BBC
publishes response to News 24 Lambert Review
The
BBC today (Thursday 20 February 2003) published its response to
Richard Lambert's review of BBC News 24, following acknowledgement
from Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell.
The
BBC's response - submitted to the Department for Culture, Media
and Sport at the end of January - reaffirms the BBC's commitment
to "quality first" on News 24 by pursuing a "broadsheet"
news agenda and aiming be the highest quality and most respected
continuous news service in the UK.
Lambert
clearly endorsed the decision to launch News 24 and said it had
an important role to play in the BBC's public service digital portfolio.
It
is highly valued by its growing audience and is the news channel
opinion formers value most.
Constructive
criticism included Lambert's recommendation to restate the remit
of News 24 more clearly, which has been addressed and will be in
the new Statement of Programme Policy published in April.
The
Secretary of State, in her acknowledgement, says she will not be
imposing a further condition on the BBC Governors to report more
fully on the costs of News 24 at this stage.
Lambert
had criticised early governance of the service.
However,
in its response, the BBC clearly outlined that News 24 had been
discussed in substantive ways on many occasions by Governors, who
had adopted an approach of internal criticism and public support.
The
Governors have, in future, agreed to adopt a more demonstrative
approach to their oversight of all new services, including News
24, and believe that new objectives-based governance reforms will
demonstrate improved rigour and transparency.
There
will be fuller accounts of News 24's delivery in future Annual Reports
and the Governors will, explicitly, consider the BBC News/BBC World
relationship on fair trading grounds every year, verified by fair
trading auditors.
The
BBC's Lambert response also underlines the commitment to a more
analytical and international news agenda, with state-of the-art
interactive services.
A £100,000
commissioning budget will be available for live coverage from Europe
and there will also be improved coverage from around the UK, with
special broadcasts from Scotland and Wales ahead of this year's
parliamentary and assembly elections.
The
amount of pre-recorded programming will be reduced, but of a higher
quality, and there will be an increased profile for breaking news.
Head
to Head, the weekly debate programme, will now run all year round
and there will be a new, late-evening business programme.
News
24's profile on BBC ONE will be increased and some news specials
will be branded under the News 24 banner.
Since
the Lambert report was written, the channel has had new, more contemporary
on-screen graphics and provided effective coverage on BBC ONE of
major stories such as the Soham tragedy and the firefighters' dispute.
Notes
to Editors
The
full BBC response is available here, in PDF
format. You may require Adobe Acrobat Software to read PDF files
which can be obtained here.
BBC
response to Lambert review of BBC News 24 (31
KB)
BBC
News 24 plays important part in Public Service Broadcasting, says
Lambert Report (05.12.02)
All the
BBC's digital services are now available on Freeview,
the new free-to-view digital terrestrial television service, as well
as on satellite and cable.
Freeview
offers the BBC's eight television channels - including BBC THREE
- as well as six BBC radio networks.
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