This is my response to the BBC Strategy Review:
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The BBC's strategic principles
The Director-General has proposed five high level principles which would set the future direction of the BBC. These are:
* putting quality first, including five areas of editorial focus for all BBC services
* doing fewer things better – including stopping activities in some areas
* guaranteeing access for all licence fee payers to BBC services
* making the licence fee work harder – being efficient and offering better value for money
* setting new boundaries
The Trust agrees that the BBC should have a set of published principles and, when these are agreed, we will ensure that the BBC is held to account for acheiving them.
Some of the proposed principles are in response to challenges the Trust has set the BBC – such as focussing on high quality programmes and considering whether the current range of services is too large. We endorse these five principles, although we have not agreed to specific proposals in each area.
BBC Strategy Review: Your Response
The BBC's strategic principles
. Do you think these are the right principles? I agree with all except 'doing fewer things better'. Why not doing more things better? You
guys can do it. Because doing fewer things better is a LICENCE TO SKY to destroy
television in this country. . Should the BBC have any other strategic principles?
Yes. Sports should be one of the pillars of BBC. Sports is not just entertainment but also a cultural issue. All the cosy weekend afternoons from horse-racing to cricket to football have been taken away. Why?
Proposed principle: Putting Quality First
. Which BBC output do you think could be higher quality? 1. Sports - both quantity, variety and quality of coverage. 2. Website - the quality of
information on bbc.co.uk has been going down 3. Online access to archive programs - as we have paid licence fee for those programs we should have access to them.
Offering you something special
. Which areas should the BBC make more distinctive from other broadcasters and media? 1. Education material 2. Sports documentaries 3. Cinematic programs 4. Classics
adaptation from all over the world. Instead of having for example Emma every now and then.
The Five Editorial Priorities
. Do these priorities fit with your expectations of BBC TV, radio and online services? 1. Why only UK drama and comedy. Why not the best drama from the world? 2. Why not the best of Sports? What matters to families are good quality drama, comedy and sports. That brings everybody together.
Proposed principle: Doing fewer things and doing them better
. We welcome your views on these areas. Totally DISAGREE with 'make the BBC's website smaller, with fewer sections.' The BBC's
website is a gem and needs to be preserved and nurtured. More audio-video should be integrated. The resources spent on BBC website also have the ability to share seamlessly irrespective of Television i.e., on mobile phones, PC, etc., That is the content will be available to users anywhere-anytime-any device. The archive needs to be organized for future generations.
Proposed principle: Guaranteeing access to BBC services
. If you have particular views on how you expect BBC services to be available to you, please let us know.
Some backend services can be outsourced to good firms like Google. For instance, instead of spending inhouse resources on creating a search engine, this could be out-sourced to a firm like Google which has all the infrastructure. This can be paid for by selling your iplayer technology with others like Channel 5, Channel 4, ITV and other tv stations across the world. If you earn more money from these and other commercial activities like BBC World Service, selling BBC programs to other channels etc., then the savings or earnings should be passed on to the licence payers in the form of licence fee reduction. That will silence the critics like Sky and Rupert Murdoch as well.
The BBC archive
. Please tell us if you have views on this area. 1. Since we the licence payers have sponsored the creation of programs, we should have
un-fettered access to all the old programs. 2. We, the licence payers should be released a unique no. which we can use to access the programs even when we are traveling 3. You should not let the wonderful programs sit idle. They should be distributed across the world which makes commercial sense and the revenue can be used to cut the license-fee for future. 4. iPlayer's dependency from Microsoft technology should be removed asap. You can use established infrastructure like Youtube to distribute and share the archive data. For example, for UK users, it will be ad-free. For users outside UK, it will be with ads.
Proposed principle: Making the licence fee work harder
. If you are concerned about the BBC’s value for money, please tell us why. Education and Sports are the big misses in BBC's repertoire. For example, the biggest
financial crisis in history and majority of the people don't know what it is. There are no programs explaining the same for Kids, Students, Families. There are no programs on 'the concept of regulation'. No programs on 'leadership and other ethical qualities needed' for the next and present generation. On sports you have bigger hole than that. Apart from no live coverage for majority of the sports which are integral part of every family in the UK, there are no programs on the legends of sports for example. The young kids don't know who is Jack Hobbs or Martina Navratilova.
Proposed principle: Setting new boundaries for the BBC
. Do you think that the BBC should limit its activities in these areas? I totally dis-agree with 'limiting BBC expenditure on sports rights'. I also pity reducing BBC
importing ready-made dramas from US. If that happens then some lovely programs like Mad-Men, Damages will be lost to the viewers. I also feel that while commercial channels will never worry about local media, it is BBC's job to not just provide but expand localised services. Has anybody seen Sky providing local service? There is no money in that so why will they bother. Regarding the complaints of the commercial competitors, BBC should support better regulation in the media sector. For example where is the competition in sports rights? Is this the way a free-market economy works?
. Should any other areas be on this list? You can import wonderful programs from around the world. For example there are lots of
TV gems in India (for example Mirza Ghalib), Polant (Dekalog) etc., This will be cheaper and will be relevant in this globalised world.
About You
. Do you consider yourself to have a disability? No
. Is your ethnic group best described as... Indian
Comment: No Comment . Are You?
Male . What is your age?
35-44
. Where do you live? No Answer
Comment: No Comment
Keep Me Informed
. If you want to be alerted when we publish our views please enter your email address pradeepkumarkabra@googlemail.com
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BBC Trust - Strategy Review Initial Conclusions - 05Jul2010
Earlier this year you took part in the BBC Trust's consultation on the future strategic direction of the corporation. Today the Trust has published its initial conclusions, focussing on what audiences say matters most to them: BBC programmes and services and the way the BBC spends its money.
We endorse the BBC Executive's underlying ambition to do fewer things better and thereby focus the BBC more effectively on its core mission, ensure that it plays its full part in promoting the move from analogue to digital and have due regard for the BBC's competitive impact.
The Trust does not think a convincing case has been made, as presented, for the closure of 6 Music. The Trust does not agree that there is a consistent strategic rationale for closure on grounds either of promoting digital development or market impact. Nonetheless, the proposal has been helpful in highlighting the need for a further review of the BBC's digital strategy. If, as part of that review, the Executive wants to put together a different proposal for the overall shape of its music radio stations that they think could further increase the distinctiveness of the output, we would consider it.
The Trust notes that the Asian network is performing poorly and will, therefore, consider a formal proposal for the closure of the Asian Network. However, this must include a proposition for meeting the needs of the station's audience in different ways.
The Trust agrees that the BBC should sharpen its focus so that online is truly distinctive and has clearer editorial vision and control. The Trust also endorses the Executive's proposed 25 per cent budget reduction, although it will want to understand and approve the editorial changes involved.
Plans to release more information about senior management and talent pay and to speed up the drive to cut the overall senior manager pay bill.
The Trust will publish its final Strategy Review conclusions in the autumn.
You can read more about the Trust's initial conclusions here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/our_work/strategy_review/index.shtml
BBC Annual Report and Accounts 2009/10
Today the BBC has also published its Annual Report and Accounts. As in previous years it is in two parts - one from the Trust and the other from the BBC Executive.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/annualreport/
Trust Review of BBC One, BBC Two and BBC Four - Interim conclusions
The BBC Trust has also today published interim conclusions of its review of BBC One, BBC Two and BBC Four:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/our_work/service_reviews/service_licences/reviews_tv.shtml
Trust's service reviews of BBC One, BBC Two and BBC Four
BBC Trust Mailing List
You can receive updates on the BBC Trust's work, including details of consultations and publications, by subscribing to our email service:
BBC Trust - email updates
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/news/email_updates/index.shtml
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