Quote:
Originally posted by RACooper
Yes BBC is influenced by the government, but it is not beholden to the government - they get some funding from the government yes, but they also get a great deal from other sources...
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It's been a long time since I studied international broadcasting, but in its original charter, the BBC reported to the Postal Service (yep, the mail folks) and supported totally by a per head postal tax, so they really weren't that concerned about Parliament whims, etc.
As we've already mentioned above, though, that funding has changed somewhat over the years.
ETA
As I think about it, though, the reason for the BBC's former reputation for independence (to say nothing of its reputation for being a bit "stiff") was its total lack of competition. Until the 1960's when Thames Television, London Weekend and ITV were allowed by Parliament, BBC TV had no competition at all, and I don't believe BBC Radio did either with the exception of "Pirate" stations operating from ships outside the three mile limit.
Competition can be a blessing and a curse. It forces you to be better, but can also cause mistakes.
Hybrid Mode
