BBC watch

inforrm.wordpress.com/2016/05/15/the-bbc-white-paper-is-a-recipe-for-long-term-decline-steve-barnett/

Someone who thinks that Whittingdale is going to get everything he wants.

Yes Whittingdale keen to appoint governmental non-executives to the board. As I said previously Whittingdale -son of Putin.

He has already suggested that ITV will be sorry for putting Farage forward as the exit representative and not one if Whittingdales cronies. The man is getting way above himself and needs pegging down.

anniebach I presume you agree with Hislop as you posted his views, which sum up my feelings.
Did I hear right that the government want to appoint much of the Board - who will also be members of said government?

We do need a watchdog because I think the BBC had tended towards an arrogance in some of its decisions and it is, after all, our money it is spending, but that doesn't mean state control.

The BBC needs to remember the quality programmes it has shown over its successful years and forget about presenters. Programmes may need narration/guidance but the emphasis should be on the programme content not the presenters life, likes and dislikes, blue peter like "skills" and general over exposure. Support the great BBC and quality

theconversation.com/four-ways-john-whittingdale-could-wreck-the-bbc-58812

White paper out on 9th. At least he had a green paper out last year, so we could discuss, etc., although he never takes any notice of anyone.
If the white paper gets kicked out by the commons and Lords, will he be another casualty after the EU referendum?

Exactly tegan. Unless the left hand etc........No I don't believe that they are hypocrites and economical with the truth and I assume they think their voters are stupid.

I was shouting at the TV screen last night watching the David Attenborough programme when David Cameron came on waxing lyrical about the amazing programmes he grew up watching on the BBC . The air in the Tegan household turned blue....

That's because Whittingdale is acting like the son of Putin in trying to interfere with the content of the BBC

Hislop referred to it as changing the Beeb from public broadcasting to state broadcasting

The mood at the BFTAs was astonishing according to one audience member after the Woolf Hall director Peter Kominsky tore into the governments threat to the BBC. He was given a standing ovation after accusing the government of trying to "eviscerate" the BBC and channel 4.

Speaker after speaker stood and decried what the government is attempting to do.
Most of it was cut by the BBC as they have a duty to be impartial - pity they don't tell that to LK.

Top Tories in both of the houses are ready to oppose the recommendations, which they see as an assault on the BBCs editorial independence, creative freedoms and ability to run its own affairs.

Apparently Whittingdales proposals do not require legislation, but the prospect of another Tory rebellion like the one over child refugees, academies and others may well alarm ministers who are still trying to recover from all the most recent U Turns.

Many Tories watch the BBC and listen to the radio, and the government is not prepared to annoy this group of voters.

Report in the Observer

Well at least it shows that Murdoch hasn't bought every single Tory yet, only those in the Cabinet! Thank goodness for small majority governments I say!

It is another institution which is the envy of the world which the government want to get rid of. I think the licence fee is excellent value for money - and would be at twice the price.

The BBC should be in the tech arena. It was ahead of the game right from the start.

I do not think anybody can say it is not value for money, for all we get from it.
If it could charge all those who watch on i-player and pretend they do not get BBC programmes, there would be even less of a problem.
It costs us less than 50p a day for quality programmes. Look at all the Attenborough we have seen over the years.

I used to have BT for my landline, but stopped it when they started putting up the prices and offering "free" sport, etc.
I do not want to pay extra for television programmes I do not watch. I most certainly do not want friend of Cameron taking over our viewing choices.

Leave the BBC licence fee alone. As for likening it to the poll tax, I wish my poll tax, i.e. council tax, was that low. I pay that much a month. The licence fee is definitely worth the money.

In my opinion - the BBC has expanded into areas where it should never have gone. If it had adhered to the original remit, it's monies would have been more than adequate to go round. Unfortunately it has entered the tech arena where there is a lot of competition - in my view, completely unnecessarily. Yes - we are extremely proud of the BEEB - and we want to keep it. Hands off the big commercial boys.

Last Friday Whittingdale gave a speech to Cambridge Conservative Association.

He talked a bout the BBC charter which is up for renewal next year.

Whiting dale said as an aside "if we don't renew it next year, it may be that the BBC ceases to exist ......a tempting prospect"

Previously he had compared the licence fee with the poll tax.

This is something the Murdoch empire has tirelessly worked for for years. They were quick to remark when Gary Lineker said "this chump(Whittingdale) sums politicians up. The BBC is revered throughout the world. We should be proud of it not destroy it"
The Murdoch press quickly attacked Lineker as "a sniping left wing bore"

We will continue to watch this with interest.