Government opens consultation into licence fee decriminalisation February 5, 2020 Culture secretary Nicky Morgan will today launch a public consultation on whether to decriminalise non-payment of the TV licence fee, ramping up political pressure on the BBC. Under current laws anyone who uses a TV or watches BBC iPlayer without paying the licence fee is guilty of a criminal offence. Those who refuse to pay [...]
BBC licence fee to increase by £3 from April February 3, 2020 The annual cost of the TV licence fee increase from £154.50 to £157.50 from 1 April, the BBC confirmed today. The fee is set by the government, which announced in 2016 that it would rise in line with inflation for five years from April 2017. The new charge equates to £3.02 per week or £13.13 [...]
The BBC keeps scoring own goals with its internal comms January 30, 2020 Like the perfect colour for a cup of tea (green, in my case), it seems that everyone in the UK must have an opinion on the BBC. Auntie, age 97, has become loathed in some quarters of the right-wing press, with omnipresent claims of BBC bias, and equally hated in sections of the left-wing media, [...]
BBC ‘faces existential threat’ as it slashes 450 jobs January 29, 2020 The BBC has been warned it is facing an “existential threat” after the broadcaster announced it will cut roughly 450 jobs. The corporation today said it will slash the roles from its news output as it looks to save £80m by 2022 and counteract declining viewing figures. The cuts are set to impact Newsnight, which [...]
Culture secretary Nicky Morgan warns BBC not to ignore licence fee row January 23, 2020 The culture secretary has warned the BBC it would be making a “big mistake” if it thought the row over the licence fee was not an issue of public concern. Baroness Nicky Morgan dismissed the notion that the broadcaster’s funding model was only relevant to those in Westminster, arguing instead that it affect the wider [...]
BBC ‘set to slash jobs’ as it revamps news output in cost-cutting plan January 22, 2020 The BBC is said to be on the brink of announcing a wave of job cuts in its news division as it looks to revamp its output before the next director general takes the reins. The cuts are likely to affect popular news programmes such as Victoria Derbyshire on BBC Two and Radio 4’s Word [...]
The BBC’s new boss must win back British audiences January 20, 2020 Tony Hall’s decision to step down as BBC director general has created a vacancy for one of the most prestigious and influential jobs in UK media — if, that is, anyone is brave enough to take it. Speculation is already mounting about who will take up the mantle (there’s a good chance the corporation will [...]
Tony Hall to step down as BBC director general January 20, 2020 The BBC has announced that Tony Hall will stand down as director general this summer after seven years in the role. In a email to staff, Hall said it had been “such a hard decision”, adding: “If I followed my heart I would genuinely never want to leave.” “However, I believe that an important part [...]
BBC pays Sarah Montague £400,000 in equal pay dispute January 20, 2020 Radio presenter Sarah Montague today revealed that she won £400,000 and an apology from the BBC for being paid “unequally” over many years. Montague, who hosts Radio 4’s World at One, said she secured the settlement last year after a “long period of stressful negotiations”. In a series of tweets this morning, the veteran journalist [...]
Former BBC boss warns licence fee overhaul would ‘delegitimise’ service January 19, 2020 The former director general of the BBC has warned that any move to overhaul the licence fee would “delegitimise” the broadcaster. Mark Thompson, who left the BBC in 2012 to take over as chief executive of the New York Times, said proposals to decriminalise no-payment of the licence fee would have a “pretty negative” impact [...]