EXPIRY OF ITS CHARTER

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21775, 6 May 1936, Page 11

EXPIRY OF ITS CHARTER

British Broadcasting

Corporation

CHANGES SUGGESTED FOR

FUTURE POLICY

At the end of 1936, the Royal Charter of the British Broadcasting Corporation will expire. It was granted for a period of 10 years in 1926 on the recommendation of a Parliamentary committee, and as an experiment in the method of controlling a service in the public interest by a chartered monopoly. The corporation holds the monopoly of broadcasting in Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and receiv. '. under the terms of an agreement with the Postmaster-General, an agreed proportion of the revenue derived from the sale ; of wireless licenses by the post office A wireless license must K purchased by every owner-of. wtreless P receiving apparatus m Great Britain and Northern Ireland, at a cost of 10s each year. At the end of Februar?, 193G, 7,529,724 force, compared with 6,912.502 at the end of February last year in aa dUion 44,069 free licenses have been issued to blind persons. . In 1935 a further committee was nnnmnted by Parliament, under the SSSddP of Viscount Ulster to investigate the work of the corporation during the. last nine years. On the findings of this committee now published the future constitution and policy of the corporation may be deteTh?ecommittee, after retiring to "the influence of broadcasting «n the mind and spirit of the nataß sa> that "a great debt of gratitude Is owed to the wisdom which founded the British Broadcasting Corporation in its present form, and to the Prudence and idealism which have character : ised its operations." The y,^? s< =™ 3 f their recommendations as directea towards the further strengthening and securing of the position which the broadcasting service m Great Britain has happily achieved in the few years of its history." It recommends that: "The charter of the corporation. with certain modifications, be extended for 10 years as from January 1 next , . . , . "The governors be appointed m future by the, Crown on the recommendation of the Prime twister. Their number be increased from five to seven. . ~ m - m "Technical control under the Wireless Telegraphy Acts, as well as the administration of the wireless license system, should remain with the Post-master-General. Responsibility for what the committee describes as *tfte cultural side of broadcasting"'should be transferred to a Cabinet Minister in the House of Commons, who should be selected by the Prune Minister—preferably a senior member of tte Government, free from beavy depart-, mental responsibilities. This Minister should defend the estimates for broadcasting separately.. The extent of Parliamentary criticism and control over details should not be enlarged.

License Fees and Revenue

The license fee should remain at 10s a year. Not less than 75 per cent of the license revenue, after the Post Office costs have been covered, should be allocated to the corporation, which should meantime receive an increased share of the revenue in 1936, the remaining 25 per cent to be potentially available, as required for broadcasting purposes, including television. "The present policy of decentralisation and of using regional programme material be continued. "Direct advertisement be excluded as heretofore from programmes. "The committee endorses the value of school broadcasting. It 'looks forward to the time when every school will have wireless receiving apparatus as part of its normal equipment "The committee attaches great importance to the maintenance and development of the Empire service. "The Empire service should be recognised as an important, normal function of the broadcasting organisation in this country. In the interests of British prestige and influence in world a3airs the appropriate use of languages other than English should be encouraged*.'*