Source · Select Committees · Culture, Media and Sport Committee
Recommendation 6
6
The pandemic has reinforced the importance of local and regional-specific news provision.
Recommendation
The pandemic has reinforced the importance of local and regional-specific news provision. The provision of news to Nations and Regions should not suffer further as a result of budgetary restraints. We perceive a real risk to the provision of regional- specific news programming, and we are adamant that the quality, and relevance to local people, of programming for the Nations and Regions must not be further jeopardised. Regional news programming must be representative of, and relevant to, the audiences it is broadcast to. We recommend that Ofcom undertake a review into the quality and relevance of the local and regional news provision, to be reported on before the new BBC Charter negotiations begin. (Paragraph 40) The future of public service broadcasting 51
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
PSBs deliver substantial cultural, economic and democratic benefits thanks to their respective remits which help ensure audiences can enjoy a wide range of high-quality programmes that meet people’s needs as citizens and their interests as individuals. The Government, through its strategic review of public service broadcasting, is examining the remits of each of the UK’s public service broadcasters and will consider whether changes are required to ensure that PSBs continue to deliver these benefits in light of broader industry and economic trends.