The BBC’s year 2003–2004

We report to you

This booklet is our report to you. It tells you what the BBC did last year, how it spent your money and how to contact the BBC with your questions and comments.

Spending your money

Everyone who has a TV pays for a TV licence. This money goes to the BBC.

Last year a TV licence cost £9.67 each month. The pictures on the next page show you how the BBC spent your money.

The BBC has been working hard not to waste money. Last year it saved £30 million.

The BBC will keep making sure it spends your money carefully.

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This is how we spent your money each month:

Getting programmes to your TV and radio and collecting TV licences

98p

Nations and English regional television

90p

Radio 1 Radio 2 Radio 3 Radio 4 Five Live

Digital radio

Local radio

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Television

The BBC spends almost half of the money you pay for your TV licence on BBC One and BBC Two.

The BBC tries to give you a big choice of programmes to watch. It shows lots of different types of programmes like drama, comedy, documentaries and news. Some of the new programmes the BBC showed last year were:

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The BBC also spends money on digital television. More than half of all homes now have digital TV.

The BBC has 6 digital television channels. They are:

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Radio

The BBC spends about £1 of the money you pay each month for your TV licence on radio.

The BBC has 5 main radio stations – Radio 1,

Radio 2, Radio 3, Radio 4 and Five Live.

They have a good mix of programmes with music and talking. There is lots of live music, news and sport.

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The BBC also has some digital radio stations. You can listen to these in 3 ways:

1.
  
By using a special digital radio
2.
  
Through your computer by using the internet and your computer’s speakers
if you have cable

BBC Five Live Sports Extra – this station has lots of live sport that isn’t already covered on other BBC radio stations

1Xtra – this station plays the best new black music like hip hop and R&B

BBC 6 Music – this station plays lots of new music and popular music from the last 40 years

BBC 7 – this station has lots of comedy and drama BBC Asian Network – this station has lots of music, news and drama for British Asians

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The BBC around the UK

The BBC spends about £1.50 of the money you pay each month on TV and radio that is just for people in the area you live in.

The BBC showed ‘Restoration’ and ‘Murphy’s Law’ last year – these were really good programmes that were made outside London. The BBC is doing more to give you programmes that are made in the area you live in.

The BBC has lots of local radio stations. It also has websites with information about the area you live in called ‘Where I live’.

bbc.co.uk and BBCi

A little bit of the money you pay for your licence fee goes to bbc.co.uk and BBCi.

BBC website. It has lots of different things to help

BBCi is interactive TV. You can choose what you look at and when you look at it if you have TV – just press the red button on your control.

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What is going to happen to the BBC?

Do you think the BBC should be paid for by your TV licence? Do you think the BBC should have more channels or fewer channels?

To tell the BBC what you think:

Write to: Future of the BBC

PO Box 125 Glasgow G2 3WD

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Getting in touch with the BBC

Do you have a question or something to say? Do you want to make a complaint about the BBC?

To get in touch with the BBC:

Write to: BBC Information PO Box 1922 Glasgow G2 3WT

Telephone: 08700 100 222

Sometimes we record or listen to calls. We do this to help train our staff.

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Finding out more

You can get a full copy of the BBC Annual Report and Accounts 2003/2004 from your local library or by going to the website bbc.co.uk/annualreport.

If you want to find out more about the BBC you can go to the website bbc.co.uk/info.

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British Broadcasting Corporation Broadcasting House London W1A 1AA bbc.co.uk © 2004

This booklet has been produced with the help of MENCAP’s accessibility unit www.mencap.org.uk/accessibility

Illustrations by Matt Buckingham

Designed by BBC Design & Publications DP1586