Union backs extra BBC TV channel
BECTU is urging the Culture Minister to approve a fourth new BBC digital TV station.
In a submission to the Department of Culture, Media, and Sport, the union has called for BBC 3 to be given the go-ahead, as a boost to UK television production, and an important addition to the BBC's public service role.
Read full union policy on BBC 3
The new channel is the only proposed BBC digital TV service still to be approved by government.
Two others, both daytime children's channels, went live in February, and a new service called BBC Four will start evening broadcasts tomorrow (March 2).
All the new services are available on the Digital Terrestrial TV (DTT) system, branded as ITV Digital, as well as Sky Digital and cable TV.
Proposals for BBC Three were turned down in September last year, when the Minister gave permission for the Corporation to launch three new TV channels, and five radio stations on digital broadcasting systems.
The Minister criticised the original proposals as "not distinctive", and in December the Corporation announced changes in its vision for the new digital TV station.
Although it would still be aimed at the original target audience of 25-34 year olds, significant changes were proposed in the programme mix.
Under the new proposals the channel would drop some of its plans for entertainment and drama programming to allow a greater emphasis on news and current affairs, arts and culture, and education.
Programming would still be predominantly UK-produced - up to 90% of the planned £100m per year budget would be spent on home-grown programmes.
In its submission to the Minister, BECTU welcomed the revised proposals as an essential means of providing public service programming to a young audience who might not otherwise experience this kind of broadcasting.
At a time when the advertising slump was cutting production in the commercial sector, BBC Three would also be a boost to UK programme-making, said the union. Commercial competitors running digital channels have recently softened their line on the danger of new BBC services damaging their audiences.
Although still determined that the BBC should not compete head-to-head for their audiences, operators like ITV Digital have reluctantly accepted that high-quality free-to-air programming will help tempt viewers to switch from analogue to digital receivers, creating potential new subscribers for them.
One of the BBC's arguments in favour of its new services is that they will help achieve the government's aim of "digital switch-over" by 2010.