Post by Teddy Bear on Apr 24, 2008 22:00:23 GMT
Since the Guardian is generally regarded as the 'private mouthpiece' and faithful lapdog for the BBC, when they become critical of their 'masters' one can be sure it must be hitting them hard.
Myners attacks advertising on BBC.com
Stephen Brook guardian.co.uk, Wednesday April 23 2008
Guardian Media Group chairman Paul Myners today challenged the BBC's decision to allow advertising on its international website BBC.com.
Myners, giving evidence before the Lords communications committee for its inquiry into media ownership and plurality of news provision, said that if the BBC's commercialisation continued it might lead to questions as to "why the BBC was allowed to do that while retaining the benefits of the licence fee".
A GMG submission on media ownership and the news presented to the committee said there was "concern" about whether BBC commercial activities were "appropriate in the context of commercial British media companies struggling for limited revenues to invest in quality journalism".
"If the BBC were to carry a lot more advertising it would be competing with us," Myners told the Lords committee.
"And we have to challenge [this] very vigorously from a commercial perspective," he added.
Myners said that this concern was separate from the Guardian challenging BBC commercialisation editorially.
"The aggressive growth plans of BBC Worldwide and their reported desire to partner with private equity firms raises similar concerns," he added.
Myners told the committee that GMG, which owns the Guardian and MediaGuardian.co.uk, and is in turn owned by the Scott Trust, supported plurality of media as well as diversity and quality.
The company, which also owns the Manchester Evening News, a stake in Auto Trader and GMG Radio, said in its submission that the Communications Act needed a wider regulatory framework to take in all media including web giants such as Google.
"Currently, the framework focuses on 'traditional media', meaning that some types of organisations fall outside its scope," Myners said.
"I would like to see equivalence of regulation across the forms of media."
He also predicted further consolidation in regional print media. "In the regional industry there will be continuing pressure for consolidation of ownership to bring scale," Myners said.
But he shied away from predicting the death of the newspapers in print.
"I find that very difficult to envisage but I think the balance will continue to move towards digital delivery," Myners said.
Stephen Brook guardian.co.uk, Wednesday April 23 2008
Guardian Media Group chairman Paul Myners today challenged the BBC's decision to allow advertising on its international website BBC.com.
Myners, giving evidence before the Lords communications committee for its inquiry into media ownership and plurality of news provision, said that if the BBC's commercialisation continued it might lead to questions as to "why the BBC was allowed to do that while retaining the benefits of the licence fee".
A GMG submission on media ownership and the news presented to the committee said there was "concern" about whether BBC commercial activities were "appropriate in the context of commercial British media companies struggling for limited revenues to invest in quality journalism".
"If the BBC were to carry a lot more advertising it would be competing with us," Myners told the Lords committee.
"And we have to challenge [this] very vigorously from a commercial perspective," he added.
Myners said that this concern was separate from the Guardian challenging BBC commercialisation editorially.
"The aggressive growth plans of BBC Worldwide and their reported desire to partner with private equity firms raises similar concerns," he added.
Myners told the committee that GMG, which owns the Guardian and MediaGuardian.co.uk, and is in turn owned by the Scott Trust, supported plurality of media as well as diversity and quality.
The company, which also owns the Manchester Evening News, a stake in Auto Trader and GMG Radio, said in its submission that the Communications Act needed a wider regulatory framework to take in all media including web giants such as Google.
"Currently, the framework focuses on 'traditional media', meaning that some types of organisations fall outside its scope," Myners said.
"I would like to see equivalence of regulation across the forms of media."
He also predicted further consolidation in regional print media. "In the regional industry there will be continuing pressure for consolidation of ownership to bring scale," Myners said.
But he shied away from predicting the death of the newspapers in print.
"I find that very difficult to envisage but I think the balance will continue to move towards digital delivery," Myners said.