BBC
News 24 plays important part in Public Service Broadcasting, says
Lambert Report
Stronger regional
news coverage and an expanded interactive news service are just
two of the improvements already underway on BBC News 24 following
publication of the Lambert Report, the BBC announced today.
The
BBC endorsed the report's conclusions that the 24 hour news channel
"has a very important part to play in public service broadcasting",
that its performance is "satisfactory in all areas, and better
than that in some" and that "the channel has also improved
the BBC's whole approach to newsgathering".
Richard
Sambrook, Director of BBC News, said: "We are very pleased
by Richard Lambert's support for News 24 and we welcome his suggestions
for improvement.
"We
believe that the channel still has great potential for growth and
innovation and it has always been our ambition to develop the channel
further to meet the audience need for BBC News around the clock."
BBC
News 24 is increasingly demonstrating its value to licence payers.
Latest viewing figures show that each week, 3.6 million viewers
are tuning into News 24 in all multichannel homes.
Compared
with the same period a year ago, News 24 is attracting an additional
1.1 million viewers every week (BARB, Jan-Sept 2002).
Weekly
reach to News 24 in all homes, including those watching the overnight
broadcasts of the channel on BBC ONE, is now up to 10 million viewers.
Market
research undertaken for Richard Lambert's Review showed that News
24 is highly regarded by senior opinion formers, who perceive its
strengths to be comprehensive news coverage, provision of context
and analysis, and a broad and varied news agenda.
It
is also the channel turned to first by this group, especially on
international stories.
The
BBC acknowledges that there is scope for further improvement and
many of the Report's recommendations are already being incorporated
into future planning, for example, we have already given a public
statement of the channel's remit in the BBC's Statements of Programme
Policy and this will be revised in the light of his further recommendations.
Background
The
Review, the first in a series of DCMS reviews of the BBC's digital
services, acknowledges that the future of the BBC as a great news
organisation would have been put in jeopardy over the long term
if it had not been allowed to broadcast 24 hour television news.
The
review was conducted by Richard Lambert, the former Editor of the
Financial Times.
Mr
Lambert's report concludes that News 24 has met the terms of its
approval from the Secretary of State but makes a number of specific
recommendations for further improvement:
First
or Right?
·
The Report recommends that a determination to break news first must
be at the heart of everything the channel does.
The
BBC is committed to carrying breaking news live on News 24 and to
regular updates of news events as they develop.
However,
the BBC does not intend to change its standards on accuracy; and
it will sometimes have a higher threshold for breaking news or a
more detailed checking process than its competitors, to balance
the commitment with maintenance of its own standards of journalism.
· The BBC will also develop the way it uses News 24
on the terrestrial channels for very big stories: BBC ONE switches
to News 24 when major events happen, and this relationship is becoming
ever closer and more effective.
Breadth
and Depth
·
Lambert acknowledges that News 24 provides high quality coverage
of major international events as they happen, providing live coverage
and analysis from its specialist correspondents and he goes on to
recommend that News 24 should seek to broadcast a wider range of
international news and provide greater depth than its rivals.
·
The BBC agrees that News 24 must always aim to offer greater depth
and breadth of international news stories than its UK competitors
and will be investing further in this area.
·
News 24 will continue to maximise the use of BBC correspondents
around the world to give first-hand reportage and analysis of events
and will continue to work closely with the BBC World newsroom which
offers unrivalled expertise in international affairs.
·
In addition to its daily coverage of international news, News 24
also broadcasts international programming such as Simpson's World,
World News, HARDtalk, Australia Direct, Correspondent and Asia Today
to give greater context and analysis to the major foreign stories.
It
also delivers in-depth coverage of European news, including politics,
social affairs, economics and business, in programmes such as Europe
Direct and Euro Brief.
Distinctiveness
and Current Developments
·
Lambert is critical of the service for not being as distinctive
as it could be and believes it needs to do more to illustrate the
rich diversity of life across the UK today.
·
The BBC agrees that it should publish a clear editorial proposition
for the channel building on the recently published Statements of
Programme Policy.
The
BBC recognises that having increased its audience share, the challenge
now is to create a more distinctive and even better quality service
than its competitors.
·
The BBC is already looking to strengthen its regional coverage on
News 24.
Plans
include taking the channel "out of London", as was done
during the last General Election, and illustrate more national stories
from a regional perspective, as it has done for Budgets, major government
public service announcements, Crime day and NHS day.
News
24 will also continue to draw on the BBC's dedicated regional corespondents
and on regional newsrooms for live reports and comments.
·
Plans are also underway to expand News 24's interactive news service.
The
channel currently provides an interactive video news service which
is only available on digital satellite, but which we hope to launch
on digital cable and Freeview over the coming year.
There
are further plans to enhance the News interactive service on digital
satellite with two additional video loops and with interactive voting.
Funding
and Costs
·
Lambert acknowledges that it is not possible to make firm cost comparisons
with rival channels, but recommends the BBC should publish more
information about the channel's financial performance.
As
the BBC's annual report states, BBC News 24 has an annual budget
of approximately £50 million which includes costs for commissioning
and programming, newsgathering, regional content, promotions, distribution
and central overhead costs.
·
The BBC believes that it is more open and accountable than any of
its competitors and welcomes Lambert's acknowledgement that the
launch of News 24 has greatly increased the resources of BBC television
news as a whole, benefiting all audiences.
The
Governors will be considering how the financial transparency of
BBC News 24 can be improved further but meanwhile the recent incorporation
of BBC World Ltd as a separate commercial subsidiary will itself
increase the financial transparency of the relationship between
BBC World and BBC News 24.
Governance
·
Since Lambert submitted his review to the DCMS, the BBC has published
its first Statements of Programme Policy in which it sets out News
24's remit, commitments and future plans.
The
Secretary of State acknowledges the extent to which this meets Lambert's
recommendation that the Governors should publish a more detailed
remit for News 24 with clearer, measurable objectives.
· Under the chairmanship of Gavyn Davies, the BBC
has reviewed its governance arrangements and made a number of changes
to ensure the BBC is well prepared for the establishment of Ofcom.
There
is greater clarity in the respective roles of the Executive Committee
and the Governors and a new unit to support Governors on monitoring
objectives and compliance.
·
The BBC will issue a revised remit to take account of the recommendations
by Lambert which will be reflected in the next Statements of Programme
Policy and provide further details of its proposals to improve News
24 in its formal response to the Secretary of State within the next
three months.
Notes
to Editors
The
Lambert Report is available on the DCMS
website
The
BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites
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