Quote:
Originally Posted by RichardCoulter
I was going by this document, but after what you said about the funding arrangements, I have found other articles about the top slicing of the licence fee.
Perhaps it's a mix of both 
The BBC will also be indirectly funding local TV by agreeing to buy news coverage from them, according to these other articles. |
To be clear, the BBC license fee is protected for the time being. Top slicing (of the license fee) hasn't been agreed to (money from the BBC to outside broadcasters).I t is up to Parliament and the public, what happens to the license fee not the Government!
This money (from digital switchover) was collected and held by the bbc on behalf of parliament (it wasn't the bbc's money!) So this isn't top slicing the BBC's money.
Initial startup: These funds (from digital switchover) are covering startup only.
Ongoing: There will be sharing, as you say, of technical resources, news stories, borrow camera etc where there is agreement with the BBC in that locality. No money is crossing hands.
It is thought this will actually save resources for both broadcasters. How viewers will react to say an STV news story on BBC Scotland's Report Scotland I don't know.
I do welcome more "good" news, and news sources. But the local TV proposition needs to be self sustaining and that means finding its own revenue. The public can't afford to pay for it out of taxation. At the moment it isn't viable, hence these residual funds from digital switchover.
As a side note the BBC did enter into micro tv news in the west midlands and other pilots in the UK. The audiences did not warm to it and ultimately it failed.