The Stage

Liberal Democrats propose guaranteed BBC production quota for radio indies

Published Monday 8 February 2010 at 12:09 by Matthew Hemley

The BBC must be more “sensitive to the difficulties” faced by the commercial sector and should introduce a guaranteed production quota for independent radio companies, the Liberal Democrats have said.

In a report entitled The Power of Creativity, outlining the Liberal Democrats’ policies for the arts, the party said it would continue to “protect the independence” of the BBC and keep its place as the “cornerstone of public service broadcasting” in the UK.

However, the party said the Corporation had to be more aware of the difficulties faced by commercial media providers and added: “The BBC must avoid damaging and unnecessary entries into new markets and work in partnership with other providers to share technology, resources and expertise.”

It said it believes the BBC should implement a Window of Creative Competition for the radio sector, similar to the one currently enjoyed by the television sector.

Under this, independent television companies and the BBC’s own production departments compete for 25% of commissioning, which is in addition to the 25% of commissioning that TV companies are guaranteed.

In the report, the Liberal Democrats said: “In order to make sure that independent radio producers get a fair deal we believe that the BBC should move towards a Window of Creative Competition, underpinned by a significant independent production quota, for radio, similar to that which currently operates for television.”

Responding, the Radio Independents Group, the trade association for UK independent radio and audio content producers, welcomed the proposals.

It said the the Liberal Democrats’ plans would boost the industry.

Mike Hally, chairman of RIG, said: “Were this policy to be introduced, we would see producers from a range of backgrounds starting up new companies, and greater opportunity for established indies. That would be a great boost for an important UK creative sector, and provide the licence fee payer with still more innovative and high-quality audio content from around the UK.”

Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats have also warned they would scrap the BBC Trust and replace it with a “fully independent” public service broadcasting regulator.

In its report, the party also said it would provide more support for start-ups in the creative sector.