Time Out chief wants BBC out of publishing

[Teddy Bear]

Finding this story I saw another that was linked to that I missed at the time it was first published back in May [BBC ‘propped up’ Burma junta ]. It shows just how the BBC has no morals or scruples when it comes to pursuing its own objectives that has nothing to do with serving our society - or the values of any western democracy. There are many more reasons than those mentioned here to bring an end to this evil force.

Time Out chief Tony Elliott wants BBC out of publishing - Dan Sabbagh

Tony Elliott, the owner of Time Out, the entertainment listings magazine, called for a break-up and sale of the BBC’s commercial division yesterday as he accused the corporation of overreaching itself with the £75 million acquisition of the Lonely Planet travel guides.

The magazine proprietor said that Time Out, publisher of its own travel guides, could not compete with the BBC’s promotional muscle - and that the BBC should not publish books and magazines.

BBC Worldwide, the commercial division, should be split up, Mr Elliott told the Edinburgh Television Festival. “The parts that exploit BBC programmes internationally should be spun back into the BBC, and the other part should be sold off,” he said.

Mr Elliott has tried unsuccessfully to persuade the Office of Fair Trading to review the Lonely Planet acquisition and is working with Pearson, owner of the Rough Guide travel series, to try to force the BBC to disclose information about the rationale for the purchase under Freedom of Information legislation. However, data disclosed by the BBC so far was, he said, “so heavily edited to be meaningless”.

BBC Worldwide also publishes magazines such as the Radio Times, owns and invests in television producers, sells BBC content internationally and owns channels including a half-share of UK TV. Last year it earned £117.7 million, up 17 per cent.

Alex Graham, the chief executive of Wall to Wall, which makes the Who Do You Think You Are? television series for the BBC, said that there was not a transparent relationship between the BBC and its commercial unit. He said that it was not clear on what terms Worldwide had bought the rights to exploit programmes such as Strictly Come Dancing internationally. “I don’t think it would be right to assume that BBC Worldwide should continue to exist,” he said.

David Moody, director of strategy, BBC Worldwide, said that the business was “a force for good” because it was a significant exporter. He said that it was easy to highlight investments that appeared to have little to do with its core business, but such lightning conductors formed “a de minimis part of our revenues”.

[Teddy Bear]

Another perspective on this story in today's Telegraph

The BBC should not be publishing Lonely Planet guides
Monday, September 1, 2008, 04:42 PM GMT [General]


Disappointed at the last licence-fee settlement, BBC executives have been striving to boost the Corporation's commercial income instead. And in the process they have been annoying rather a lot of businesspeople.

Private-sector online content providers have been complaining at the unfair competition posed by the BBC's huge, tax-subsidized website. And now Tony Elliot, the founder of listings magazine Time Out and its associated travel guides, is livid at the Beeb's acquisition of rival travel guide publisher Lonely Planet through its commercial arm, BBC Worldwide.

When taxpayer-funded corporations start competing with private companies, the danger of unfair competition is obvious. Public funds are intended for public purposes. If private providers can do the same job - or better - the state should stick to its knitting and let them get on with it. We don't need a state-backed magazine publisher any more than we need state supermarkets.

BBC Worldwide wields a great brand, the BBC name seeming to guarantee both accuracy and quality. And perhaps because of that, it is booming, with profits last year of £118m on a turnover of £916m.

But it is properly a commercial enterprise and should be privatised. Of course, if the new owners wanted to keep the BBC brand - and overcome charges of living off something that rightly belongs to taxpayers - they would have to pay generously for it.

Let's start the bidding at £2bn, though it's probable that the final price would be a lot higher than that.

[Teddy Bear]

Not before time, some MP's have began criticizing BBC's acquisition of Lonely Planet, and questioning this (mis)use of the licence fee. Big question is whether they will actually do anything or just posture, registering the fact that they oppose this kind of BBC commercialism for the benefit of their electors.

MPs slam BBC Lonely Planet link
By Juliette Garside, Media Correspondent
Last Updated: 11:00pm BST 02/09/2008

Repeated plugs for the Lonely Planet brand on the BBC's website and television channels have prompted fresh accusations that the licence fee is being used to promote the corporation's commercial activities.

John Whittingdale, the chair of Parliament's influential Culture, Media and Sport Committee, has raised concerns about the links to the Lonely Planet website on bbc.co.uk and the regular appearance of its travel editor on air.

BBC Worldwide bought a 75pc stake in Lonely Planet from its founders Tony and Maureen Wheeler for £90m last October.

In July, Working Lunch, the BBC2 consumer affairs programme, invited Lonely Planet travel editor Tom Hall on to the show to give holiday advice.

His appearance was accompanied by an article on the Working Lunch website, part of bbc.co.uk, which was written by Mr Hall and featured a link directly through to the Lonely Planet website.

The BBC did not mention its commercial interest in the company either on air or online.

In fact, a disclaimer below the link to Lonely Planet states: "The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites."

Mr Hall has not only appeared on Working Lunch, but is a regular contributor to BBC Breakfast, the Today programme and Excess Baggage on Radio 4, and Radio Five Live.

The BBC website has published links to Lonely Planet alongside comment from Mr Hall on at least three other occasions since October. The links appeared on November 23, in an article about a tourist ship floundering in Antarctica, on May 2, in editorial about travel to Moscow for the Champions League final and again on August 27, in a piece warning about the dangers of travel to Zimbabwe.

Mr Whittingdale, who has already launched a Culture, Media and Sport Committee inquiry into the commercial operations of the BBC, said yesterday: "There is growing concern that the distinction between the BBC's commercial activities and their licence fee-funded activities is becoming increasingly fuzzy, and that there may be some indirect subsidy taking place. This is exactly the sort of example that gives rise to those concerns. This is why my committee has decided to carry out an inquiry in the autumn."

BBC cross-promotion guidelines permit links to external websites "where editorially justified", but make it clear other third-party sites should also be promoted on a non-discriminatory basis. Within hours of The Daily Telegraph contacting the BBC to discuss the Working Lunch article, links to two other travel guide publishers were added alongside to that of the Lonely Planet website.

A spokesperson for the BBC Trust, which regulates the BBC, said: "The Trust sets clear policies and guidelines with which the BBC must comply."