Q: Many of the contributors on our message boards are worried about the cost of the new equipment. Some have even suggested that it should be supplied, free of charge, by the BBC..... A: Unfortunately, it's often been the case that technical innovation has involved the use of new equipment and, consequently the paying out for the new bits of kit. When TV went from black and white to colour, viewers had to purchase new sets to receive the innovation; when FM radio became the norm you had to go out and buy a set that would receive the signals. The licence fee is used to make the actual programmes and get them out to listeners, viewers and online users. It has never been used to provide people with the receiving equipment itself. The good news with digital equipment is that the cost seems to be coming down all the time. Hopefully by 2009 any piece of equipment needed to continue receiving TV signals will be within everyone's price range. The Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell has announced a support scheme to make sure that no one is left behind in the switch. It will provide help with equipment, installation and follow-up support for people aged 75 years and over and people with significant disabilities. On digital changeover it will not just be BBC programmes that will no longer be available on analogue - but ITV, and Channel 4 and 5 too, so this is something that affects the whole of British broadcasting. As for the current costs for providing these new channels and services, about 12% of the current licence fee is spent on providing the new digital services. Q: How many of the programmes that the BBC provides are original? Why are there so many repeats? Shouldn't this be addressed before the charter is renewed?
 | | More choice but is it better quality? |
A: In an ideal world perhaps there would be none (although this might upset many people I know, who say they'd happily watch Fawlty Towers every night if it was on). However, with the present income from the licence fee it would be impossible to run brand new programmes all the time. Viewers' watching habits have changed a lot over the past 20 years or so and many people welcome the opportunity to have another chance to see something they may have missed before. As your contributor rightly point out though, the peak watching time of 7-10pm is the priority for putting out new programmes. The great majority of TV audiences are watching at this time so it makes sense to target the funds making new drama, comedy, documentaries into this period. In the last set of audited figures (04/05) the results show that BBC1 put out 9.7% of repeat programmes at this time. The BBC's aims is to lower that figure over the coming years. Q: Shouldn't the BBC be spending the licence fee on producing original programmes, instead of pushing ahead with new technology? Does the BBC need to take a look at its spending? A: The BBC's internal costs have undergone scrutiny from outside auditors and its costs are freely available by accessing the BBC Annual Report. The drive to reduce overheads is an ongoing one in the corporation, we would much rather spend money on making programmes than on things like taxi fares, office rents, and all the other expenses that have to be met to run a large organisation like the BBC. Since the arival of the new Director General, Mark Thompson, there has been another internal review of spending with the result that several thousand jobs will be cut and the ensuing savings put into new programming. Q: Brian from Exeter claims "there aren't enough decent programmes to provide even one channel's worth of viewing at the moment, so why should I want more choice of even more rubbish?". A: I think there's an apt phrase; "you'll never please all of the people all of the time". We would be living in a pretty dull world if everybody had the same taste, and its evident from the comments that have come in that different people enjoy different things. For example, the audience profile for the new digital channels 1XTRA and BBC Radio 7 is vastly different, but each audience finds something that appeals in the new service.
As the licence fee is paid by the full spectrum of the UK community, it's only fair that the BBC tries to provide something for everyone, that will never be something for everyone all the time - but it must always be enough for each licence fee payer to feel that it's worth the £10.50 a month. David Farwig is the regional co-ordinator, BBC Charter Review. | 
