Should BBC radio be broadening the spectrum of music for young people

[Gordon]

Some of the issues raised in this thread could be brought to the attention of the BBC Regulator OfCom, should anyone here feel the need. Having very recently taken on the role they are consulting on their role and the terms of the BBC operating licence and are keen to hear about distinctiveness in particular. It's an opportunity to air your views.

Go here to see the documents:

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/consultations-and-statements/category-1/bbc-performance

[DracoM]

Thx for link.

[french frank]

Thx for link.

It's the same link as was given in the OP of the thread about Ofcom taking over

[Globaltruth]

Some of the issues raised in this thread could be brought to the attention of the BBC Regulator OfCom, should anyone here feel the need. Having very recently taken on the role they are consulting on their role and the terms of the BBC operating licence and are keen to hear about distinctiveness in particular. It's an opportunity to air your views.

Go here to see the documents:

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/consultatio...bc-performance

Thanks. DracoM and me feel the need.

to be continued...

[Globaltruth]

Thanks. DracoM and me feel the need.

to be continued...

DracoM and I have now agreed we will work in the background pulling together a précis/summary from this thread and elsewhere - we'll then post it here for comments, final review to be done by ff. then we'll target both BBC/r3 and OFCOM.
Next steps based on their responses.

None of which means the thread needs to stop....

[french frank]

DracoM and I have now agreed we will work in the background pulling together a précis/summary from this thread and elsewhere - we'll then post it here for comments, final review to be done by ff. then we'll target both BBC/r3 and OFCOM.
Next steps based on their responses.

One thing you will need to take on board from the draft proposals is exactly what Ofcom is being asked to do. It already has wide regulatory powers connected with the various communications industries (broadcasting, telecoms, postal) so I don't imagine it will delve too far into the details of how the BBC is run at a service level. If I remember, they were instructed by the government to increase the 'conditions' imposed on individual BBC services which until now have been stipulated in the Trust's service licences (e.g. for R3 how many concerts must be broadcast p.a., percentage of 'live' music to recorded = records).

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

DracoM and I have now agreed we will work in the background pulling together a précis/summary from this thread and elsewhere - we'll then post it here for comments, final review to be done by ff. then we'll target both BBC/r3 and OFCOM.
Next steps based on their responses.

None of which means the thread needs to stop....

Excellent plan - many thanks

[Lat-Literal]

Some of the issues raised in this thread could be brought to the attention of the BBC Regulator OfCom, should anyone here feel the need. Having very recently taken on the role they are consulting on their role and the terms of the BBC operating licence and are keen to hear about distinctiveness in particular. It's an opportunity to air your views.

Go here to see the documents:

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/consultatio...bc-performance

Thank you. I won't be responding to the consultation as an individual so I will just add my further points here. It is a hell of a lot of dry words - very Whittingdale although his more outlandish proposals were dropped - that don't appear to amount to very much on an artistic level. That might be for the best if modern BBC management can be trusted to build on the creative side in an appropriate way with a bit of an Ofcom steer. I understand the BBC is not wholly against the new Ofcom role in that it offers a degree of "independence".

While I can't claim to have digested all of it or have even felt I wanted to, my feeling is that it could be a lot worse. For example, the proposal for news on R2 may to some extent have been misreported. It seems that it isn't far removed from the way it is now when all of the bits and pieces are added together. I still believe there is far too much news rather than too little. Clearly though decisions have been made. What of the mood music? I think the emphasis on news in the consultation document along with music and sport may actually say most about Ofcom's longer standing role as a commercial broadcasting regulator. News, music and sport are what commercial operators "do". When it comes to something like Radio 4, the document mutters about its distinctiveness and comes close to admitting it isn't quite sure what it is supposed to do to improve it. Similarly, it mainly avoids Radio 3, R4E and any other sort of service that is different from what Ofcom is used to in the commercial sector. Better that than uninformed meddling for the sake of it.

Apart from its invasive nature, the problem with news and yet more news on the BBC because of additional regulation with assessments is that it is the main political football apart from the licence. Every Government of whatever persuasion complains that the BBC is biased against it. Some observers of a conservative nature would complain it is too liberal even if it became very evidently ultra conservative, that is, those who are instinctively against a state broadcaster. The worry is that the BBC is more easily attacked by those with biases the more it is perceived as a news organisation but on the plus side the plethora of fake news will now serve to underline its nearness to neutrality so far as that is possible.

I do think Ofcom have done a reasonable job in defining the BBC's purpose at the outset and throughout the document although I'd have done it slightly differently myself. The key word is identity for there it has a very important cohesive and pivotal role at the national, regional and local levels, not to mention the World Service role that isn't within Ofcom's remit. Consequently it contributes to national security in all senses of that phrase. I think too it has a national health role every bit as much as being educational and entertaining. That should not in any way be seen as a demand for more and more stories about health and illness but rather as a key indicator that health can be served in more creative ways.

[Globaltruth]

I've picked up some of the external references made by various posters on this thread which has led to the following.

Freely admit it is of a rambling and disjointed nature, bit of a dumping ground.

I hope you may find one or two of these links of interest, and would be v interested in your thoughts.

Starting with the The National Plan for Music Education - this come with a whopping bit of text that says (I precis).
"THIS WAS DONE BY THE OTHER LOT, WELL, THE OTHER LOT MASQUERADING AS WOT WE KNOW NOT TILL 2015 "
created in 2011. not updated since...

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-importance-of-music-a-national-plan-for-music-education

Naturally this leads to the Music Education Hubs

The Arts Council & the music education hub:

http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/music-education/music-education-hubs

The hubs aim seems to be

every child in England has the opportunity to sing and learn a musical instrument, and to perform as part of an ensemble or choir

According to our posts to date, this is only PART of what is required.
Last Nov., an inkling of budget:

http://www.musicweek.com/talent/read/government-to-invest-300m-in-music-education-hubs/066601

That £300million is one of those special numbers of course, doled out annually:
It's £75m for 2016/2017, down from £82m in the first year 2012.

http://www.artsprofessional.co.uk/news/music-education-hub-funding-maintained

An independent review of the hubs:

http://www.artsprofessional.co.uk/news/music-education-hubs-struggle-keep-pupil-numbers

Meanwhile...in my opinion, a good (maybe even very good) article in the New Statesman from 2015

http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/music-theatre/2015/09/why-music-education-britain-so-poor

A slight sidetrack? - amazingly, there is a dedicated website

http://www.musiceducationuk.com/

archived pages from the BBC website (any teachers like to give a view as to the value of these within the context of our thread?)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/websites/4_11/site/music.shtml

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/websites/11_16/site/music.shtml

House of Lords debate on music education (if you have 1 hour 12 mins to spare). Mainly a review of hubs to date, rather than changing the scope of what the hubs do. Interesting to note that there is a Culture Education Board who monitor the hubs, main members include Ed Vaizey (Culture Minister) and Darren Henley of Classic FM. Indeed, during the debate it was stated by Baroness Jolly (Lib-Dem, Govt. Whip therefore responding to points raised) that it was Darren Henleys initial report which had led to the National Plan being adopted in the first place

http://www.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/house-of-lords-29805785

[Globaltruth]

I'm now laying claim to being the only person on this forum to have ever read a complete thread from start to finish.
Twice.
Where's my medal?

To summarise:
You really are a most fascinating, knowledgable, bloody-minded, slightly negative (aka realistic) and imaginative lot.

The typical thread derailment (the famous Rediffusion tuner posts) made me smile both times...

to be continued but don't hold your breath for too long.