UK Government Kicks Off BBC Mid-Term Charter Review With Focus On Working Class Representation
deadline.comThe UK government has officially launched the mid-term Charter Review into the BBC, with a focus on whether the corporation is representing people from working class backgrounds.Accompanying the review, which comes five years into the BBC’s 10-year charter, Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries has issued a legal duty for the organization to reflect under-represented voices and promote greater diversity of opinion, including a target for 25% of staff to come from lower socio-economic backgrounds and the delivery of 1,000 apprenticeships within three years.Other updates include a target to spend 50% of the BBC’s overall program budget on TV shows outside of London by 2027, which it already achieves.The move is the first time in 12 years the BBC’s Framework Agreement has been updated during a Charter period, and the first update since the current Charter began in 2017.The review will also look at how the BBC is complying with editorial standards, staff diversity and its market impact on other industries, especially from commercial outfit BBC Studios.Dorries said: “This review will build on our recent progress to make the BBC more accountable to those who fund it, level up people’s access to the job opportunities it offers and ensure it continues to work in the best interest of the public.”Dorries is also kicking off a review into the BBC’s future funding model in July, with the potential to do away with the licence fee by 2027.BBC bosses Tim Davie and Richard Sharp signalled earlier this week that they are “open minded” about the future of the fee as long as the corporation can continue delivering value for audiences.Broadcast networks’ fall lineups and schedulesNew and returning series on broadcast, cable and streamingSeries
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