????? Time will, I think, tell …….

[Old Grumpy]

Yep and that’s the main flaw in the system - the exercise of political control through the licence fee settlement and the adding of extra demands with no or inadequate extra funding - e.g. the World Service (which used to be a foreign office direct grant ) , free licences for over 75’s (now partial ) , the rollout of DTV , S4C, the local democracy reporter scheme and the biggest flop of the lot : local TV. For which we have to thank Gordon Brown , George Osborne , and Jeremy Hunt amongst others. The consequences can be heard daily on Radio 3 where every last penny is being squeezed out of the system.

Would that have been when, on Today, James Naughtie designated Jezza Hulture Secretary?

[ucanseetheend]

a socialist government …… do you really think so ……. ????? Time will, I think, tell …….

Already started. Get ready for tax and spend. That's been history of all of them. And it always fails

[Maclintick]

Finally the BBC is not a “state “ broadcaster . It’s licensed by Royal Charter and regulated by OFCOM. Unlike Some European countries where there is a state broadcaster government ministers play no editorial or supervisory part in output.

No, here it's much easier for the government to stick their placemen on the BBC board. In addition to the "death by a thousand cuts" inflicted by the last Tory governments, if one is to believe former Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis in her 2022 Mactaggart lecture or Lewis Goodall in yesterday's Observer, BBC news personnel have been subjected to editorial interference by Sir Robbie Gibb from his position on the supposedly non-exec BBC Board, before which benighted Auntie endured the imposition of Johnson's chum Richard Sharp as Chairman, until his facilitation of financial support to the disgraced PM proved to be a "perceived" conflict of interest (not an actual one, of course !). Odds on Sir Robbie seeing out his term until 2028 ??

On the shelf-life of presenters, it's notable how many distinguished news journos/presenters with plenty of shelf-life left in them have defected from the BBC to LBC within the last few years -- in addition to Mailtis and Goodall, Eddie Mair, Andrew Marr & Jon Sopel.

[french frank]

No, here it's much easier for the government to stick their placemen on the BBC board. In addition to the "death by a thousand cuts" inflicted by the last Tory governments, if one is to believe former Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis in her 2022 Mactaggart lecture or Lewis Goodall in yesterday's Observer, BBC news personnel have been subjected to editorial interference by Sir Robbie Gibb from his position on the supposedly non-exec BBC Board, before which benighted Auntie endured the imposition of Johnson's chum Richard Sharp as Chairman, until his facilitation of financial support to the disgraced PM proved to be a "perceived" conflict of interest (not an actual one, of course !).

Yes.

Should mention that Prospect magazine took a look at the subject a few months back and Robbie Gibb featured in that too.

[burning dog]

Andew Neil introduced the DAILY Politics show for years... Tory bias is ok

Robbie Gibb - The pernicious influence of Disco gets everywhere

[Ein Heldenleben]

Andew Neil introduced the DAILY Politics show for years... Tory bias is ok

Robbie Gibb - The pernicious influence of Disco gets everywhere

Could you perhaps supply an image that shows Andrew Neil’s keen interest in the Disco genre …?

[Ein Heldenleben]

No, here it's much easier for the government to stick their placemen on the BBC board. In addition to the "death by a thousand cuts" inflicted by the last Tory governments, if one is to believe former Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis in her 2022 Mactaggart lecture or Lewis Goodall in yesterday's Observer, BBC news personnel have been subjected to editorial interference by Sir Robbie Gibb from his position on the supposedly non-exec BBC Board, before which benighted Auntie endured the imposition of Johnson's chum Richard Sharp as Chairman, until his facilitation of financial support to the disgraced PM proved to be a "perceived" conflict of interest (not an actual one, of course !). Odds on Sir Robbie seeing out his term until 2028 ??

On the shelf-life of presenters, it's notable how many distinguished news journos/presenters with plenty of shelf-life left in them have defected from the BBC to LBC within the last few years -- in addition to Mailtis and Goodall, Eddie Mair, Andrew Marr & Jon Sopel.

I could say a lot about all this but I used to work in and around this genre so maybe I’ll keep it brief . All I can say is that I found it surprising that a BBC non exec board member directly addressed editorial matters with output journalists rather than acting through a head of department . As always I’m sure the journalists listened with keen interest. They just love being told what to do..

[vinteuil]

... the adding of extra demands with no or inadequate extra funding - e.g. the World Service (which used to be a foreign office direct grant )

... yes, the finagling by which the BBC was 'persuaded' to take on the costs of the World Service (which had previously come out of the FCO vote which funded the British Council and other 'soft power' exercises) was woeful.

.

[french frank]

I could say a lot about all this but I used to work in and around this genre so maybe I’ll keep it brief . All I can say is that I found it surprising that a BBC non exec board member directly addressed editorial matters with output journalists rather than acting through a head of department . As always I’m sure the journalists listened with keen interest. They just love being told what to do..

The Prospect article "How the government captured the BBC) is here. I'm not sure if this is available to non-subscribers, but I'll email a copy to anyone interested if they PM me.

[Ein Heldenleben]

The Prospect article "How the government captured the BBC) is here. I'm not sure if this is available to non-subscribers, but I'll email a copy to anyone interested if they PM me.

Yes I read it. It always amazed me that Gibb was(apparently) known to be pro Brexit yet edited the Sunday Politics . I am a real purist . I don’t think the BBC should hire any ex Political party staffers as political journalists and I don’t like it when they leave and immediately get a job with a political party as a press comms person .
Never joined a party and never even told a canvasser how I vote. I don’t expect anyone to believe this but hardly anyone that I met in the BBC has any interest in how you vote and you don’t ask them. It’s not quite a convention but not far off. As for it being “socialist” I can assure you there are plenty of Tories around . Never met a self confessed Lib Dem though.

[french frank]

The Prospect article "How the government captured the BBC) is here. I'm not sure if this is available to non-subscribers, but I'll email a copy to anyone interested if they PM me.

And to be clear, the article dates from last January and 'the government' is referring to the Conservative government.

[Maclintick]

The Prospect article "How the government captured the BBC) is here. I'm not sure if this is available to non-subscribers, but I'll email a copy to anyone interested if they PM me.

It pretty much sank without trace at the time. I read it after hearing James O'Brien interview Alan Rusbridger on LBC.

[Serial_Apologist]

It's a state broadcaster in effect.Of course BBC happy with the new socialist gov ( who would have guessed) . It's going to give BBC it's big budgets and bigger licence fee rises . Thankfully not had a penny from me for 12 years

[Serial_Apologist]

a socialist government …… do you really think so ……. ????? Time will, I think, tell …….

It already has.