Hear from the experts
From Mishal Husain to Ken Bruce – some famous faces of the BBC weigh in on the discussion
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Mischal Husain
Ex-BBC news presenter
Ruth Roxanne Board
“We are in a considerable and serious moment of disruption for traditional broadcast media like the BBC. Innovation will be key, but the BBC was a leader when it developed iPlayer, and in many other innovations, and I hope that it can adapt to this new age as well.
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“More broadly, we’re talking about a world where trust is at a premium, and the BBC has high levels of trust. In the long run, it’s going to have to demonstrate again and again that it uses the same language, the same lens on suffering, gives due prominence to people of all kinds, and does not show fear or favour in its coverage. It has to be able to demonstrate that equality from one setting to another, from one conflict to another. That’s going to be a big test.
“Of course, news is not everything the BBC does, but it is so much at the heart of the BBC mission. The BBC is a central institution not just to our cultural life, but also to the nature of our citizenship, and you can see the effect of the absence of it in other countries.
“It’s incredibly precious and every generation of leaders entrusted with it has to live up to that mission and be up to that job, whoever they are, at every stage now and into the future. I wish them well, because it matters to us all, wherever we work.”
Roger Mosey
Former head of BBC Television News says shut BBC Three to fund BBC News
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“Right now what the country and the world need more than anything else is BBC News. Big US tech companies dominate the information we see, and social media is awash with rubbish. Worse still, hostile states set out to inflame tensions in Britain. BBC News needs to bring us the facts, not take sides, and have a commitment to the truth. Evidence and data matter, and the BBC should be our trusted guide. It also has to capture the authentic voices of our islands – views of people from the north of Scotland to the tip of Cornwall.
“The cabinet member responsible for broadcasting, Lisa Nandy, has said that the BBC is second only to the NHS as an essential national service. If it is, she and the Corporation cannot preside over threatened cuts that would make hundreds of journalists redundant. I am worried about services in the nations and regions, including local radio, which have already been cut to the bone.
“The BBC should concentrate on what’s excellent and will be much viewed on iPlayer. And if it means that some network TV channels have to close, with reluctance, I’d support that. BBC Three’s days are over; BBC Four should be merged with BBC Two. But if we are in a crisis of news, we should look to the BBC to prioritise that fight – not make it worse.”
Peter Kosminsky
Writer, director and producer
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“I really don’t think the key thing is what the BBC needs to do, apart from occasionally making some better editorial decisions. The changes required are at government level, not at the level of the Corporation. I have suggested a five per cent levy on streamers;, we need to come up with a bold financial settlement for the BBC that is generous and takes it forever out of the gift of changing governments.”
Ken Bruce
Radio presenter and TV host
Ruth Roxanne Board
“The BBC needs to get better at defending itself and persuading people that what it does is actually vital and important. There’s lots going on in the world of broadcast, so maybe it needs to look at where it puts its resources, but bang the drum. Celebrate how good you are. Most people believe that in their hearts.”
Baroness Floella Benjamin
Actor, presenter and campaigner
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“BBC children’s programmes are the best in the world. This year I celebrate 50 years in children’s television and my legacy lives on, because every day one of my grown-up ‘Playschool Babies’ declares that seeing me appearing on their television when they were little helped them face adversity, made them feel loved and gave them hope. Today, no other UK broadcaster is producing culturally relevant children’s programmes. As I always say, ‘childhood lasts a lifetime’, so the output from the BBC is essential, precious, unique and special in every way.
“That’s why I say to the new director-general of the BBC, ring-fence its children’s content as a gift to the nation. I believe this should definitely be in the new Charter.”
June Sarpong
TV presenter
Ruth Roxanne Board
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“The BBC tells us who we are and shows us who we can be. All the other countries that don’t have this quality of public service are jealous of us and try to copy us. Sometimes we take it for granted, because it’s just always been there. But it’s not always going to be unless we look after it. There are so many different touch points that often listeners and viewers don’t realise are actually BBC content, and BBC News needs to remind people more of what it does. It needs to do a much better job of bringing home that value."
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