Conference to press for stronger BBC

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Trade unionists and media campaigners demanding a stronge BBC, independent both of government and commercial pressures, are to join forces in a major conference on Saturday 18 March.

The conference, Keep Broadcasting Public: BBC Charter Renewal, is a joint initiative of the TUC, Federation of Entertainment Unions and the CPBF. It will be hosted by the TUC at Congress House in London and opened by TUC general secretary Brendan Barber. Originally planned for January the event was rescheduled after it was announced that the government ’s White Paper on BBC Charter Renewal will not now be published until February.

Senior figures from the government and the BBC have been invited to present their vision of how the BBC should operate for the next 10 years under a renewed Royal Charter. They can expect a tough debate with unions and campaigners concerned that extensive job cuts and restructuring at the BBC, the farming out of more production and threatened ‘top-slicing ’ of the licence fee could leave the Corporation a shadow of its former self. A campaign will be mapped out to convince ministers, MPs and the public that the BBC should be maintained as the flagship of public service broadcasting - serving all sections of the community.

The conference is open to CPBF members, union delegates and individuals at a cost of £10 per person /£7 concessions. Refreshments and a sandwich lunch are included in the registration fee. To register contact the CPBF office, 23 Orford Road, London E17 9NL, tel.020 8521 5932. For regular updates visit the CPBF website: www.cpbf.org.uk . A full conference preview with details of speakers and programme will appear in the next issue of Free Press.