I have sent this to my MP
Dear Mr Lansley,
I'm writing to express my concern about the recent comments by Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt, to the effect that the funding of the BBC is likely to be reduced substantially from 2012.
I feel that the BBC is a key element in the make-up of British culture, and I oppose any measure which would threaten to damage its contribution. I worry that making cuts to its supply of income would endanger its ability to produce the wide variety of original content that is currently on offer, in particular Radio 4 which is entirely unlike any other radio station produced by any commercial organisation in the world. The BBC is able to prioritise programme quality, so that a deserving programme can survive even if it is appreciated by only a small proportion of viewers. Commercial broadcasters can only put their advertisers first, and while that may mean they attract large audiences, they do so by producing cheap, lowest-common-denominator programs of little aesthetic or intellectual value.
It has become clear to me that the majority of the pressure against the license fee owes its origin to a few large media corporations in competition with the BBC, and it horrifies me that the government would take such commercial interests at face value instead of protecting the nation's ordinary listeners and viewers such as myself.
I therefore ask that you would please:
1. Raise my concerns with Jeremy Hunt, and tell him that your voters do not support the proposal of cuts forced on the BBC
2. Tell me what you, as my MP, plan to do to stand up for the BBC and protect the valuable services it provides.
Regards,
I'm writing to express my concern about the recent comments by Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt, to the effect that the funding of the BBC is likely to be reduced substantially from 2012.
I feel that the BBC is a key element in the make-up of British culture, and I oppose any measure which would threaten to damage its contribution. I worry that making cuts to its supply of income would endanger its ability to produce the wide variety of original content that is currently on offer, in particular Radio 4 which is entirely unlike any other radio station produced by any commercial organisation in the world. The BBC is able to prioritise programme quality, so that a deserving programme can survive even if it is appreciated by only a small proportion of viewers. Commercial broadcasters can only put their advertisers first, and while that may mean they attract large audiences, they do so by producing cheap, lowest-common-denominator programs of little aesthetic or intellectual value.
It has become clear to me that the majority of the pressure against the license fee owes its origin to a few large media corporations in competition with the BBC, and it horrifies me that the government would take such commercial interests at face value instead of protecting the nation's ordinary listeners and viewers such as myself.
I therefore ask that you would please:
1. Raise my concerns with Jeremy Hunt, and tell him that your voters do not support the proposal of cuts forced on the BBC
2. Tell me what you, as my MP, plan to do to stand up for the BBC and protect the valuable services it provides.
Regards,