Guest LB Posted August 25, 2003 Report Share Posted August 25, 2003 A GOVERNMENT MINISTER said yesterday that it has started an official investigation into the BBC's extensive net of web sites.Tessa Jowell told executives at an International Television festival that it will be headed by Philip Graf, who used to run the Trinity Mirror news conglomerate.The BBC's charter comes up for renewal in 2006, but the government is insisting that recent differences between it and Auntie Beeb won't play a part in the investigation.Jowell said the investigation will start with a "public consultation" but will focus on whether the online services square with the BBC's public service charter.Print media with web sites as well as online media with printed magazines have complained that the licence fee paid by UK citizens is being used to subsidise a website that in effect competes with commercial organisations.According to the BBC, its web of two million pages gets to nearly 50% of the UK population every month, and only cost us £72 million last year.The licence fee currently costs £116, raised from last year. According to the CIA World Fact Book, our estimated population in July this year is 60,094,648. So it's about US$1 a head a year for BBC Online Services, including babies and very old people who don't need to pay a licence fee.Last year, 23.7 million UK TV licences were registered in the UK, at around £100 per head.According to the Campaign to Abolish the TV Licence web site, the BBC turned over £2.8 billion in 1998-1999, and made a gross profit of £172 million.taken from: the inquirer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.