PSB Review Parliamentary debate

BBC Director General Mark Thompson will be the keynote speaker at a debate organised by entertainment unions on 21 October 2008.

This special event, organised by the Federation of Entertainment Unions, also involves:

• Tony Robinson - actor and writer.
• Jeremy Dear - NUJ General Secretary.
• Prof. Stewart Purvis - Ofcom.
• Horace Trubridge - Musicians Union Assistant General Secretary.
• Carole Tongue - former MEP, Chair UK Coalition for Cultural Diversity.
• Prof. Jean Seaton - Professor of Media History and BBC Official Historian.
• Prof. Patrick Barwise - Emeritus Professor of Management and Marketing, London Business School.

The debate will be chaired by Neil Gerrard MP, Secretary Performers Alliance.

Ofcom’s second review into public service broadcasting is proving highly contentious:

• The regulator’s decision to pave the way for ITV plc to make drastic cuts in its regional news operation led the broadcaster to put more than 400 jobs at risk last week.
• Whilst Ofcom has yet to confirm its recommendations for the future funding of the BBC, or Channel 4, the signs are that the Corporation’s current funding mechanisms are less than stable.
• In the consultations so far, no solutions have been offered to support sustainable home-grown broadcast output for children.

These are just some of the issues which will be debated by leading industry and trade union figures, Members of Parliament and other interested parties on Tuesday 21 October 2008 at 1000 in Committee Room 14, The Palace of Westminster, St Stephen’s Entrance, London SW1A 0AA (moved from Portcullis House 17 October 2008).

Places have been reserved for BECTU members, but advance registration is essential.

Further information is available from FEU Co-ordinator Paul Evans, email [email protected], telephone 07973 714206.