New BBC Director General Tim Davie opposes subscription switch

The new director general of the BBC has said that he does not support any changes to the license fee for a subscription service.

In his first speech since taking office, Tim Davie said such a change “would make us one more media company” serving only “a few.”

But he told staff there must be “a sea change in our approach” for everyone to get value from the license fee.

He warned that the BBC is currently facing “significant risk” and has “no inalienable right to exist.”

He said, “If current trends continue, we won’t feel indispensable enough to our entire audience. We must evolve to protect what we hold dear.”

The license fee is currently guaranteed until 2027, but there is a debate about BBC funding beyond that.

• Do I need a TV license and why is it paid?

“For the avoidance of doubt, I do not want a BBC subscription that serves a few,” Davie said during the speech in Cardiff.

“We could make a decent business out of that, and I suspect it might work quite well with certain zip codes, but it would make us one more media company serving a specific group.”

Describing the BBC as “a brilliant national success”, he said: “We all recognize when someone says: ‘I would pay my license fee for Radio 4, for Strictly or for the website.’

But this kind of connection is under pressure and cannot be taken for granted. Across the UK, in all political views, across society and across all age groups, people must feel that their BBC is here for them, not for us. ” “

‘Commitment to impartiality’

That would not be achieved by beating rivals at their own game, but by being “more rather than less BBC, more distinctive and committed to our unique mission of public service,” he explained.

The top priority would be “to renew our commitment to fairness,” he said.

Fairness is “the very essence of who we are” and can be achieved even in polarized times.

“It’s not just about left or right. It’s more about whether people feel that we see the world from their point of view. Our research shows that many perceive that we are shaped by a particular perspective.”

He added: “If you want to be a stubborn columnist or a partisan activist on social media, then that’s a valid option, but you shouldn’t work at the BBC.”

The new social media guidelines for presenters and staff will be “rigorously enforced,” he said.

Davie also said:

• The BBC has tried to compete with its rivals “by doing more and expanding ourselves too much.” It should focus on “a unique, high-impact job that is loved even by those who feel the most distant from us” and has “more impact by doing less.”
• He ruled out closing television channels or radio networks in the short term, but said he would “not hesitate to close channels if they do not offer value to our audience.
• There will be staff cuts to make “a simpler and more agile organization.” He said “there is still too much bureaucracy,” so he will “eliminate unnecessary committees and meetings” and “focus on cost reduction.”
• He said he regretted that the BBC “did not go further to create a more diverse and inclusive organization.” He pledged to make sure it “more accurately reflects the society we serve” in terms of gender, race, disability, socioeconomic status, and sexuality.
• Other priorities are extracting more value from online services and increasing business revenue.

“Value for all”, the phrase Tim Davie says will define his tenure as CEO, is smart. “Value” is a commercial idea and therefore refers to their experience in the private sector and the fierce competition the BBC faces globally today. And “all” connotes the idea of ​​a universal public service.

In three words, that phrase captures both Davie’s heritage and challenge, as well as the “enlightened mix”, to borrow his phrase, from the free market and public service sensibilities that he embodies.

Headlines in print will likely focus on his shot of warning, especially, but not exclusively, to those on the air, about fairness. He thinks that social media activism and column writing don’t mix with working for the BBC. The big question, still unanswered, is whether it will clamp down on tweets from BBC contributors who don’t work for BBC News, like Gary Lineker.

Davie is undoubtedly energetic and decisive, and out of the two dozen employees I have spoken to in the last 24 hours, there was unanimous enthusiasm and positive sentiment. But as he himself recognized, talking about change is easy. Actually, achieving this in a post-pandemic world is very difficult. He will be judged for the latter.

Following his speech, Davie was interviewed by the BBC’s director of creative diversity, June Sarpong, who later described his vision for “a truly inclusive BBC” as “a daunting and difficult task, but one that he is committed to accomplishing.”

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