Radio and Television in Britain

In 1936 the government established the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) to provide a public service in radio. It also began broadcasting that year on the recently invented television. At first solely through its agency, television and radio changed the entertainment habits and the culture of the nation. In 1955, however, the establishment of independent and commercial television and radio removed the BBC's broadcasting monopoly.

In spite of its much reduced evening audience, BBC radio still provides an important service. Its five radio stations (BBC Radio 1-5) provide: (1) non-stop pop music; (2) light entertainment; (3) minority interests, e.g. classical music, arts programs and academic material; (4) news and comment and discussion programs; (5) sport. The BBC additionally runs 38 local radio stations, providing material of local interest.

Commercial radio offers three nationwide services: Classic FM, which broadcasts mainly classical music; Virgin 1215, broadcasting popular music; and Talk Radio UK, a speech-based service.

In addition there are 180 independent local radio stations which provide news, information, music and other entertainment, coverage of local events, sports commentary, chat shows and 'phone-in' programs. The latter provide an important counseling service to isolated, aggrieved or perplexed people.

An important but separate part of the BBC's work is its 'external services'. The BBC World Service broadcasts by radio in English and 43 languages. The service is funded separately from the rest of the BBC, by the Foreign Office. Although the BBC has freedom in the content of what it broadcasts, the government decides in which foreign languages it should broadcast, and the amount of funding it should receive. As such, the service is a promotional part of British foreign policy. The BBC World Service reaches an audience of approximately 140 million listeners, who are predominantly young (aged between 25 and 35) and male. The strength of the BBC's external services has been the provision of relatively objective and impartial news and comment, to listeners in countries where local censorship exists.

In 1991 the BBC also commenced a commercial operation called Worldwide Television, which provides 24-hour news coverage and entertainment to broadcast networks in 80 countries and reaches an estimated 45 million homes. BBC World has only one rival, the American network, CNN.

Television is the single most popular form of entertainment in Britain, in the mid-1990s viewers spent on average over three and a half hours daily in front of the television set. Until 1997 they had four terrestrial channels to choose from: BBC1 and BBC2, ITV (Independent Television) and Channel 4. Channel 4, which was established in 1982, specializes in minority interest programs, but has proved highly successful.

A third commercial channel, Channel 5, began broadcasting in 1997 and terrestrial broadcasting is likely to expand further. In 1996 legislation provided for transition of all broadcasting and telecommunications services from analogue frequency to digital transmission. Satellite broadcasting has been available since 1989. The major provider of satellite programs is BSkyB. Cable television was introduced in 1993 and currently has 1.3 million subscribers.

BBC television and radio derives its income from an annual licence fee for television, while ITV and Channel 4 are financed solely through advertising. The question of financing by licence fee was strongly challenged by the Conservative government which argued that the BBC had to demonstrate its ability to operate with commercial efficiency in order to continue to enjoy public funding. As a consequence the BBC underwent a radical restructuring in the mid-1990s, with six separate components: BBC Broadcast, which schedules and commissions services for audiences; BBC Production, which develops in-house radio and television production; BBC News which provides an integrated national and international news operation; BBC Worldwide, to be responsible for generating income in Britain and abroad, and for the World Service; BBC Resources, to provide support and expertise to program-makers; and BBC Corporate Services, to provide strategic services to the BBC as a whole. The danger, however, is that the drive for managerial efficiency will undermine the high quality of individual programs. Take, for example, the new news operation. All news is now centrally gathered rather than by particular programs. Leading BBC journalists protested strongly that this would threaten the distinctive ethos of particular news and current affairs programs with a growing, and possibly bland, homogeneity. A compromise was struck, but the danger remains.

The fear is that the BBC's wonderful variety will be replaced by a unified and homogenized service, in news, sport, and other areas.

Since 1991 ITV has been governed through the Independent Television Commission, which is empowered to give regional franchises for a 10-year period to a number of different companies. There are 15 such companies, providing programs many of which are sold or broadcast on other regional networks. When commercial television commenced in 1955 there had been fears that advertising would erode the high standards already set by the BBC. In fact ITV became fiercely competitive with the BBC in the production of high-quality programs which, like the BBC's, were sold profitably to many foreign networks. Channel 4 provides an alternative service with more documentary, cultural and informative programs. Channel 5 aspires to the same standards of quality as ITV, but has yet to achieve this. In Wales there is a special fourth channel, S4C which provides a minimum of 32 hours of Welsh-medium broadcasting weekly. Since 1993 there has also been a Gaelic TV fund to assist the provision of Gaelic broadcasting on commercial television and radio.

The strength of British television lies in its high quality. The foundation of Britain's excellence in the field of television is the tradition of public service broadcasting as upheld by the BBC. Many involved in television, including foreigners living in Britain, claim that British television is the best in the world. Its export record and high audience ratings certainly suggest it is among the best. The reason lies in the quality of its innovation and its willingness to experiment. In the fields of documentary, comedy and satire, or drama, British television is a world leader.

In 1990 the government passed the Broadcasting Act, which promised to change the basis of television from 1992 onwards. This act was inspired by two factors: the Conservative government's free-market ideology and the reality that satellite television would make it possible for viewers to receive programs transmitted from outside Britain, which would effectively destroy the regulatory controls previously applied by government. In order to prepare Britain's own commercial television for the 'white heat' of competing with satellite television for audiences, and thus for advertisers, the intention of the Act was to open British commercial television to genuine and open competition. In 1992, an Independent Television Commission (ITC) replaced the independent Television Authority and auctioned television transmission licences. It had the authority to use its discretion in awarding franchises on the basis of high quality, not merely to the top financial bidders. As a result of the auction two major networks, Thames Television and also the morning service, TV-AM, both lost their franchises. The ITC also planned for a fifth television channel. But the danger remains that a larger number of channels will not, as is argued, provide greater choice. The greater the number of transmitting channels, the smaller the audiences will be for each individual channel. The smaller the audience, the less will be the advertising revenue possible, and if less advertising revenue is expected the production budget will be smaller. This is bound to hit hard a wide range of programs, particularly minority ones.

It remains to be seen how this affects television in the long term. By the late 1990s it seemed that companies were generally less willing to invest heavily in the origination of expensive new programs unless they were assured they would enjoy a franchise long enough to recoup their investment. Television is still unquestionably something Britain does really well.

Ever since the beginning of the 1980s there has been growing anxiety concerning pornographic and violent programs. The Broadcasting Act provides for increased censorship. Any policeman of superintendent rank or above may demand access to any untransmitted material under the obscenity or public order laws. In addition, the Broadcasting Standards Council, created in 1989, is empowered to veto transmission of any program it considers indecent. It is also empowered to censor imported material, although this is made meaningless by the high number of joint ventures in which British television is now engaged. Many parents have expressed considerable concern at the amount of sex and violence portrayed on television, particularly before 9 p.m., the time when younger children are expected to have gone to bed. On the other hand many journalists were suspicious of the Conservative government's intentions and, in the words of one of them, '[found] it hard to separate zeal for market-led reform from a desire to destabilize a system capable of delivering tough and challenging programs.' They are likely to watch Labour policy towards the media very closely.

ASSIGNMENTS:

I. Render the following sentences into Russian:

1) In 1955, however, the establishment of independent and commercial television and radio removed the BBC's broadcasting monopoly.

2) Although the BBC has freedom in the content of what it broadcasts, the government decides in which foreign languages it should broadcast, and the amount of funding it should receive.

3) In 1996 legislation provided for transition of all broadcasting and telecommunications services from analogue frequency to digital transmission, probably early in the twenty-first century.

4) Leading BBC journalists protested strongly that this would threaten the distinctive ethos of particular news and current affairs programs with a growing, and possibly bland, homogeneity.

5) When commercial television commenced in 1955 there had been fears that advertising would erode the high standards already set by the BBC

6) The strength of the BBC's external services has been the provision of relatively objective and impartial news and comment, to listeners in countries where local censorship exists.

7) This act was inspired by two factors: the Conservative government's free-market ideology and the reality that satellite television would make it possible for viewers to receive programs transmitted from outside Britain, which would effectively destroy the regulatory controls previously applied by government.

8) It is also empowered to censor imported material, although this is made meaningless by the high number of joint ventures in which British television is now engaged.

II. Paraphrase by giving equivalents from the text:

 

1. BBC television gets its income from an annual license fee for television.

2. BBC had to demonstrate its ability to prove commercially effective in order to get money from public.

3. The Independent Television commission has power to give regional franchises.

4. In 1991 the BBC launched Worldwide Television.

5. A compromise was found, but the danger remains.

6. The danger is that the desire to make the management effective will threaten the high quality of individual programs.

7. Any policeman may ask for any untransmitted material under the obscenity laws.

8. The smaller the audience, the less will be the advertising income possible, and if less advertising income is expected the production budget will be proportionately smaller.

III. Answer the questions:

1. What was the role of BBC agency when it appeared? What is it now? Tell about BBC radio.

2. What is particular about the BBC's external services? What is BBC's main rival in the world?

3. How did the appearance of satellite broadcasting influence the British television?

4. Why did BBC have to rebuilt its structure? What is it like now? Name its basic components.

5. What is the state of the British television now? What other channels you can name?

6. How does the English tackle the problem of pornography and violence on TV?

IV. Explain in English the meaning of the following words and word combinations:

1) to broadcast programs; 2) coverage of events; 3) broadcast networks; 4) current affairs program.

V Make up sentences with the following word combinations:

To provide news

local events

to provide 24-hour news coverage

cable television

to erode high standards

willingness to experiment

VI. Points for discussion:

1. The strength of British television lies in its high quality.

2. A large number of channels will not provide greater choice.

3. Television is still unquestionably something Britain does really well.

4. Reasons for the Conservative Government’s Broadcasting Act of 1990; the provisions of this act.