Melvyn Bragg, who launches the Future for Public Service Television Inquiry on 25th November 2015 alongside the Inquiry chair David Puttnam, as well as Peter Bazalgette, Jay Hunt and Luke Hyams, explains why Richard Hoggart’s contribution to the influential report in 1960 revolutionised UK television, and why it is time to look at the industry as thoughtfully and decisively as it was 55 years ago. Read the article here
Join us for the launch of our inquiry chaired by Lord Puttnam, examining the future of public service TV. The Guardian’s head of media Jane Martinson and Lord Puttnam talk to broadcaster Melvyn Bragg, President of RTS Peter Bazalgette, Channel 4’s Jay Hunt and Maker Studio’s Luke Hyams as they debate whether we still need a public service TV system in the era of multi-channel abundance and if so, how best to secure it.
Speakers include:
Lord David Puttnam
Melvyn Bragg, Broadcaster and writer.
Peter Bazalgette, President of the RTS and chair of Arts Council England
Jay Hunt, Chief creative officer of Channel 4
Luke Hyams, Head of international content, Maker Studios
Jane Martinson, Head of Media at The Guardian
To attend the event, please purchase your ticket here
According to Equity, the UK trade union for professional performers and creative practitioners, fluctuations in the level of investment in television content production during the last ten years had a huge knock-on effect on the employment prospects and job security of performers as well as other creative workers in the sector. Read the full submission here
According to Garry Whannel (Journalism and the Olympic Games Research Group, University of Bedfordshire), ‘[d]ue to the transformation of sporting events into globally distributed commodities, which attract massive sums in the form of television rights payments, since 1990 it has become increasingly difficult for public service broadcasters to maintain a range of sports broadcasting as live rights for major sports have been obtained by operators of subscription channels. The impact of this has been to diminish our national shared cultural life’. Access Whannel’s submission here
Robert Picard (Reuters Institute, University of Oxford) identifies the lack of reasoned debate and persuasive evidence as key factors shaping the future of public service television. According to Picard, ‘Public service broadcasting must not be considered in isolation from developments in commercial broadcasting and the content that is provided by broadcast and digital audiovisual services as a whole’. Access Picard’s submission here