So the Tories are suggesting that the TV licence fee should be split between the BBC, ITV & C4. This is either a half-baked idea, or the starting point for a real shake up of how we run public sector broadcasting.
If this is the only suggestion from the Cameroons, then it ain't very good. Michael Grade said that ITV didn't want a share of the licence fee (too much hassle with extra govt targets). And this ignores the real problem - which is the dominance of the BBC in communications.
Just take regional news. The BBC website pretty much precludes any local sites being set up to service local news needs. A local business just couldn't compete with the bbc web site.
Similarly children's TV - few independent producers can compete or even try to nowadays.
What we need is the BBC slimming down to its core remit, with the add-ons being sold off. They get £1bn a year from the public in a compulsory tax (i.e. licence fee). In the digital age with multi-channel platforms, this is an anachronism.
Wow - I've written about the Beeb without once mentioning that they are also a bunch of leftie bollinger Bolsheviks.
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