Minister gets the message over licence fee

Posted by NUJ news release

The National Union of Journalists has delivered 1000 postcards to the UK government protesting against proposals to hand a slice of the TV licence fee to commercial organisations. Hundreds more have been sent direct to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport by supporters of the NUJ and the other organisations involved in the campaign.

The broadcasting unions say there are alternative ways to pay for local and regional news on commercial TV. The campaign against top-slicing has included a parliamentary lobby and meetings at party conferences.

The unions have proposed an alternative method of funding regional news - levies on hardware manufacturers or telecom and pay TV companies, all of which make money out of quality public service content without paying for it.

NUJ General Secretary Jeremy Dear and Broadcasting Organiser Sue Harris handed in the postcards at the DCMS headquarters in Cockspur Street, central London.

Sue said: “We have handed out these post cards at party conferences, broadcasting events, trade union meetings and even on the street.
"People understand that the BBC is good value for money and many have been prepared to send our postcards to the minister."

Jeremy said: “There is a funding crisis for other public service broadcasters - for ITV for Channel 4 - they should be supported to protect excellent public service programming and to deliver quality local news. But contrary to the claims of government ministers there are alternatives to top slicing; alternatives to undermining the independence of the corporation and opening up the licence fee to be raided by future governments. Other options are there - but the government has refused to consider them."