Here's a fly-around of the redevelopment of Television Centre. No interiors, no music and largely designed to show impact of the ziggurats of new housing on neighbours. It stops and starts a bit, and fades to grey as if everything is coated in volcanic ash, but is strangely soothing, and may be interesting if you live nearby.....
Friday, January 31, 2014
House moves
Here's BBC Director of Radio, Helen Boaden talking to Lisa Kerr, in a Radio Academy podcast, about what it was like to be part of a news story when you're Director of BBC News - as Helen was during Savile/Newsnight/Pollard. (The internal edits are not mine). The full item also talks about women in radio, leadership, and why 5Live is staying in Salford.
Bridging the gap
I'm delighted to read that Hans Rosenfeldt, lead writer and co-creator of Danish/Swedish thriller, The Bridge, will be in a webchat answering questions straight after the series two finale on BBC Four this coming Saturday night.
Here's an answer he's already given. "In real life Swedes and Danes can understand each other, but we don't understand each other as well they do in the show. The co-creators and I decided early in the process not to make anything of it. So every Dane speaks Danish and every Swede speaks Swedish."
Maybe he'll get a follow-up from Philomena Cunk, media expert on Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe.
Here's an answer he's already given. "In real life Swedes and Danes can understand each other, but we don't understand each other as well they do in the show. The co-creators and I decided early in the process not to make anything of it. So every Dane speaks Danish and every Swede speaks Swedish."
Maybe he'll get a follow-up from Philomena Cunk, media expert on Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe.
Trend
At the end of a week in which I was personally praised for my knowledge of BBC grades by a long-serving BBC HR commissar, another Freedom of Information factoid.
The number of "Senior Manager" graded staff (Bands 1 and 2) has fallen to 408 - a drop of seven since the last reported 415. The number of staff at Band 11, just below Senior Manager, has increased to 748, up fourteen since the last reported 734.
The number of "Senior Manager" graded staff (Bands 1 and 2) has fallen to 408 - a drop of seven since the last reported 415. The number of staff at Band 11, just below Senior Manager, has increased to 748, up fourteen since the last reported 734.
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Stuffed
FOI factoid: in financial year 2012/3, the TV Licensing team send a total of 21,554,240 letters to addresses without a tv licence.
Inside job
The winner of the latest of James Harding's new posts at BBC News is about to be unveiled. The title News Editor will be bestowed on an insider - Gavin Allen, currently editing political thinking at the BBC's Millbank operation in Westminster. Gavin, 44, (Oundle and Christ's College, Cambridge) has been executive editor of Question Time, The Daily Politics and worked on Today.
We're not sure if he clicked with James Harding in Mandarin; Gavin and his wife adopted a baby from Beijing in 2005, and he's been learning the language ever since.
We're not sure if he clicked with James Harding in Mandarin; Gavin and his wife adopted a baby from Beijing in 2005, and he's been learning the language ever since.
Hole
And, lo, on the thirtieth day of the month, the BBC Trust published an approved Operating Licence for the BBC World Service - with one blank page.
So, with sixty days to go before the licence-fee payer stumps up, there's something of a strategic hole.
"In addition to its licence fee budget, BBC World Service should seek non-licence fee sources of funding (including commercial funding) where appropriate and within regulatory requirements. (See Annex II for a policy statement on alternative finance, which has been agreed with the Secretary of State for DCMS, as per the requirements of the Charter and Agreement)."
There are some "conditions". BBC World Service should ensure that news, current affairs and information programming represents 75% of output, except for Persian TV where the commitment is 50% (they love Top Gear in Iran).
And there are targets, to be delivered by 31 Dec 2016:
Target 1: To rate higher than its international competitors for 'helps to keep me informed'
Target 2: To rate higher than its international competitors for ‘most trusted international news’
Target 3: To reach an estimated weekly global audience of at least 200 million adults across all platforms, including its core radio service. (2013 claim is 192m)
Target 4: To reach 60 million weekly viewers to its television services.
Target 5: To reach 25 million weekly users to its online content.
The element I struggle with is that, under this deal, the Foreign Office defines and approves "languages of particular need" - "services combining the BBC’s global news with a specific tailored offer that meets the needs of audiences with the least access to high quality, impartial news". If the BBC doesn't (and it shouldn't) want to be seen as an arm of Government, that link should be broken firmly as the funding risk transfers to the licence fee. The BBC should decide the services it offers, based on its own judgements of need and financial viability. If the Foreign Office wants a new service, to serve some political aim, find someone else to do it. There, I've said it.
"In addition to its licence fee budget, BBC World Service should seek non-licence fee sources of funding (including commercial funding) where appropriate and within regulatory requirements. (See Annex II for a policy statement on alternative finance, which has been agreed with the Secretary of State for DCMS, as per the requirements of the Charter and Agreement)."
There are some "conditions". BBC World Service should ensure that news, current affairs and information programming represents 75% of output, except for Persian TV where the commitment is 50% (they love Top Gear in Iran).
And there are targets, to be delivered by 31 Dec 2016:
Target 1: To rate higher than its international competitors for 'helps to keep me informed'
Target 2: To rate higher than its international competitors for ‘most trusted international news’
Target 3: To reach an estimated weekly global audience of at least 200 million adults across all platforms, including its core radio service. (2013 claim is 192m)
Target 4: To reach 60 million weekly viewers to its television services.
Target 5: To reach 25 million weekly users to its online content.
The element I struggle with is that, under this deal, the Foreign Office defines and approves "languages of particular need" - "services combining the BBC’s global news with a specific tailored offer that meets the needs of audiences with the least access to high quality, impartial news". If the BBC doesn't (and it shouldn't) want to be seen as an arm of Government, that link should be broken firmly as the funding risk transfers to the licence fee. The BBC should decide the services it offers, based on its own judgements of need and financial viability. If the Foreign Office wants a new service, to serve some political aim, find someone else to do it. There, I've said it.
Leading question
Good luck to LBC, going nationwide on DAB from next month. They've apparently secured an appropriate licence from Ofcom (which I can't find at the moment), and a nod to replace Jazz FM (dead flexible, these Ofcom guys).
It's not the first time they've flirted with DAB - from 2006, LBC was available on regional DAB multiplexes in the North West, North East, West Midlands, West of England and South Wales - but most of those closed down in July last year, with the arrival of more local multiplexes - and LBC was not moved across. From 2009, LBC replaced Chill on DAB transmissions in Edinburgh and Glasgow - but pulled out last summer. These various transmissions outside the capital didn't seem to boost audience figures much - best estimates are that they added around 160,000 in weekly reach - but then, there was not much publicity, and the service was still billed as London's Biggest Conversation.
Now the new catchphrase is Leading Britain's Conversation. In terms of news style, there's no word of a change. I'm told all bulletins are written at Leicester Square, with material from PA and Sky News' radio service. There's perhaps an opportunity of a wider network of reporters from other Global stations.
Will a national LBC grow a new audience, or chisel listeners away from 5Live, TalkSport, Radio 4 or Radio 2, with it's 50/50 speech/music daytime commitment ? Listening figures are published quarterly, so we'll get half the story when Quarter 1 is published in May, and a full set with Quarter 2 in August. With the right publicity, they could easily add 500k to their existing 1m by then, with a target of at least 3m for the following year.
It's not the first time they've flirted with DAB - from 2006, LBC was available on regional DAB multiplexes in the North West, North East, West Midlands, West of England and South Wales - but most of those closed down in July last year, with the arrival of more local multiplexes - and LBC was not moved across. From 2009, LBC replaced Chill on DAB transmissions in Edinburgh and Glasgow - but pulled out last summer. These various transmissions outside the capital didn't seem to boost audience figures much - best estimates are that they added around 160,000 in weekly reach - but then, there was not much publicity, and the service was still billed as London's Biggest Conversation.
Now the new catchphrase is Leading Britain's Conversation. In terms of news style, there's no word of a change. I'm told all bulletins are written at Leicester Square, with material from PA and Sky News' radio service. There's perhaps an opportunity of a wider network of reporters from other Global stations.
Will a national LBC grow a new audience, or chisel listeners away from 5Live, TalkSport, Radio 4 or Radio 2, with it's 50/50 speech/music daytime commitment ? Listening figures are published quarterly, so we'll get half the story when Quarter 1 is published in May, and a full set with Quarter 2 in August. With the right publicity, they could easily add 500k to their existing 1m by then, with a target of at least 3m for the following year.
Beats me
Dear readers,
I'd like to crowd source thoughts on this one. It's a Freedom of Information response about the number of tv licences cancelled every year, either because the holders said they no longer needed one or because payments weren't kept up. It looks to me like a total of ten million licences have come to an end over the past ten years, with a slow rise to around a million every year. The BBC side points out that there are 25 million licences in force and that this number is growing steadily.
Is this a problem for Auntie or not ? (Click to go large)
I'd like to crowd source thoughts on this one. It's a Freedom of Information response about the number of tv licences cancelled every year, either because the holders said they no longer needed one or because payments weren't kept up. It looks to me like a total of ten million licences have come to an end over the past ten years, with a slow rise to around a million every year. The BBC side points out that there are 25 million licences in force and that this number is growing steadily.
Is this a problem for Auntie or not ? (Click to go large)
Nuts
Here's meteorologist Jim Cantore on the US Weather Channel in a live outside broadcast from a South Carolina college campus. Enjoy how he lifts a well-aimed knee at an incoming student, whilst barely missing a beat in his piece to camera...
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Blank viewers
Still no sign of BBC World News in US cable ratings. The bottom-rated channel, SOAP, recorded 2,000 viewers on average in January - and that's even though it stopped broadcasting on New Year's Eve !
January 2014 P2+ All Cable Ranker
January 2014 P2+ All Cable Ranker
Inky
Fans of the Simpson Scrolls, one of the key BBC journalistic digital production tools, will be pleased to note that they make another appearance in this week's edition of The Editors. And close-ups reveal that there's a gold edge to each sheet.
Tools
Some bits and bobs from yesterday's NAO report on what went wrong with the BBC's Digital Media Initiative....
184 staff and contractors were working on the project at its peak in July 2011 - that doesn't include consultants. Things were clearly a bit frantic then, cos the project risk status had gone from "Amber" to "Amber/Red" in June - that change of status wasn't reported up to the Executive and Trust Finance committee for more than two months.
When the project first went to "Red", in December 2011, neither the Trust nor the Executive received the report; the second straight "Red", came in March 2012, but wasn't reported to the Executive til June, and the Trust til July. Red meant "successful delivery outcomes appeared to be unachievable, with major issues that did not appear to be manageable or resolvable."
The NAO report says there are three principal "assets" left from the investment - an archive database, which apparently costs £5.3m a year to operate, and which is working alongside a legacy system costing £780k a year to run; some big digital data storage units, which the BBC might use for its "End To End Digital" project (storage of the entire BBC archive will be on a USB stick by the time that works); and a music copyright reporting system, which, as of December 2013, had five users.
John Linwood, the CTO who left Auntie in July last year, says the core of his troubles with the project was that the "business" (television production teams) got cold feet about moving to standardised production tools for the rough assembly of built programmes before fine-editing. Cancelling this fundamental ambition in 2012 (when naughty tv teams knew DG Thommo was going, and had taken his eye off the standardisation prize) meant there could be no organic growth of an archive; Linwood says the digitisation of the BBC's historic archive was never part of DMI scope. His written evidence to the PAC says he's issued legal proceedings against the BBC, and (as of January 23) is still involved in an internal process with the BBC.
The key element of the NAO report, which I expect Ma Hodge to wave at former DG Mark Thompson next week: The executive board applied insufficient scrutiny during 2011 and the first half of 2012. This was, of course, the period when Thommo was buffing up his CV ahead of a new, post-Olympic career outside Auntie, and DMI, along with other more damaging issues, went straight into the "Too Difficult" tray.
184 staff and contractors were working on the project at its peak in July 2011 - that doesn't include consultants. Things were clearly a bit frantic then, cos the project risk status had gone from "Amber" to "Amber/Red" in June - that change of status wasn't reported up to the Executive and Trust Finance committee for more than two months.
When the project first went to "Red", in December 2011, neither the Trust nor the Executive received the report; the second straight "Red", came in March 2012, but wasn't reported to the Executive til June, and the Trust til July. Red meant "successful delivery outcomes appeared to be unachievable, with major issues that did not appear to be manageable or resolvable."
The NAO report says there are three principal "assets" left from the investment - an archive database, which apparently costs £5.3m a year to operate, and which is working alongside a legacy system costing £780k a year to run; some big digital data storage units, which the BBC might use for its "End To End Digital" project (storage of the entire BBC archive will be on a USB stick by the time that works); and a music copyright reporting system, which, as of December 2013, had five users.
John Linwood, the CTO who left Auntie in July last year, says the core of his troubles with the project was that the "business" (television production teams) got cold feet about moving to standardised production tools for the rough assembly of built programmes before fine-editing. Cancelling this fundamental ambition in 2012 (when naughty tv teams knew DG Thommo was going, and had taken his eye off the standardisation prize) meant there could be no organic growth of an archive; Linwood says the digitisation of the BBC's historic archive was never part of DMI scope. His written evidence to the PAC says he's issued legal proceedings against the BBC, and (as of January 23) is still involved in an internal process with the BBC.
The key element of the NAO report, which I expect Ma Hodge to wave at former DG Mark Thompson next week: The executive board applied insufficient scrutiny during 2011 and the first half of 2012. This was, of course, the period when Thommo was buffing up his CV ahead of a new, post-Olympic career outside Auntie, and DMI, along with other more damaging issues, went straight into the "Too Difficult" tray.
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Two digits
Staying Stateside, as I believe they used to say, Al Jazeera America is pushing hard to build an audience, and in the key market of New York, is moving to a new, lower number on Time Warner cable in the Big Apple.
Currently, it stands at 181, shouldered by Univision Deportes Network, a Spanish sports channel, majoring on Mexican football, and on the far side by SZEAL2 which broadcasts the religious thinking of various members of the Swaggart family.
AJAM is moving to 57, putting it ahead of BBC America, at 71, CNN at 78, CNN International at 133 and BBC World News at 156. It's the sort of move which could make the BBC Global News target harder to reach...
Currently, it stands at 181, shouldered by Univision Deportes Network, a Spanish sports channel, majoring on Mexican football, and on the far side by SZEAL2 which broadcasts the religious thinking of various members of the Swaggart family.
AJAM is moving to 57, putting it ahead of BBC America, at 71, CNN at 78, CNN International at 133 and BBC World News at 156. It's the sort of move which could make the BBC Global News target harder to reach...
Big in America ?
""We have reached a positive tipping point" says BBC Worldwide CEO Tim Davie of his US channel BBC America. We look forward to details of the 2013 figures, which are said to be the best ever. However, usually, we are only ever given peaks - such as reaching 2.47 million viewers (out of a potential of 80 million households) for Xmas Day Dr Who.
The next 24 hours of BBC America run thus:
Top Gear
Top Gear
BBC World News
BBC World News
BBC World News
Dr Who
Dr Who
Torchwood
Torchwood
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares (UK)
Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares (UK)
Kitchen Nightmares
Kitchen Nightmares
Adventurous, huh ? The current new product from BBC America is "Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond", which in the UK is to be called "Fleming: For Your Eyes Only", and will be shown in the UK February - on Sky Atlantic.
Tim Davie's New Year press release also reveals a BBC re-embrace for Lesley Douglas, the Radio 2 Controller who "resigned" as a result of Sachsgate, when Tim was Director of Audio and Music. Lesley has just set up her own fledgling indie, called Lonesome Pine. We are not told the scale of BBC Worldwide's investment. Tim's view now ? "There are few people with such strong talent relationships who understand what makes great content better than Lesley, and the breadth of her experience spans a multitude of globally appealing genres."
The worrying aspect of this deal ? Lesley's in partnership with a comedy scriptwriter, and you would have to say her judgement of what constitutes appropriate humour was not the sharpest when it came to Messrs Brand and Ross.
The next 24 hours of BBC America run thus:
Top Gear
Top Gear
BBC World News
BBC World News
BBC World News
Dr Who
Dr Who
Torchwood
Torchwood
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares (UK)
Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares (UK)
Kitchen Nightmares
Kitchen Nightmares
Adventurous, huh ? The current new product from BBC America is "Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond", which in the UK is to be called "Fleming: For Your Eyes Only", and will be shown in the UK February - on Sky Atlantic.
Tim Davie's New Year press release also reveals a BBC re-embrace for Lesley Douglas, the Radio 2 Controller who "resigned" as a result of Sachsgate, when Tim was Director of Audio and Music. Lesley has just set up her own fledgling indie, called Lonesome Pine. We are not told the scale of BBC Worldwide's investment. Tim's view now ? "There are few people with such strong talent relationships who understand what makes great content better than Lesley, and the breadth of her experience spans a multitude of globally appealing genres."
The worrying aspect of this deal ? Lesley's in partnership with a comedy scriptwriter, and you would have to say her judgement of what constitutes appropriate humour was not the sharpest when it came to Messrs Brand and Ross.
Monday, January 27, 2014
Voting rights
An interesting contribution to the Charter Renewal debate from John Tate, the BBC policy and strategy chief squeezed out by the arrival of James Purnell. In a talk in Oxford last night, the guts of which have appeared as a Guardian blog, he argues for democratisation of BBC governance, with each licence fee-payer getting a sort of Co-op divi, in the form of a vote for non-executive directors, who then appoint the Director-General.
This avoids any dangerous stuff, like licence-fee payers voting direct to bring back Top of The Pops, Compact, Adam Adamant and Tales of the Para Handy, and stops short of how you decide the level of the licence fee. But, Tate argues, it must be big enough to keep the BBC in the UK's top ten of internet sites.
Whilst John told his Oxford audience it was the end of a six-year career with Auntie, it looks like he's staying as Chairman of BBC Studios and Post Production, with his last reported wedge for that put at £80k p.a.
This avoids any dangerous stuff, like licence-fee payers voting direct to bring back Top of The Pops, Compact, Adam Adamant and Tales of the Para Handy, and stops short of how you decide the level of the licence fee. But, Tate argues, it must be big enough to keep the BBC in the UK's top ten of internet sites.
Whilst John told his Oxford audience it was the end of a six-year career with Auntie, it looks like he's staying as Chairman of BBC Studios and Post Production, with his last reported wedge for that put at £80k p.a.
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Late news
Here's a Freedom of Information response that suggests BBC News HD is always (at least) 10 seconds late on a story.
Distribution delays are essentially fixed for a given platform and are a result of the time it takes to assemble all programmes (whether live or recorded) and turn them into a form suitable for transmission. This process takes around 4s for standard definition TV and 6s for high definition TV.
In addition, we add a fixed delay to some services on satellite to allow all our channels to efficiently share capacity. [The capacity required by a given service varies with time so capacity is dynamically shared between all channels; simulcasting programming on more than one channel, such as with multiple variants of BBC One or the news on BBC One and BBC News Channel, hinders this dynamic allocation process. Delaying certain services by a few seconds can allow the dynamic allocation to work more efficiently.] Currently BBC One Wales HD and BBC One Northern Ireland HD are both delayed by 2s each while BBC News HD is delayed by 4s.
Distribution delays are essentially fixed for a given platform and are a result of the time it takes to assemble all programmes (whether live or recorded) and turn them into a form suitable for transmission. This process takes around 4s for standard definition TV and 6s for high definition TV.
In addition, we add a fixed delay to some services on satellite to allow all our channels to efficiently share capacity. [The capacity required by a given service varies with time so capacity is dynamically shared between all channels; simulcasting programming on more than one channel, such as with multiple variants of BBC One or the news on BBC One and BBC News Channel, hinders this dynamic allocation process. Delaying certain services by a few seconds can allow the dynamic allocation to work more efficiently.] Currently BBC One Wales HD and BBC One Northern Ireland HD are both delayed by 2s each while BBC News HD is delayed by 4s.
Stokers
I blow hot and cold about the NUJ. I left the union because its administration was appalling - all of a sudden it couldn't manage to take my subs by direct deduction from BBC salary, the way I'd joined as a trainee ten years earlier. On three occasions, it threatened to expel me for arrears, through pompous recorded delivery letters. On three occasions, I put them right - I'd made no change to my internal standing order, it was their failure - and they, in turn, assured me that all was fine. On the fourth occasion, I cancelled my membership.
I like the NUJ standing up for working journalists on a case by case basis. Their intelligent support for individuals pitted against the BBC machine is usually one of the best things you get from your subscription.
Currently, however, I'm worried that they are behaving a tad hysterically. They had to make an uncomfortable apology to HR Director Lucy Adams last year, after equating a "claim" of "dirty tricks" with "evidence" of "dirty tricks". Now I'm worried that they - or members - may be briefing papers they should have no truck with, to keep the "bullying at the BBC" story stoked up, with claims, not evidence. I'd love to be assured that I'm wrong.
Declaration of interest: I worked with Mark Sandell at the BBC for more years than either of us care to remember; he was part of the Breakfast team when we launched 5Live Breakfast. He's a mate.
The Mail On Sunday has created a two-page spread around some less-than-half-truths, headlined "Another Bully at the BBC", and far too many other media organisations have lifted the story without seeking context. Mark is in the middle of what the BBC calls a "grievance procedure", with a range of complaints brought by one person. That one person didn't like the result of the first hearing, and has appealed. The appeal is in the process of being heard.
So, as the Mail rushes to judgement, let's look at another belter in their piece:
One well-placed source said: ‘Mr Sandell is someone who is known to have had a reputation for as long as he has been at the BBC. He was at 5 Live and other parts of the BBC and his reputation goes before him.
‘There have been previous complaints [of bullying] against him.’
It is not known if these claims have ever been investigated.
Mark's reputation is that of an innovative programme-maker, with a real belief in encouraging teams, bringing on individuals, and getting to the heart of stories. You can't really investigate complaints of bullying if they haven't been made. Let's see where this story goes when the appeal is over, and assess what level of transgression emerges.
I like the NUJ standing up for working journalists on a case by case basis. Their intelligent support for individuals pitted against the BBC machine is usually one of the best things you get from your subscription.
Currently, however, I'm worried that they are behaving a tad hysterically. They had to make an uncomfortable apology to HR Director Lucy Adams last year, after equating a "claim" of "dirty tricks" with "evidence" of "dirty tricks". Now I'm worried that they - or members - may be briefing papers they should have no truck with, to keep the "bullying at the BBC" story stoked up, with claims, not evidence. I'd love to be assured that I'm wrong.
Declaration of interest: I worked with Mark Sandell at the BBC for more years than either of us care to remember; he was part of the Breakfast team when we launched 5Live Breakfast. He's a mate.
The Mail On Sunday has created a two-page spread around some less-than-half-truths, headlined "Another Bully at the BBC", and far too many other media organisations have lifted the story without seeking context. Mark is in the middle of what the BBC calls a "grievance procedure", with a range of complaints brought by one person. That one person didn't like the result of the first hearing, and has appealed. The appeal is in the process of being heard.
So, as the Mail rushes to judgement, let's look at another belter in their piece:
One well-placed source said: ‘Mr Sandell is someone who is known to have had a reputation for as long as he has been at the BBC. He was at 5 Live and other parts of the BBC and his reputation goes before him.
‘There have been previous complaints [of bullying] against him.’
It is not known if these claims have ever been investigated.
Mark's reputation is that of an innovative programme-maker, with a real belief in encouraging teams, bringing on individuals, and getting to the heart of stories. You can't really investigate complaints of bullying if they haven't been made. Let's see where this story goes when the appeal is over, and assess what level of transgression emerges.
Be careful what you wish for...
In the 1999 pre-budget report, Chancellor Gordon Brown announced that, from the following year, over-75s would get their tv licence fees free. The BBC welcomed "this imaginative and innovative approach to a long-standing issue". At that time, a tv licence cost £101, and with 3 million households likely to benefit, the Department of Work and Pensions would have to stump up £303 million to Auntie in the first year.
The eyes of the BBC suits were on the real prize, which came in 2000 from Culture Secretary Chris Smith - a deal to raise the licence fee by RPI plus 1.5% every year in April. Trebles all round.
Spool forward to October 2010, and the licence-fee-deal-done-in-a-weekend, between Mark Thompson and Jeremy Hunt. The licence was frozen at £142.50 for six years, representing at least a 16% cut in real terms - and the BBC would have to pay for World Service, BBC Monitoring, give cash support to commercial local tv, S4C and rural broadband.
If you remember, all this cash was to avoid having to make an open-ended commitment to paying for over-75 licences from the licence fee - now up to £556m and rising. The Guardian reported a political source saying, "A number of us were horrified at the proposal. Over the last three days we had to find a way to make [an alternative] happen."
Another spool forward, to this Saturday's Daily Mail. Three Tory ministers - could any of them be associated with the Department for Work and Pensions ? - want to make the BBC to pick up the cost for over-75 licences in future. "It will be top of the list in the negotiations over charter renewal,’ said one. The current bill is some £600m - spookily, making the BBC cover the cost would be a 16% cut in income - but one that's bound to grow.
We warned before, that, away from interesting but futile discussions about digital futures and the meaning of public service broadcasting, this Charter Renewal is going to boil down to another discussion about the size of the licence fee - and what the BBC can afford to do when it's settled. A regressive settlement would be a really bad outcome.
The eyes of the BBC suits were on the real prize, which came in 2000 from Culture Secretary Chris Smith - a deal to raise the licence fee by RPI plus 1.5% every year in April. Trebles all round.
Spool forward to October 2010, and the licence-fee-deal-done-in-a-weekend, between Mark Thompson and Jeremy Hunt. The licence was frozen at £142.50 for six years, representing at least a 16% cut in real terms - and the BBC would have to pay for World Service, BBC Monitoring, give cash support to commercial local tv, S4C and rural broadband.
If you remember, all this cash was to avoid having to make an open-ended commitment to paying for over-75 licences from the licence fee - now up to £556m and rising. The Guardian reported a political source saying, "A number of us were horrified at the proposal. Over the last three days we had to find a way to make [an alternative] happen."
Another spool forward, to this Saturday's Daily Mail. Three Tory ministers - could any of them be associated with the Department for Work and Pensions ? - want to make the BBC to pick up the cost for over-75 licences in future. "It will be top of the list in the negotiations over charter renewal,’ said one. The current bill is some £600m - spookily, making the BBC cover the cost would be a 16% cut in income - but one that's bound to grow.
We warned before, that, away from interesting but futile discussions about digital futures and the meaning of public service broadcasting, this Charter Renewal is going to boil down to another discussion about the size of the licence fee - and what the BBC can afford to do when it's settled. A regressive settlement would be a really bad outcome.
Laut lachend
There can never be enough humour in football - and the matchday experience is rather po-faced at Emirates, with management-made banners, paid flag-wavers, and over-amplified recordings of cheering. So this (not new but newly-discovered by me) is a treat.
Cuckoo
So, at Tradingaswdr Towers, anticipation builds for the Public Accounts Committee hearing on the BBC's vainglorious Digital Media Initiative, cancelled by Lord Hall at a cost (at the very least) of £100m, but more importantly, cancelled after a range of people over the life of the project told the NAO and the PAC all was tickety-boo.
Ma Hodge is not having that, so has summoned former DG Mark Thompson, former CFO Zarin Patel, former COO Caroline Thomson, former Trustee Anthony Fry - whilst current Director of Operations, dapper Dominic Coles comes in for the cancellation team. Oddly, no-one with digital connections has been called so far - neither begetter Ashley Highfield, continuer Erik Huggers, minder Ralph Rivera, or the last Chief Technology Officer John Linwood.
In a sort of clear the decks move, ahead of the hearing at the start of February, the BBC has revealed that Linwood, suspended in May last year, actually left Auntie's employment in July - but neither side told us. There was "no pay-off", but eggs is eggs Mr Linwood will be looking for something. The Price Waterhouse Cooper report into what went wrong was anodyne, and dealt with process, structures and governance. The NAO's version ought to be a little more racy when it comes - who told half-truths to whom, when and why ? Mr Linwood's current Linkedin CV offers a litany of success stories at the BBC, which, when added up, saved the BBC much more cash in technology innovations than it lost on DMI - his lawyers may move for a tribunal after they've assessed the NAO report.
The hearing creates a busy week for Mark Thompson - February 3 in London, and February 6 back in New York for the fourth quarter and final year profit and loss figures for the New York Times.
Ma Hodge is not having that, so has summoned former DG Mark Thompson, former CFO Zarin Patel, former COO Caroline Thomson, former Trustee Anthony Fry - whilst current Director of Operations, dapper Dominic Coles comes in for the cancellation team. Oddly, no-one with digital connections has been called so far - neither begetter Ashley Highfield, continuer Erik Huggers, minder Ralph Rivera, or the last Chief Technology Officer John Linwood.
In a sort of clear the decks move, ahead of the hearing at the start of February, the BBC has revealed that Linwood, suspended in May last year, actually left Auntie's employment in July - but neither side told us. There was "no pay-off", but eggs is eggs Mr Linwood will be looking for something. The Price Waterhouse Cooper report into what went wrong was anodyne, and dealt with process, structures and governance. The NAO's version ought to be a little more racy when it comes - who told half-truths to whom, when and why ? Mr Linwood's current Linkedin CV offers a litany of success stories at the BBC, which, when added up, saved the BBC much more cash in technology innovations than it lost on DMI - his lawyers may move for a tribunal after they've assessed the NAO report.
The hearing creates a busy week for Mark Thompson - February 3 in London, and February 6 back in New York for the fourth quarter and final year profit and loss figures for the New York Times.
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Trusted guide
Mild surprise emanating from Telegraph Towers that the Seiken Scenario to Save the Scandal Sheet of the Shires, to drop the Tory from Torygraph, has passed so far without comment from the pens of various columnists.
Maybe Sunday will bring views. Jason sees the brand's future as a sort of journalistic Frommer's, a digital vadmecum, without political slant - the slant will be left to wither away with the print edition. Content will emerge from a community of journalists, rather than be directed from a newsdesk. Seiken hopes the exit of daily editor Tony Gallagher is sufficient to encourage the remaining senior hacks (many of who have Mail cvs) to come with him on this voyage of political neutrality - even through the normally dyspeptic waters of European elections, where the Telegraph's digital face will, apparently, show no scorn or side.
To encourage them further, the various grand offices around the edges of the giant newsroom are coming down - offices which housed trophies, veneered desks, Tony Gallagher, and others still employed. No word yet on what replaces them....
Maybe Sunday will bring views. Jason sees the brand's future as a sort of journalistic Frommer's, a digital vadmecum, without political slant - the slant will be left to wither away with the print edition. Content will emerge from a community of journalists, rather than be directed from a newsdesk. Seiken hopes the exit of daily editor Tony Gallagher is sufficient to encourage the remaining senior hacks (many of who have Mail cvs) to come with him on this voyage of political neutrality - even through the normally dyspeptic waters of European elections, where the Telegraph's digital face will, apparently, show no scorn or side.
To encourage them further, the various grand offices around the edges of the giant newsroom are coming down - offices which housed trophies, veneered desks, Tony Gallagher, and others still employed. No word yet on what replaces them....
Friday, January 24, 2014
Seconds out
In the red corner Ofcom boss (and failed DG candidate) Ed Richards; in the blue, Lord Hall, most other broadcasters, and Caroline Thomson (failed DG candidate, now, amongst other things, Chair of Digital UK).
At stake, the future use of spectrum in the 700mhz UHF band - the way Freeview tv signals reach your home. Ofcom wants to find space for so-called 5G - fifth generation mobile phone and other transmissions (as does Europe in general). The cost of clearing 700mhz ? You may need a new aerial, and very likely a new tv or set-top box. There may be interference from mobile phones as digital tv moves to 600mhz. It'll mess up wireless microphones used on stage and in concerts, and wireless connections for cameras and microphones on outside broadcasts. And it may lessen opportunities to deliver improved rural broadband at lower frequencies, through so-called white space in the spectrum.
On the other hand, Ofcom want us to get excited about the "Internet of Things" that 5G might enable. Imagine the Victoria Line automatically connecting to your bedside alarm and Teasmade when it decides to spill cement, and waking you up half an hour early to give you a chance to get to work.
“The demands for mobile data will only increase as millions more wireless devices connect to the internet and each other," says Ed Richards.
"We must ensure that decisions taken on future use of spectrum avoid a detrimental impact on consumer choice, platform competition, content investment and the wider creative industry and its ability to drive jobs and growth," says Caroline Thomson.
We'll keep you posted.
At stake, the future use of spectrum in the 700mhz UHF band - the way Freeview tv signals reach your home. Ofcom wants to find space for so-called 5G - fifth generation mobile phone and other transmissions (as does Europe in general). The cost of clearing 700mhz ? You may need a new aerial, and very likely a new tv or set-top box. There may be interference from mobile phones as digital tv moves to 600mhz. It'll mess up wireless microphones used on stage and in concerts, and wireless connections for cameras and microphones on outside broadcasts. And it may lessen opportunities to deliver improved rural broadband at lower frequencies, through so-called white space in the spectrum.
On the other hand, Ofcom want us to get excited about the "Internet of Things" that 5G might enable. Imagine the Victoria Line automatically connecting to your bedside alarm and Teasmade when it decides to spill cement, and waking you up half an hour early to give you a chance to get to work.
“The demands for mobile data will only increase as millions more wireless devices connect to the internet and each other," says Ed Richards.
"We must ensure that decisions taken on future use of spectrum avoid a detrimental impact on consumer choice, platform competition, content investment and the wider creative industry and its ability to drive jobs and growth," says Caroline Thomson.
We'll keep you posted.
Improving
Professor Noreena Hertz has turned up, quite reasonably, at the World Economic Forum in Davos. But is husband, Director of BBC Television, Danny Cohen there too ?
Danny was selected to join The Forum of Young Global Leaders, a subset of the WEF, in 2012, chosen by stakeholders in "opinion and media". It's a six year gig, and there are currently 900 YGLs, each of whom "commit both their time and talent to make the world a better place".
Danny was selected to join The Forum of Young Global Leaders, a subset of the WEF, in 2012, chosen by stakeholders in "opinion and media". It's a six year gig, and there are currently 900 YGLs, each of whom "commit both their time and talent to make the world a better place".
Over easy
The invaluable Radio Today reports that Radio Sheffield breakfast host Toby Foster has done his time after a suspension for apparently offensive Tweets, and will be back on air next Monday.
It's not clear whether or not he was on paid or unpaid leave for the six weeks - indeed it would be good to get a copy of the current BBC sentencing guidelines, clearly adapting all the time to both social media issues and Respect at Work strictures. And we'll watch with interest how long Toby stays in the saddle, given his gender.
It's not clear whether or not he was on paid or unpaid leave for the six weeks - indeed it would be good to get a copy of the current BBC sentencing guidelines, clearly adapting all the time to both social media issues and Respect at Work strictures. And we'll watch with interest how long Toby stays in the saddle, given his gender.
Bivalves, crustaceans and the future of public service broadcasting
For historians tracking the current animus between the Daily Mail and the BBC, I offer this para from columnist Simon Heffer's tribute to his friend Lord McAlpine, published earlier in the week, about the time in the mid-70s when McAlpine was a Tory party treasurer and Chris Patten, BBC chairman, was Director of the Conservative Research Department.
He fell out with Chris Patten early on, suspecting his loyalties, and making a judgment about Patten’s character that he never reversed. He took a low view of him because of the greedy way in which he had seen Patten vacuum up the oysters at the lavish parties McAlpine used to give at party conferences — and said that Patten’s subsequent conduct bore out his view.
It's interesting how Heffer's memory has evolved - the oysters, as recalled previously in 2012, were at a lunch a deux.
....there were personal as well as political differences between the men. In McAlpine’s 1997 memoirs Once A Jolly Bagman, he recalls asking Patten to lunch at The Dorchester hotel shortly after becoming treasurer. ‘I can remember him tucking into a plate of oysters,’ he wrote, ‘his blond forelock falling forward, hiding both his face and the oyster that he was eating.’
McAlpine found this significant. ‘You can always tell the character of a man when he eats oysters, and I marked Patten down as greedy.’
Bruce Anderson, in his McAlpine tribute in the Telegraph, reveals others may have been greedy but were clearly forgiven.
Every year, Alistair would give late-night parties at the party conference. Tables would strain under the weight of lobsters, langoustines and oysters. Gordon Reece could not have drunk all the fizz: Alistair still had plenty left. Alexander Hesketh and Nicholas Soames would try to break the world crustacean-eating record that they had set the previous year. Denis Thatcher would usually be there, on scotch rather than champagne, discoursing on favourite topics such as sporting links with South Africa and crime in south London: somehow, he thought that there was a connection.
He fell out with Chris Patten early on, suspecting his loyalties, and making a judgment about Patten’s character that he never reversed. He took a low view of him because of the greedy way in which he had seen Patten vacuum up the oysters at the lavish parties McAlpine used to give at party conferences — and said that Patten’s subsequent conduct bore out his view.
It's interesting how Heffer's memory has evolved - the oysters, as recalled previously in 2012, were at a lunch a deux.
....there were personal as well as political differences between the men. In McAlpine’s 1997 memoirs Once A Jolly Bagman, he recalls asking Patten to lunch at The Dorchester hotel shortly after becoming treasurer. ‘I can remember him tucking into a plate of oysters,’ he wrote, ‘his blond forelock falling forward, hiding both his face and the oyster that he was eating.’
McAlpine found this significant. ‘You can always tell the character of a man when he eats oysters, and I marked Patten down as greedy.’
Bruce Anderson, in his McAlpine tribute in the Telegraph, reveals others may have been greedy but were clearly forgiven.
Every year, Alistair would give late-night parties at the party conference. Tables would strain under the weight of lobsters, langoustines and oysters. Gordon Reece could not have drunk all the fizz: Alistair still had plenty left. Alexander Hesketh and Nicholas Soames would try to break the world crustacean-eating record that they had set the previous year. Denis Thatcher would usually be there, on scotch rather than champagne, discoursing on favourite topics such as sporting links with South Africa and crime in south London: somehow, he thought that there was a connection.
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Upgraded exterior filming resource
See, if, say, Sid Hardball was one of Lord Hall's new no-nonsense non-executives, EastEnders luvvie Dominic Treadwell-Collins would have got nowhere with his new outdoor set strategy.
Sid: Let's be clear - you want a new outdoor set, yet you also want a full-scale temporary set for two years, while you muck about with the one that's served you ok for close to 30 years. What's the problem here ? Isn't the East End supposed to be run down ?
DTC: We need a set that's 20% bigger to enable greater editorial ambition and improve working conditions for staff. Crucially, it will provide a greater sense of scale with more locations for our characters to spend time in, opening up new areas and opportunities that haven’t been possible before – all of which are in the best interest of our viewers.
Sid: And do you have a dossier of complaints from viewers that there aren't enough outdoor scenes ? Was that a "no" ? Have you visited the East End recently ? Have you heard of "urban renewal", maybe seen a few building sites, eh ? Wouldn't a cost-conscious producer like you see the benefit of a few storylines that get the scaffolding in ? Developers, new social housing, chip-pan fires, Victorian sewer collapses, that sort of thing...
DTC: The BBC is currently exploring legacy options for the long-term use of the temporary set including visitor tours and educational opportunities.
Sid: So people are going to pay to see a set that's no longer the real EastEnders set ? Gimme a break. How much is this costing ?
DTC: We have an independent review which has highlighted the importance of the show to audiences and to the BBC as a whole, and supports investment in the exterior lot.
Sid: OK mate, but I'm not going in front of Ma Hodge on this one..It's your call, Lord Hall. Next case, Ms Bulford.
Sid: Let's be clear - you want a new outdoor set, yet you also want a full-scale temporary set for two years, while you muck about with the one that's served you ok for close to 30 years. What's the problem here ? Isn't the East End supposed to be run down ?
DTC: We need a set that's 20% bigger to enable greater editorial ambition and improve working conditions for staff. Crucially, it will provide a greater sense of scale with more locations for our characters to spend time in, opening up new areas and opportunities that haven’t been possible before – all of which are in the best interest of our viewers.
Sid: And do you have a dossier of complaints from viewers that there aren't enough outdoor scenes ? Was that a "no" ? Have you visited the East End recently ? Have you heard of "urban renewal", maybe seen a few building sites, eh ? Wouldn't a cost-conscious producer like you see the benefit of a few storylines that get the scaffolding in ? Developers, new social housing, chip-pan fires, Victorian sewer collapses, that sort of thing...
DTC: The BBC is currently exploring legacy options for the long-term use of the temporary set including visitor tours and educational opportunities.
Sid: So people are going to pay to see a set that's no longer the real EastEnders set ? Gimme a break. How much is this costing ?
DTC: We have an independent review which has highlighted the importance of the show to audiences and to the BBC as a whole, and supports investment in the exterior lot.
Sid: OK mate, but I'm not going in front of Ma Hodge on this one..It's your call, Lord Hall. Next case, Ms Bulford.
Hey Joe
Kaffeine-krazed Nick Kroll, outgoing director of the BBC Trust, seems to be kicking the habit. In the latest six months' worth of expenses, the java jive features only twice - at Villandry and Caffe Concerto - compared with 16 times in the previous set..
And meals with contacts are down from 19 to just seven. Old favourite venues, though - RIBA, Sardo, Iberica, The Quality Chop House (a tad off piste, what ?), De Martino, the Delaunay and the Riding House Cafe. Overall, Nick's exes are down a commendable £730 on the previous six months, at £1,607.
The Trustees, however, haven't built on their 7% improvement last time. Their overal total is down just £441, at £29,337.
And meals with contacts are down from 19 to just seven. Old favourite venues, though - RIBA, Sardo, Iberica, The Quality Chop House (a tad off piste, what ?), De Martino, the Delaunay and the Riding House Cafe. Overall, Nick's exes are down a commendable £730 on the previous six months, at £1,607.
The Trustees, however, haven't built on their 7% improvement last time. Their overal total is down just £441, at £29,337.
Moved
At least one BBC editor has lost the job he loved as a result of the Dinah Rose enquiry. The Independent reports that Rod McKenzie, who used to run Newsbeat on Radio 1 and 1Xtra, has taken a month off, and will move to another, so far unnamed, post.
The Rose investigation was set up in George Entwistle's brief DG-ship, and invited employees to raise concerns about workplace bullying and sexual harassment, post-Savile. 550 people were interviewed, and 375 letters, emails and voice mails came in, including substantial dossiers from the unions BECTU and the NUJ. "Respect at Work" was published in May last year, but much earlier on it was clear that many complaints clustered around certain managers - some were advised to take a discreet exit from the BBC, and did. According to the Indie, there were more than 30 complaints about Rod's management style, spread over 20 years - a "close source" tells the Indie, “He strongly rejects these claims and maintains that his behaviour is entirely in keeping with a pressurised news environment.”
Rod had probably been there too long. He was an energetic Newsbeat reporter when I left in 1987 - and he became editor in 2001. Expansion was the name of the game for this news service, which was doing what the rest of the BBC found hard - connecting with a young audience. Extra budget and staff came in for new projects, and all was pink on the map, until the arrival of "helpful" John Myers. He was brought in by Tim Davie to prowl 1, 1Xtra, Radio 2 and 6Music looking for "synergies". His commercial radio "speak-as-I-find" approach thought Newsbeat was too big. His sagacious analysis failed to spot that the team was one of the few places in news taking on new, raw staff from diverse backgrounds and turning them into journalists that other, more risk-averse, departments would eventually nick with glee. Nor did the management above Rod.
As the Indie says "The BBC’s disciplinary process did not uphold claims against Mr McKenzie that he brought prejudices to the process of deciding which members of staff lost their positions as part of the BBC’s Delivering Quality First efficiency savings process". But downsizing is never stress-free, especially, if you're being downsized early on in the career of your dreams.
One footnote: being fair to all sides might be a good reason for a disciplinary hearing to take the best part of a year, but it's not nice and not good practice - an extended process can distort the end result, and create more problems than were there in the first place.
The Rose investigation was set up in George Entwistle's brief DG-ship, and invited employees to raise concerns about workplace bullying and sexual harassment, post-Savile. 550 people were interviewed, and 375 letters, emails and voice mails came in, including substantial dossiers from the unions BECTU and the NUJ. "Respect at Work" was published in May last year, but much earlier on it was clear that many complaints clustered around certain managers - some were advised to take a discreet exit from the BBC, and did. According to the Indie, there were more than 30 complaints about Rod's management style, spread over 20 years - a "close source" tells the Indie, “He strongly rejects these claims and maintains that his behaviour is entirely in keeping with a pressurised news environment.”
Rod had probably been there too long. He was an energetic Newsbeat reporter when I left in 1987 - and he became editor in 2001. Expansion was the name of the game for this news service, which was doing what the rest of the BBC found hard - connecting with a young audience. Extra budget and staff came in for new projects, and all was pink on the map, until the arrival of "helpful" John Myers. He was brought in by Tim Davie to prowl 1, 1Xtra, Radio 2 and 6Music looking for "synergies". His commercial radio "speak-as-I-find" approach thought Newsbeat was too big. His sagacious analysis failed to spot that the team was one of the few places in news taking on new, raw staff from diverse backgrounds and turning them into journalists that other, more risk-averse, departments would eventually nick with glee. Nor did the management above Rod.
As the Indie says "The BBC’s disciplinary process did not uphold claims against Mr McKenzie that he brought prejudices to the process of deciding which members of staff lost their positions as part of the BBC’s Delivering Quality First efficiency savings process". But downsizing is never stress-free, especially, if you're being downsized early on in the career of your dreams.
One footnote: being fair to all sides might be a good reason for a disciplinary hearing to take the best part of a year, but it's not nice and not good practice - an extended process can distort the end result, and create more problems than were there in the first place.
Evaluated
And the answers to yesterday's quiz....
A: Advisor, Information Rights, Legal ? 7
(A small majority of you got this one right)
B: Head of Features UK ? SM2
(70% got this one wrong)
C: Head of Marketing, BBC1 ? 11
(47% got this right)
D: Creative Director, Visual Journalism ? 9
(90% of you thought this was more highly graded)
E: Head of UX & D for Internal Tools ? 10
(42% right - though three thought it was a new Senior Manager)
F: Social Media Community Executive ? 7
(Lower expectations from you than me - 37% right)
A: Advisor, Information Rights, Legal ? 7
(A small majority of you got this one right)
B: Head of Features UK ? SM2
(70% got this one wrong)
C: Head of Marketing, BBC1 ? 11
(47% got this right)
D: Creative Director, Visual Journalism ? 9
(90% of you thought this was more highly graded)
E: Head of UX & D for Internal Tools ? 10
(42% right - though three thought it was a new Senior Manager)
F: Social Media Community Executive ? 7
(Lower expectations from you than me - 37% right)
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Cast list
You'll be delighted to know that, in Davos, most lifts are open with great snow conditions.
The full list of BBC delegates to the World Economic Forum includes (on top of old regulars like Nik Gowing and Mishal Husain) Robert Peston, Linda Yueh, Emily Young, Jeremy Paxman and, yes, BBC Director of News, James Harding. There are others supporting them, outside the ring of snow and canapes.
Kamal Ahmed, soon to join as Business Editor, is there.
Doubtless there'll be important interviews with Emma Thompson, Lang Lang, Bono, Ellen McArthur and the grand old Duke of York. And perhaps even discussions on networking with the ubiquitous Carole Stone.
The full list of BBC delegates to the World Economic Forum includes (on top of old regulars like Nik Gowing and Mishal Husain) Robert Peston, Linda Yueh, Emily Young, Jeremy Paxman and, yes, BBC Director of News, James Harding. There are others supporting them, outside the ring of snow and canapes.
Kamal Ahmed, soon to join as Business Editor, is there.
Doubtless there'll be important interviews with Emma Thompson, Lang Lang, Bono, Ellen McArthur and the grand old Duke of York. And perhaps even discussions on networking with the ubiquitous Carole Stone.
Brought to you by me
Here's a cheerful-sort-of-BBC-cove, explaining how readers of bbc.com might encounter "native advertising" - sponsored pieces.
bbc.com hosts BBC News outside the UK. If it's all that simple, why not take sponsorship in the UK, Mr Bowman? Or would Lord Hall like to answer that one ?
bbc.com hosts BBC News outside the UK. If it's all that simple, why not take sponsorship in the UK, Mr Bowman? Or would Lord Hall like to answer that one ?
Naming names
The BBC spent £19,485 (including VAT at 20%) on external lawyers in trying to keep secret details of who attended the infamous "Climate Change: The Challenge to Broadcasting" seminar - and clocked up 120 hours of time within its own Litigation Department on the case.
Outglassed
Clearly there was only room for one bespectacled new media visionary at the Telegraph Group - and Daily editor Tony Gallagher had come to it too late. He started on Twitter in September 2011, and there's now a pregnant pause after 3,552 tweets to 19,212 followers. Spookily his nemesis, Jason Seikin, Editor-in Chief, only has 1,574 at time of writing - and he's been at it since March 2009. Jason's dig at Tone ? "We must reinvent the way we work and move beyond simply putting news and information online..."
Jason has been fleshing out this searing vision in the Telegraph Temple of Doom this morning - and there's something of Janus in it. The Telegraph, as a right of centre guide to modern life, will probably only continue to exist in print form. Our Jason sees the brand's digital existence as having a much broader purpose and appeal, as a guide to modern life that all can stomach. I wonder if those Barclay boys have clocked it.
He's keen on video - though says that Vice is the main competition, not Sky News - and wants to identify staff and columnists he can turn into YouTube stars. Don't all rush.
Jason has been fleshing out this searing vision in the Telegraph Temple of Doom this morning - and there's something of Janus in it. The Telegraph, as a right of centre guide to modern life, will probably only continue to exist in print form. Our Jason sees the brand's digital existence as having a much broader purpose and appeal, as a guide to modern life that all can stomach. I wonder if those Barclay boys have clocked it.
He's keen on video - though says that Vice is the main competition, not Sky News - and wants to identify staff and columnists he can turn into YouTube stars. Don't all rush.
Evaluation
Musing, as you do, over BBC job vacancies, I've noticed some new groovy titles - and some surprising grades. For all my HR chums here's a little quiz. Answers tomorrow.
Forecast
The cloud of Savile will hang unexpunged over the BBC for another six months - because of the trial of Stuart Hall on charges involving alleged rape of two girls under 16. The trial date is set for May 6, with a case management hearing at the end of February - and the prosecution feel if Dame Janet Smith's review (which includes Dame Linda Dobbs reporting on issues arising from Hall's activities at the BBC) is published before then, there could be issues of prejudice. Hall, 83, is currently in jail serving 30 months after pleading guilty to 14 counts of indecent assault.
Meanwhile, on the general timetable of Dame Janet's work, this weekend tweet from copper-turned-tv-presenter Mark Williams-Thomas, suggests there's major elements still to complete.
Meanwhile, on the general timetable of Dame Janet's work, this weekend tweet from copper-turned-tv-presenter Mark Williams-Thomas, suggests there's major elements still to complete.
So much more to come out about #Savile about his child sex offending & what was know. I have yet to speak to BBC Dame Janet Smith review
— Mark Williams-Thomas (@mwilliamsthomas) January 18, 2014
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Selector
I suspect my grandson's baby bath is bigger than the Newsnight/Channel 4 News gene pool.
Ian Katz' latest signing for Newsnight, as "Special Correspondent" (can't find that advertised), is Channel 4 reporter Katie Razzall. Katie is the daughter of Libdem peer Lord Razzall of Dazzle. She went to Oxford University - dad played cricket during his time there, studying law - and thence to the Liberal Democrat press office. Next to "factual entertainment" with Carlton TV, and then more serious journalism as an ITN news trainee, before joining Channel 4 News in 1999 as a producer. She dated Damian Lewis, then married his mate Oliver Milburn, and home is Tufnell Park.
Oliver is an Old Etonian - currently 40, it's possible he might have been there when David Cameron was taking Oxbridge entrance. Their politics have diverged somewhat...
Ian Katz' latest signing for Newsnight, as "Special Correspondent" (can't find that advertised), is Channel 4 reporter Katie Razzall. Katie is the daughter of Libdem peer Lord Razzall of Dazzle. She went to Oxford University - dad played cricket during his time there, studying law - and thence to the Liberal Democrat press office. Next to "factual entertainment" with Carlton TV, and then more serious journalism as an ITN news trainee, before joining Channel 4 News in 1999 as a producer. She dated Damian Lewis, then married his mate Oliver Milburn, and home is Tufnell Park.
Oliver is an Old Etonian - currently 40, it's possible he might have been there when David Cameron was taking Oxbridge entrance. Their politics have diverged somewhat...
Greenest government ever Dave, greenest fucking gov ever? Fracking ok in USA cos USA is MASSIVE. Banned in France as it fucks water supply.
— oliver milburn (@Omilburn) January 13, 2014
Update
My normally-on-the-case Media Guardian chums have yet to append comments from Dame Janet Smith to their report that Jimmy Savile "abused up to 1,000 victims on BBC premises" while "executives turned a blind eye".
Dame Janet (or her PR team?) describes the weekend reports, which started in the Observer/Guardian, as "speculative and unreliable". Speculative doesn't necessarily mean wrong, but unreliable is an interesting word. BBC house organ Ariel, perhaps understandably, places Dame Janet's comment against the "blind eye" line in its first para.
The most recent factoid from the Smith Review, came last November. It's hard to tell if the numbers in this revelation are cumulative or not.
The Review has been in contact with more than 720 people and continues to be grateful to the public for their support. In connection with the investigation into Jimmy Savile, the Review has had over 340 telephone conversations with witnesses (all of which have been noted) and approximately 140 witness interviews have taken place. In addition, in relation to the investigation into Stuart Hall, the Review has had over 102 noted telephone conversations with witnesses and a further 29 witness interviews have taken place.
Witness interviews are continuing and, as a result, the Review will not be in a position to finalise its report before the end of January 2014.
Dame Janet (or her PR team?) describes the weekend reports, which started in the Observer/Guardian, as "speculative and unreliable". Speculative doesn't necessarily mean wrong, but unreliable is an interesting word. BBC house organ Ariel, perhaps understandably, places Dame Janet's comment against the "blind eye" line in its first para.
The most recent factoid from the Smith Review, came last November. It's hard to tell if the numbers in this revelation are cumulative or not.
The Review has been in contact with more than 720 people and continues to be grateful to the public for their support. In connection with the investigation into Jimmy Savile, the Review has had over 340 telephone conversations with witnesses (all of which have been noted) and approximately 140 witness interviews have taken place. In addition, in relation to the investigation into Stuart Hall, the Review has had over 102 noted telephone conversations with witnesses and a further 29 witness interviews have taken place.
Witness interviews are continuing and, as a result, the Review will not be in a position to finalise its report before the end of January 2014.
Monday, January 20, 2014
Pay slips
Monday sometimes leaves me feeling a bit picky - so let's pick over some BBC salary stuff.
The last pay round saw BBC staff on less than £60k get either £800 or 1%, whichever was the greater. ITV staff are currently balloting on an offer of £1,000 or 2.75% whichever is the greater, again for staff on less than £60k.
In July 2011, the BBC Executive set a target that senior managers should number 1% of the staff population by 2015. In October, DG Tony Hall said he would reduce senior managers from 450 to 415 by 2015. The latest figure on full-time equivalent employees at the BBC is 18,644 - making 1%, by my calculations, 186.
The BBC's Executive Board total salary (not full packages) in 2011/2 was £2.573m, shared between 10 staff members. The Executive Board's current salaries total £2.460m, shared between 7 members - three posts moved off the Board, for an annual saving of £113k. Yet three of the posts moved "off" still exist, with Peter Salmon, Director North, on £375k, Ralph Rivera, Future Media, on £295k, and Phil Almond, Marketing, on £210k.
The last pay round saw BBC staff on less than £60k get either £800 or 1%, whichever was the greater. ITV staff are currently balloting on an offer of £1,000 or 2.75% whichever is the greater, again for staff on less than £60k.
In July 2011, the BBC Executive set a target that senior managers should number 1% of the staff population by 2015. In October, DG Tony Hall said he would reduce senior managers from 450 to 415 by 2015. The latest figure on full-time equivalent employees at the BBC is 18,644 - making 1%, by my calculations, 186.
The BBC's Executive Board total salary (not full packages) in 2011/2 was £2.573m, shared between 10 staff members. The Executive Board's current salaries total £2.460m, shared between 7 members - three posts moved off the Board, for an annual saving of £113k. Yet three of the posts moved "off" still exist, with Peter Salmon, Director North, on £375k, Ralph Rivera, Future Media, on £295k, and Phil Almond, Marketing, on £210k.
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Dark arts
It's no surprise that, when allegations of bullying at the BBC involve people with, internally, a high profile, there's frustration when there's no sign of resolution - for those accusing, and those accused. I suspect that's behind the leaking of long-rumoured trouble at the BBC's Arts Unit, which mainly serves Radio 4, to the Sunday Times - you get the gist without going beyond the paywall.
Here's some more recent figures from the BBC - they try to suggest closure, but it's clear there are a number of active cases.
Between 1 January and 30 September 2013 there were 8 disciplinaries in relation to bullying and harassment/sexual harassment. These resulted in two written warnings, four final written warnings and one dismissal. The remaining case required no further action.
In 2012 there were a total of 42 incidents of whistle‐blowing. 22 of these were reported via the Expolink service (the BBC’s independently administered ‘whistle‐blowing hotline’). The cases involved allegations of incidents of fraud, computer misuse, bullying/harassment, data protection breaches/violations and theft. Two resulted in termination of employment; 25 were referred to HR/management/the police.
In 2013 there have been a total of 23 incidents of whistle‐blowing so far. Six of these were reported via the Expolink service. The cases involved allegations of fraud, sexual assault, harassment/bullying, copyright infringement, HR/miscellaneous complaints or theft. One resulted in termination of employment (and was reported to the police); two employees were disciplined; nine were referred to HR/Management/litigation/the police; seven are still under investigation
Here's some more recent figures from the BBC - they try to suggest closure, but it's clear there are a number of active cases.
Between 1 January and 30 September 2013 there were 8 disciplinaries in relation to bullying and harassment/sexual harassment. These resulted in two written warnings, four final written warnings and one dismissal. The remaining case required no further action.
In 2012 there were a total of 42 incidents of whistle‐blowing. 22 of these were reported via the Expolink service (the BBC’s independently administered ‘whistle‐blowing hotline’). The cases involved allegations of incidents of fraud, computer misuse, bullying/harassment, data protection breaches/violations and theft. Two resulted in termination of employment; 25 were referred to HR/management/the police.
In 2013 there have been a total of 23 incidents of whistle‐blowing so far. Six of these were reported via the Expolink service. The cases involved allegations of fraud, sexual assault, harassment/bullying, copyright infringement, HR/miscellaneous complaints or theft. One resulted in termination of employment (and was reported to the police); two employees were disciplined; nine were referred to HR/Management/litigation/the police; seven are still under investigation
Numbers
We may have some problems with scale when Dame Janet Smith's inquiry into the activities of Jimmy Savile at the BBC is finally published. The Observer today speculates that she's found evidence of "up to 1,000" assaults on BBC premises.
It's becoming clear that Savile took few days off from his predatory activities. And he presented over 1,000 Radio 1 shows, somewhere near 100 Top of The Pops shows, and 286 editions of Jim'll Fix It.
It's becoming clear that Savile took few days off from his predatory activities. And he presented over 1,000 Radio 1 shows, somewhere near 100 Top of The Pops shows, and 286 editions of Jim'll Fix It.
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Super supper
The latest list of official guests at Chequers and Chevening cover 2011 to 2013, so we can't be certain of the roles of visitors who changed jobs during that period.
Lord and Lady Patten went to Chequers. The Chevening list is much more media-oriented. Guests with BBC connections included Clare Balding and partner Alice Arnold; BBC Director of Television, Danny Cohen, and his wife Professor Noreena Hertz; Stephanie Flanders (then with BBC News, now of JPMorgan) and husband John Arlidge; and R4 presenter Lucy Ash and husband John Kampfner. Newsnight editor Ian Katz (and wife Justine Roberts of Mumsnet) and BBC Director of News James Harding (and his wife Kate Weinberg) were entertained before their current appointments, as was Laura Kuenssberg, then of ITN, now moving to Newsnight.
Lord and Lady Patten went to Chequers. The Chevening list is much more media-oriented. Guests with BBC connections included Clare Balding and partner Alice Arnold; BBC Director of Television, Danny Cohen, and his wife Professor Noreena Hertz; Stephanie Flanders (then with BBC News, now of JPMorgan) and husband John Arlidge; and R4 presenter Lucy Ash and husband John Kampfner. Newsnight editor Ian Katz (and wife Justine Roberts of Mumsnet) and BBC Director of News James Harding (and his wife Kate Weinberg) were entertained before their current appointments, as was Laura Kuenssberg, then of ITN, now moving to Newsnight.
Friday, January 17, 2014
Not the Dalek, stupid
Just five days to the start of the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos. 282 delegates from the UK - 236 of them (80%) men. Apparently 64 of their number have been before - that includes the self-titled BBC World News main anchor Nik Gowing, and Today new girl Mishal Husain.
This is also an enormously tempting event for BBC News suits - will James Harding, who embraced Davos at The Times, feel it's a good place to be seen now he's with Auntie ?
This is also an enormously tempting event for BBC News suits - will James Harding, who embraced Davos at The Times, feel it's a good place to be seen now he's with Auntie ?
Pinup
Former Stuckist artist and performer Billy Chyldish, previously Billy Childish, previously William Charlie Hamper, has a new range of posters available online, at just £25 each. Here's my favourite.
Others in the series include "Yentob thinks Beyonce is Vincent Van Gogh", and "Oi, Yentob, shut your gob !", the latter apparently also the title of a forthcoming single.
Others in the series include "Yentob thinks Beyonce is Vincent Van Gogh", and "Oi, Yentob, shut your gob !", the latter apparently also the title of a forthcoming single.
Modern Scottish Writing
Never mind Gary Barlow and BBC promotion. We warned you to watch out for more Jim Naughtie than is reasonable coming in February, to coincide with the publication of his "sophisticated" Cold War thriller, The Madness Of July. Now we have an alert for chef, break-dancer and tv mogul Kirsty Wark, who's been using train journeys between London and Glasgow to write her first novel, The Legacy of Elizabeth Pringle, "a multi-generational story of love and belonging set on the Scottish island of Arran". This will be published in March.
We're told she's already started on a second book.
Kirsty's publishers are Two Roads Books, an imprint of Hodder & Stoughton, who are also publishing Sally Magnusson's book about her mother, Where Memories Go: Why Dementia Changes Everything.
We're told she's already started on a second book.
Kirsty's publishers are Two Roads Books, an imprint of Hodder & Stoughton, who are also publishing Sally Magnusson's book about her mother, Where Memories Go: Why Dementia Changes Everything.
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Greek economics
Today presenter John Humphrys has joined the list of "friends" of the BBC calling for a smaller organisation. Known for his financial acumen, at least in terms of farming, Greek holiday homes, public appearance and writing fees, he offered the following apercu at a Media Society session last night: "It’s too big. We could take out a third of it I think."
Thus aligned with Roger Mosey and David Dimbleby, the Great Inquisitor's remarks are picked up with glee by the Daily Mail - unusually for free.
We look forward to understanding more about the 33% theory: is it a cut to the licence fee, the number of channels, the staff headcount ? Presumably the Today Programme will be excused, so that John can bank that element of his newly-acquired staff status. Let's hope he's done the maths on what a 33% cut might do to salaries.
Thus aligned with Roger Mosey and David Dimbleby, the Great Inquisitor's remarks are picked up with glee by the Daily Mail - unusually for free.
We look forward to understanding more about the 33% theory: is it a cut to the licence fee, the number of channels, the staff headcount ? Presumably the Today Programme will be excused, so that John can bank that element of his newly-acquired staff status. Let's hope he's done the maths on what a 33% cut might do to salaries.
Wasted journeys
Evidence from BBC Licence Fee inspectors that something's going on in the UK housing market...
TV Licensing makes every effort to ensure that the [address] database is accurate and up-to-date. However, addresses based on postal delivery points may change as new properties are built, and existing properties are either demolished or undergo change of use. These discrepancies are rectified as soon as they are identified.
.... Circumstances in which TV Licensing enquiry officers have visited a property to find that it does not exist: I can confirm that in the 2012-13 financial year there have been 32,358 instances where this outcome has been recorded.
TV Licensing makes every effort to ensure that the [address] database is accurate and up-to-date. However, addresses based on postal delivery points may change as new properties are built, and existing properties are either demolished or undergo change of use. These discrepancies are rectified as soon as they are identified.
.... Circumstances in which TV Licensing enquiry officers have visited a property to find that it does not exist: I can confirm that in the 2012-13 financial year there have been 32,358 instances where this outcome has been recorded.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Rush job
The BBC Trust meets on Friday this week, and will be asked to approve minutes of their December meeting. The first two items then (in summary) were ..
More detailed minutes are due in three weeks' time. Which takes us to the first week in February. Leaving around seven weeks for any public discussion of the proposals, ahead of the transfer of BBC World Service to licence-fee funding on 1st April.
- Consideration of the BBC World Service operating licence
- Consideration of income sources for BBC World Service once funding transfers to the licence fee in April 2014.
More detailed minutes are due in three weeks' time. Which takes us to the first week in February. Leaving around seven weeks for any public discussion of the proposals, ahead of the transfer of BBC World Service to licence-fee funding on 1st April.
Rather watch a film ?
A belated January foray into the world of 9pm chat shows on US cable news tv. At the end of last year, Fox's Megyn Kelly seemed to have eased into the slot vacated by Sean Hannity - but now Rachel Maddow on MSNBC is beginning to eclipse her - as the chart below shows. The graph marks viewers in the 25 to 54 year-old demographic - and you can see that CNN only came close last week when Piers Morgan was replaced by a film about plane crash survivors.
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Where do you fancy working ?
The ads for BBC news boss James Harding's latest job creations are out. Health Editor and Education Editor. Here's the tricky component of both.
Much of the work will inevitably be done in conjunction with the health/education team in London, but we are interested in exploring whether the job could be wholly or partly based in either Birmingham or Salford.
Some questions: Why Birmingham ? We know there's tons of office space at the Mailbox, as do local MPs, but there's very little network news infrastructure.
Is there a right answer ? In assessing the candidates, will someone who says they'll work from Salford or Birmingham be rated more highly than those who argue the job should be based in the capital ? What proportion of the interview panel's scorecared does this element carry ?
And if the job is "partly" based outside London, will the successful candidate be entitled to London weighting allowance on their grade 10 pay ?
And, frankly, shouldn't base location be a strategic high-level BBC news decision, rather than taking up most of the interview ?
Much of the work will inevitably be done in conjunction with the health/education team in London, but we are interested in exploring whether the job could be wholly or partly based in either Birmingham or Salford.
Some questions: Why Birmingham ? We know there's tons of office space at the Mailbox, as do local MPs, but there's very little network news infrastructure.
Is there a right answer ? In assessing the candidates, will someone who says they'll work from Salford or Birmingham be rated more highly than those who argue the job should be based in the capital ? What proportion of the interview panel's scorecared does this element carry ?
And if the job is "partly" based outside London, will the successful candidate be entitled to London weighting allowance on their grade 10 pay ?
And, frankly, shouldn't base location be a strategic high-level BBC news decision, rather than taking up most of the interview ?
Predictable
The BBC has once again wussed out of removal of a pay supplement from The Ark - the Unpredictability Allowance, given to around 8,000 staff, most of them journalists, many of whom can tell you exactly which days they will be free to play golf in autumn this year.
This is the fifth back-track - now, apparently, instead of a gutsy collective management move to this "necessary reform", Lord Hall is waiting til the appointment of a new HR Director, to see what he or she thinks.
The unions get very het up about this one, on the principle that there must be demonstrable reward for a disrupted lifestyle.But actually, for most current employees, the solution on the table, consolidation into pensionable pay is a better financial deal - especially given the amount the BBC is lobbing into the fund over the next four years. 1700 update: A cascade of contacts point out that the current offer only consolidates UPA into non-pensionable pay.
This is the fifth back-track - now, apparently, instead of a gutsy collective management move to this "necessary reform", Lord Hall is waiting til the appointment of a new HR Director, to see what he or she thinks.
The unions get very het up about this one, on the principle that there must be demonstrable reward for a disrupted lifestyle.
Danny's aunt
I'm grateful to the Independent for explaining the pivotal role that Ana de Moraes will have in the future of BBC tv programmes. Ana, 36, from Brasil, will lead Danny Cohen's new Central Development team, having been headhunted from indie Twenty Twenty Productions. Here's here own recent Twitter cv...
@OsMillard The Choir, First Dates, My Transsexual Summer, The World's Strictest Parents, Garrow's Law, Styled To Rock...
— Ana de Moraes (@ana_de_moraes) June 20, 2013
And some more tweets that might give a flavour of her style....
Why has Tulisa been arrested for selling drugs but the so called "journalists" from The Sun haven't been arrested for buying?
— Ana de Moraes (@ana_de_moraes) June 5, 2013
I can't stand Chelsea, but Oscar is A-MA-ZING. #Gol!
— Ana de Moraes (@ana_de_moraes) September 19, 2012
Hanging out with @rihanna until 4:30am. All work, no play, promise! pic.twitter.com/uvbKtSAm
— Ana de Moraes (@ana_de_moraes) June 28, 2012
Monday, January 13, 2014
Making a point
Forget tents in Parliament Square, or chaining yourself to the railings of Downing Street: Broadcasting House has become the venue of choice for protesters from around the world - whether or not the BBC has anything to do with it. Just before New Year it was the disappeared of Balochistan; this last Saturday it was about killing dogs in Romanian and Bosnia.
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Finger picking
We knew Bob Harris, Patrick Kielty and Cerys Matthews all got trips to Nashville as part of Radio 2's coverage of the Country Music Awards in November.
Now a newsletter called Aristo has noticed that others were there, too.
Now a newsletter called Aristo has noticed that others were there, too.
Saturday, January 11, 2014
Extended credit
The Manchester Evening News reports that the awfully nice BBC has allowed Salford Council to reschedule payments destined to support the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. Part of the complex gavotte between the BBC, the Peel Group and the Council that secured Auntie as anchor tenant of MediaCityUK was an agreement that the local authority would cough up £20m over eight years for the band. Since 2008 that's been coming through at around £2m per annum, but the next payment will be down to £1m, as Salford attempts to ease cuts - with the schedule extended now to 10 years.
A BBC spokeswoman said:”The BBC tries to be a good neighbour to businesses and communities throughout Salford. Building on these relationships is important to help all of us fulfill the potential of Media City."
A BBC spokeswoman said:”The BBC tries to be a good neighbour to businesses and communities throughout Salford. Building on these relationships is important to help all of us fulfill the potential of Media City."
Flown in
Radio 5Live turned to Northern Ireland again last night, to find a stand-in for Wee Stephen Nolan. Sarah Brett, of Radio Foyle, was at the microphone.
Sarah was born in Nottingham, but moved to Portnoo in Donegal when she was four. From there, she travelled widely, and worked as a bar manager and croupier, before heading to London/Derry for a media course. She eventually notched up eight years on the Belfast Telegraph, before joining the BBC in Northern Ireland in 2007.
Sarah was born in Nottingham, but moved to Portnoo in Donegal when she was four. From there, she travelled widely, and worked as a bar manager and croupier, before heading to London/Derry for a media course. She eventually notched up eight years on the Belfast Telegraph, before joining the BBC in Northern Ireland in 2007.
Friday, January 10, 2014
Line of command
Apologies to domestically-focussed blog readers for a heavy week of World Service posts. Here's another one, of interest to those who study BBC management moves instead of watching East Enders, Coronation Street or Celebrity Big Brother.
The House of Commons Select Committee on Foreign Affairs has produced its annual report, and, in a two page section on the BBC, opposes any commercialisation of World Service as it moves to licence fee funding from April. This is a problem for the BBC - having been instructed by both the FCO and Trust to swim in those very waters, and having based both alternative future funding strategies on at least some advertising revenue.
The committee also thinks it's being helpful by trying to get the Director of Global News, Peter "Lee Ryan" Horrocks, higher up the Corporation structure. Here's the relevant bit.
88. In oral evidence to this inquiry, it emerged that not only was there no direct representation of the World Service on the BBC’s Executive Board: Mr Horrocks no longer sits on what used to be known as the BBC Direction Group and is now the BBC Management Board, responsible for “managing pan-BBC issues delegated to it from the Executive Board” and “ensuring that the organisation meets its pan-BBC objectives”. Although Mr Horrocks did not accept that this was a demotion, he recognised the “symbolism of representation”. He also acknowledged that the integration of the BBC World Service with the mainstream organisation would mean that it would be sharing resources which it had previously owned and run directly, and the BBC would be balancing the demands of the World Service with those of other, domestic arms of the Corporation.
89. We conclude that the World Service will be ever more dependent on the Director of News for priority access to the resources—both technical and human—which it needs in order to meet its obligations. We are not convinced that the protection of the BBC World Service’s interests within the BBC’s governance structure is as strong as is being claimed, and the picture appears to us to be one of steady erosion of World Service influence within the BBC. The World Service will be heavily reliant in future upon advocacy by a single Executive Board member, who has many other competing responsibilities. The result may be that the World Service is more regularly denied the resources it needs to maintain or develop services. We recommend once again that the World Service should be represented on the BBC Executive Board, and we believe that the Director of BBC Global News should be a member of the Management Board.
This is problematic for Director of News James Harding - who, having assessed his new team at the BBC, chose Fran Unsworth to be his number two, rather than Peter. The organogram would be a right mess.
The House of Commons Select Committee on Foreign Affairs has produced its annual report, and, in a two page section on the BBC, opposes any commercialisation of World Service as it moves to licence fee funding from April. This is a problem for the BBC - having been instructed by both the FCO and Trust to swim in those very waters, and having based both alternative future funding strategies on at least some advertising revenue.
The committee also thinks it's being helpful by trying to get the Director of Global News, Peter "Lee Ryan" Horrocks, higher up the Corporation structure. Here's the relevant bit.
88. In oral evidence to this inquiry, it emerged that not only was there no direct representation of the World Service on the BBC’s Executive Board: Mr Horrocks no longer sits on what used to be known as the BBC Direction Group and is now the BBC Management Board, responsible for “managing pan-BBC issues delegated to it from the Executive Board” and “ensuring that the organisation meets its pan-BBC objectives”. Although Mr Horrocks did not accept that this was a demotion, he recognised the “symbolism of representation”. He also acknowledged that the integration of the BBC World Service with the mainstream organisation would mean that it would be sharing resources which it had previously owned and run directly, and the BBC would be balancing the demands of the World Service with those of other, domestic arms of the Corporation.
89. We conclude that the World Service will be ever more dependent on the Director of News for priority access to the resources—both technical and human—which it needs in order to meet its obligations. We are not convinced that the protection of the BBC World Service’s interests within the BBC’s governance structure is as strong as is being claimed, and the picture appears to us to be one of steady erosion of World Service influence within the BBC. The World Service will be heavily reliant in future upon advocacy by a single Executive Board member, who has many other competing responsibilities. The result may be that the World Service is more regularly denied the resources it needs to maintain or develop services. We recommend once again that the World Service should be represented on the BBC Executive Board, and we believe that the Director of BBC Global News should be a member of the Management Board.
This is problematic for Director of News James Harding - who, having assessed his new team at the BBC, chose Fran Unsworth to be his number two, rather than Peter. The organogram would be a right mess.
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Lodgers
Whilst we enjoy the BBC's shiny new buildings around the country, it's occasionally useful to be reminded that Auntie has moved from a freeholder to a tenant in all of them. Morgan Stanley set up the bond deal that supports Broadcasting House, and have just transferred management of the mortgage to a company called Mount Street. Investors in the bond have benefited from returns way above both bank rate and inflation.
The Morgan Stanley vehicle being transferred is called Juturna (a Roman goddess of fountains, wells and springs), and the outstanding debt is £772,026,630 (secured on the redeveloped Broadcasting House in Portland Place).
The Morgan Stanley vehicle being transferred is called Juturna (a Roman goddess of fountains, wells and springs), and the outstanding debt is £772,026,630 (secured on the redeveloped Broadcasting House in Portland Place).
Minute by minute
The person who knows how to post BBC Executive minutes online is back from their holidays, so we've now got October and November to decode.
For me, the alarming issue is than, three years after Mark Thompson did a deal with Jeremy Hunt for the World Service to be funded from the licence fee, there are still two finance strategies in play. We aren't permitted, as licence-payers, to know what they are - but I'm guessing one relies on ads on World Service radio broadcasts, in all languages, and one doesn't. And this trio of minutes, about World Service and Investments to 2017 (Charter Renewal) is as transparent as a 15 tog duvet covered in finest Bri-Nylon.
3.7 This paper outlined a plan to deliver both a ‘saving to invest’ strategy for World Service to 2017 (aligned with the overall Global News strategy and the wider benefits of the BBC’s global role) and an associated financial plan, based on the agreed budgets. It was noted that the BBC Trust Operating Licence set a budget for World Service of £245m.
3.8 The Board noted its support for the approach being adopted. It was emphasised that the approach was ex UK and did not relate to UK facing content.
3.9 The Board approved the investment strategy and savings plan described in the paper for submission to the BBC Trust.
And this is my highlight from the November set - usually, the shorter the note, the bigger the problem, and here I'm guessing recruitment is out of control.
3.2 The Board considered the monthly finance report, noting that further work was being done to understand the forecast position on headcount.
For me, the alarming issue is than, three years after Mark Thompson did a deal with Jeremy Hunt for the World Service to be funded from the licence fee, there are still two finance strategies in play. We aren't permitted, as licence-payers, to know what they are - but I'm guessing one relies on ads on World Service radio broadcasts, in all languages, and one doesn't. And this trio of minutes, about World Service and Investments to 2017 (Charter Renewal) is as transparent as a 15 tog duvet covered in finest Bri-Nylon.
3.7 This paper outlined a plan to deliver both a ‘saving to invest’ strategy for World Service to 2017 (aligned with the overall Global News strategy and the wider benefits of the BBC’s global role) and an associated financial plan, based on the agreed budgets. It was noted that the BBC Trust Operating Licence set a budget for World Service of £245m.
3.8 The Board noted its support for the approach being adopted. It was emphasised that the approach was ex UK and did not relate to UK facing content.
3.9 The Board approved the investment strategy and savings plan described in the paper for submission to the BBC Trust.
And this is my highlight from the November set - usually, the shorter the note, the bigger the problem, and here I'm guessing recruitment is out of control.
3.2 The Board considered the monthly finance report, noting that further work was being done to understand the forecast position on headcount.
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Creation
Pat Younge has served his notice and is ready for business. The BBC's former Chief Creative Officer, Production, has set up WeCreate Ltd, and leaves in optimistic frame of mind about the future of his former employer.
"It’s .. world beating value at just 40p per day, or a single Starbucks latte for a week's content. It does have some issues to address including diversity in employment and services, services for the digital poor and delivering a greater range of voices across all areas of the output, but it’s road to absolute security is very simple; the quality of management and governance has to match the absolute quality and consistency of quality of the content. Tony Hall recognises that and I believe the senior management team will deliver it.
"That’s it for this week, as much start-up work still to do including getting a professional web designer to rebuild my website. Have fun."
WeCreate - someone else tidies up.
"It’s .. world beating value at just 40p per day, or a single Starbucks latte for a week's content. It does have some issues to address including diversity in employment and services, services for the digital poor and delivering a greater range of voices across all areas of the output, but it’s road to absolute security is very simple; the quality of management and governance has to match the absolute quality and consistency of quality of the content. Tony Hall recognises that and I believe the senior management team will deliver it.
"That’s it for this week, as much start-up work still to do including getting a professional web designer to rebuild my website. Have fun."
WeCreate - someone else tidies up.
Arrange "wire" "close" and "to"
So we now have the full minutes from the BBC Trust meeting on 21 November; which featured James Harding leading for the Executive side on future strategy for BBC World Service, BBC World News and bbc.com/news. They are not phrased nicely for lovers of radio....
132.3 They discussed the proposed strategy with the Executive, including the continued transition from primarily a radio broadcaster into the world’s leading multilingual digital news provider.
132.4 They also discussed a variety of funding options for the remainder of the Charter period in order to deliver the proposed strategy.
132.5 The Trust endorsed the direction of travel on the Executive’s plans and agreed to further discussions over the coming months.
The two sides returned to the discussion on December 18, but we probably won't get the minutes til February. Then we are only a few weeks from the transfer of World Service funding to licence-fee payers; it's all a bit last minute, innit ?
132.3 They discussed the proposed strategy with the Executive, including the continued transition from primarily a radio broadcaster into the world’s leading multilingual digital news provider.
132.4 They also discussed a variety of funding options for the remainder of the Charter period in order to deliver the proposed strategy.
132.5 The Trust endorsed the direction of travel on the Executive’s plans and agreed to further discussions over the coming months.
The two sides returned to the discussion on December 18, but we probably won't get the minutes til February. Then we are only a few weeks from the transfer of World Service funding to licence-fee payers; it's all a bit last minute, innit ?
Good chin
If Huw looks a little pumped up tonight....
Woody Allen
News on how 5Live stalwart Peter Allen relaxes from the broadcasting hamster-wheel now he's on a four-day week (with Adrian Chiles covering the Drivetime crusty seat on Fridays); he can be found releasing the inner art of old bits of wood. "I will often simply remove the rot then shape the dramatic structure which emerges." Wise words, which may influence Lord Hall's thinking on the BBC in 2014.
It seems people who obsess about Pink Floyd can have a sensitive side after all...
It seems people who obsess about Pink Floyd can have a sensitive side after all...
Lessons learnt ?
An opportunity for the organisers of The Guardian's Changing Media Summit, 2014: the first day, under the chairmanship of BBC Technology Correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones includes separate sessions with Ashley Highfield, CEO of The Johnston Press and Erik Huggers, vice president at Intel Media.
Why not an extra session to take them both back to their time running technology at the BBC (Highfield 2000-8, Huggers 2008-11) to discuss the Digital Media Initiative, conceived in 2005, cancelled in 2013 ?
Why not an extra session to take them both back to their time running technology at the BBC (Highfield 2000-8, Huggers 2008-11) to discuss the Digital Media Initiative, conceived in 2005, cancelled in 2013 ?
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Master and Commander
Less than a week to go before BBC News boss James Harding gives the first W.T.Stead Memorial Lecture at the British Library. For £8 (£6 to me, cos I'm over 60)... James Harding surveys journalism today. We now have more ways than ever before to access the news, but how does this affect the way that news is produced, communicated and consumed? With experience in both print and broadcast journalism, Harding reflects upon the place of news in a changing media landscape.
No idea if he's taking questions. There are some. James' declared management board costs the best part of £2m a year in salary packages - without adding the wages of Business Managers, Special Assistants and PAs. At least two salaries are undeclared, apparently because they're paid for by Global News. And salaries of newer arrivals, like Keith Blackmore, as Managing Editor, and Jonathan Munro, as Newsgathering boss, are not included. Staff will be interested in the direction of travel, as I believe they say...
No idea if he's taking questions. There are some. James' declared management board costs the best part of £2m a year in salary packages - without adding the wages of Business Managers, Special Assistants and PAs. At least two salaries are undeclared, apparently because they're paid for by Global News. And salaries of newer arrivals, like Keith Blackmore, as Managing Editor, and Jonathan Munro, as Newsgathering boss, are not included. Staff will be interested in the direction of travel, as I believe they say...
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organisation,
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A shiny digital future ?
If you have the time, and are interested in the BBC in Birmingham, I commend this post by Robin Valk, engagingly titled "The Desolation of Smug". Heartfelt and well-argued. And an insight into the making of Peaky Blinders.
Monday, January 6, 2014
Protokroll
After a front row seat in the toasty Public Accounts Committee grilling last September, BBC Trust fixer Nicholas Kroll has decided that retirement at 60 (in June) is for him.
Nicholas (CB, Corpus Christi, Oxford) first came to the BBC in October 2004, as part of the seemingly never-ending fiddles with the way the BBC is "governed". He was appointed as Director of Governance, working to the old Governors, then under the chairmanship of Michael Grade, in a move to make them more independent of the Executive. When that was deemed an insufficient change, the Governors morphed into the Trust in January 2007, and our Nick became its first Director. He leaves after nearly 10 years -"During that period I believe the governance of the BBC has become stronger" (but perhaps not quickly enough to control DMI, severance payments, salaries and sundry journalistic failings).
His current annual package is worth £246,480, and he ought to get around £40k pension to add to whatever 27 years in the Civil Service generates. The coffee bars of Great Portland Street may lose business, but Kroll-run musical soirees on the Clapham/Wandsworth front line should be more relaxed.
Nicholas (CB, Corpus Christi, Oxford) first came to the BBC in October 2004, as part of the seemingly never-ending fiddles with the way the BBC is "governed". He was appointed as Director of Governance, working to the old Governors, then under the chairmanship of Michael Grade, in a move to make them more independent of the Executive. When that was deemed an insufficient change, the Governors morphed into the Trust in January 2007, and our Nick became its first Director. He leaves after nearly 10 years -"During that period I believe the governance of the BBC has become stronger" (but perhaps not quickly enough to control DMI, severance payments, salaries and sundry journalistic failings).
His current annual package is worth £246,480, and he ought to get around £40k pension to add to whatever 27 years in the Civil Service generates. The coffee bars of Great Portland Street may lose business, but Kroll-run musical soirees on the Clapham/Wandsworth front line should be more relaxed.
Breakfast gender
There's a way to go on Tony Hall's target of 50% female presentation on BBC local radio breakfast shows. As we start the working New Year proper (at least in broadcasting schedules), there are still only two solo female hosts - Emma Britton, Somerset, and Liz Green, Leeds (covered this morning by Georgey Spanswick) - and one to come, Etholle George at Suffolk - out of 41.
Since my August snapshot, there are also two new stations opting for the co-presentation route. In Cornwall, James Churchfield has been joined by Pam Spriggs, and at Humberside there's a new pairing of Lizzie Rose and Carl Wheatley.
Still I reckon at least 10 shows need to make changes by the end of the year to meet the target. Come on, Holdsworth.
Since my August snapshot, there are also two new stations opting for the co-presentation route. In Cornwall, James Churchfield has been joined by Pam Spriggs, and at Humberside there's a new pairing of Lizzie Rose and Carl Wheatley.
Still I reckon at least 10 shows need to make changes by the end of the year to meet the target. Come on, Holdsworth.
Sunday, January 5, 2014
A luta continua
Worried about Alan ? Fear not, he'll be back. The BBC's Creative Director, inexplicably hounded by the Guardian's Hugh Muir and Media Monkey over the festive break, has been spotted in Cape Town. Perhaps redressing his contribution to the Mandela story, or perhaps grumpy that he was one few BBC staff not flown to South Africa for the funeral.
His low holiday profile may be the result of paparazzi concentrating on Cheryl Cole. On his return, his rival may be closer at hand. Lord Hall has determined to find a new arts guru, and may well already have lighted upon the talents of Ruth Mackenzie, who helped him deliver the Cultural Olympics; who is already interim director of BBC/Arts Council collaboration The Space; and who is in and out of Broadcasting House like a yo-yo consulting on Charter renewal and more.
His low holiday profile may be the result of paparazzi concentrating on Cheryl Cole. On his return, his rival may be closer at hand. Lord Hall has determined to find a new arts guru, and may well already have lighted upon the talents of Ruth Mackenzie, who helped him deliver the Cultural Olympics; who is already interim director of BBC/Arts Council collaboration The Space; and who is in and out of Broadcasting House like a yo-yo consulting on Charter renewal and more.
Saturday, January 4, 2014
Factoids
So Mark Damazer, former Controller of Radio 4 and current Master of St Peter's, Oxford, powered Gonville & Caius, Cambridge to victory in Christmas University Challenge. He took 50 points in starters, out of a total of 175, with answers on Radetzky, Graham Greene, Shakespeare's various Antonios, Lord Russell and the Berlin Wall.
There were lacunae. Sherlock Holmes needs re-reading, and he should re-visit the difference between left and right, at least in terms of England's 1966 World Cup-winning full-backs.
Now, surely, onto Brain of Britain. Mr Davies giving Mr Damazer a go at the silent buzzer would be fun.
There were lacunae. Sherlock Holmes needs re-reading, and he should re-visit the difference between left and right, at least in terms of England's 1966 World Cup-winning full-backs.
Now, surely, onto Brain of Britain. Mr Davies giving Mr Damazer a go at the silent buzzer would be fun.
Friday, January 3, 2014
Cerebral
Outside BBC1 and ITV1, last night's top audience was 2.84m for the second semi-final of Christmas University Challenge. Gonville & Caius, Cambridge were led to victory by former BBC News-man/Controller of Radio 4, Mark Damazer.
It's an all-Cambridge final at 8.30 tonight - versus Emmanuel, led by Simon Singh.
The Caius team is well-balanced, with Lars Tharp of the Antiques Roadshow a quiet prompter of Damazer, when he's (only occasionally) uncertain. Interestingly, the quartet could have been cast several times over - what about Damazer contemporaries, such as Alastair Campbell, Keith Vaz - or the next generation, like Stephen Mangan, Alain de Botton and Jimmy Carr ?
It's an all-Cambridge final at 8.30 tonight - versus Emmanuel, led by Simon Singh.
The Caius team is well-balanced, with Lars Tharp of the Antiques Roadshow a quiet prompter of Damazer, when he's (only occasionally) uncertain. Interestingly, the quartet could have been cast several times over - what about Damazer contemporaries, such as Alastair Campbell, Keith Vaz - or the next generation, like Stephen Mangan, Alain de Botton and Jimmy Carr ?
Give us a break
As I struggle to fill this blog in the festive period, here's a nudge for BBC Director General Lord Hall.
In December we were promised "clearer roles and responsibilities" in BBC governance. Yet, as Jessica Cecil moves on from running the DG's office to the bosom of Anne Bulford in Finance and Operations, it seems she may have taken the deep magic of publishing Executive minutes online with her. So the most recent set are from September.
"The Executive Board meets once a month, and a summary of the minutes is published online once they have been approved at the following meeting."
In December we were promised "clearer roles and responsibilities" in BBC governance. Yet, as Jessica Cecil moves on from running the DG's office to the bosom of Anne Bulford in Finance and Operations, it seems she may have taken the deep magic of publishing Executive minutes online with her. So the most recent set are from September.
"The Executive Board meets once a month, and a summary of the minutes is published online once they have been approved at the following meeting."
Gold price
With the closing date for the Radio Academy Awards 2014 just over a month away, some FoI stats about BBC entries in previous years. In 2012, Auntie spend £40,240 on fees (above the hours spent by producers toiling away at their compilations) which equates to around 372 bids in the 30 or so categories. In 2013, BBC entries apparently fell, with spending at £34,074 - around 315 entries.
I say apparently. The assiduous person who compiled the 2013 list has no figures for Radio 5 Live - which is odd, considering they won four golds, including station of the year.
I say apparently. The assiduous person who compiled the 2013 list has no figures for Radio 5 Live - which is odd, considering they won four golds, including station of the year.
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Beer
The economic impact of the BBC's move to Salford is not all positive.
The current tenant of the Lass O'Gowrie, historic home of BBC drinkers when the Manchester base was Oxford Road, is handing back his keys, putting the pub's future at risk. He reckons turnover fell 40% - over £250k a year - when the BBC moved local and regional teams to Salford Quays.
Researchers
I wonder if what went on in 24 Old Queen Street, SW1 stays in 24 Old Queen Street, SW1 ?
It's the former home of the Conservative Research Department. Chris Patten worked there, for a second spell, from 1968 to 1970, specialising in local government and social policy. There, spookily at the same time, was Patricia Hodgson, three years younger than Chris when she started, at 21. Now Dame Patricia, she will be Chair of Ofcom from April this year, after confirmation by the CMS Select Committee.
She'll be getting £142, 500 a year for a three day week, supplementing her £119k BBC pension, and £10,500 pa from the School Teachers' Review Body. Lord Patten gets just £110k for "three to four days" work a week from the BBC, though he does declare five other paid appointments.
In the wacky world of public service broadcasting, the BBC Trust currently hands £3m of licence fee money every year in fees to Ofcom.
Extending choice
The Hogmanay industry once again benefited from the innovative production ideas of BBC Scotland/Alba.
BBC1 Scotland was hosted from Edinburgh, but managed an outside broadcast from the Glasgow Fruit Market, featuring The Boghall and Bathgate Caledonia Pipe Band. BBC Alba was live less than three miles away, featuring The Greater Glasgow Police Scotland Pipe Band.
South of the border, Jools Holland offered the (pre-recorded) talents of the The Pipes & Drums of the 1st Battalion Scots Guards.
Below, scenes from the foyer of BBC Scotland's HQ at Pacific Quay, where Radio Scotland held its Hogmanay party. Something called a Ladies' Choice is about to kick off.
BBC1 Scotland was hosted from Edinburgh, but managed an outside broadcast from the Glasgow Fruit Market, featuring The Boghall and Bathgate Caledonia Pipe Band. BBC Alba was live less than three miles away, featuring The Greater Glasgow Police Scotland Pipe Band.
South of the border, Jools Holland offered the (pre-recorded) talents of the The Pipes & Drums of the 1st Battalion Scots Guards.
Below, scenes from the foyer of BBC Scotland's HQ at Pacific Quay, where Radio Scotland held its Hogmanay party. Something called a Ladies' Choice is about to kick off.
Licence
We've noted before that BBC is attempting to define the Charter Renewal debate as being about scope and size of the licence fee, rather than innovative ways of funding UK (and international) public service broadcasting. According to The Times, a BBC submission to the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee says the licence fee is “very likely to remain the most cost-effective way to fund the BBC”.
The licence fee was first introduced in June 1948 - £2 a year got you one black and white channel. At current values that's equivalent to over £70. The first night of tv after the wartime shut-down was opened by Jasmine Bligh, and including a Disney cartoon and Mantovani and his orchestra. Below, a film recreation of the first announcement, made later the same year.
The licence fee was first introduced in June 1948 - £2 a year got you one black and white channel. At current values that's equivalent to over £70. The first night of tv after the wartime shut-down was opened by Jasmine Bligh, and including a Disney cartoon and Mantovani and his orchestra. Below, a film recreation of the first announcement, made later the same year.
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
25
Good to know the BBC's Freedom of Information team was working on New Year's Eve. No evidence on the HR database of child sexual abuse since 2006, but....
As we have already released in a previous FOI response, the BBC Investigation Service has records of 1 allegation relating to one individual reported to the Investigation Unit which was alleged to relate to a minor. This allegation was found not to be substantiated following an investigation by the BBC in 2011.
In addition to the above, since the allegations about Jimmy Savile and others came to light the BBC has been actively encouraging anyone with information to come forward since 3 October 2012. As a result of this the BBC has received 45 allegations of inappropriate physical and non-physical behaviour of a sexual nature involving victims under the age of 18 relating to 25 BBC staff or contributors. The majority of these allegations relate to people who have died, or who have not worked for the BBC for many years although the dates supplied for these historic cases aren’t always specific.
As we have already released in a previous FOI response, the BBC Investigation Service has records of 1 allegation relating to one individual reported to the Investigation Unit which was alleged to relate to a minor. This allegation was found not to be substantiated following an investigation by the BBC in 2011.
In addition to the above, since the allegations about Jimmy Savile and others came to light the BBC has been actively encouraging anyone with information to come forward since 3 October 2012. As a result of this the BBC has received 45 allegations of inappropriate physical and non-physical behaviour of a sexual nature involving victims under the age of 18 relating to 25 BBC staff or contributors. The majority of these allegations relate to people who have died, or who have not worked for the BBC for many years although the dates supplied for these historic cases aren’t always specific.
Lachrimae
Right. Now you've got that new diary, here's a date: Today presenter John Humphrys in conversation with one of his former editors, Phil Harding, at the Media Society, 1830, Wednesday 15th January.
Phil was in charge of Today when John was a mere stripling, heading to his fiftieth year. I saw him over the festive period, and challenged him to make John cry, a la Piers Morgan. We thought "money" might do it - then I remembered the sight of John's face one morning at 0430 when he came in for a shift by mistake. Real tears.
Phil was in charge of Today when John was a mere stripling, heading to his fiftieth year. I saw him over the festive period, and challenged him to make John cry, a la Piers Morgan. We thought "money" might do it - then I remembered the sight of John's face one morning at 0430 when he came in for a shift by mistake. Real tears.
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