Putting audiences first 42 Annual Report and Accounts 2001/2002 Above, right and far right: Members of the public at BBC workshops. The BBC’s licence fee funding gives it a unique set of responsibilities. Chief among them is to put the public interest first, in all that it does.This requires us to be more accountable than other broadcasters to the audiences that pay for BBC programmes and services. Modernising BBC accountability The governance changes announced in February 2002 emphasise the Governors’ responsibility for ensuring that the BBC serves the public interest.To do this they must be proactive in seeking the views of licence payers, responsive to their needs and concerns, and open in accounting to them for what the BBC does – especially as individual Governors take responsibility for oversight of particular objectives. From September 2002, a new public involvement programme will be introduced, based on BBC objectives and BBC Statements of Programme Policy and designed to make the reporting of key decisions, plans and performance clear to licence payers. The BBC’s perceived Westminster and London bias, in terms of where and to whom it is accountable, will also be addressed by strengthening the connection between the Governors and the BBC’s Broadcasting Councils in Scotland,Wales and Northern Ireland and the Regional Advisory Councils across England, drawing them more closely into the monitoring of objectives. Statements of Programme Policy The Government now requires each broadcaster with public service obligations to produce annual Statements of Programme Policy showing how it will deliver its obligations. Over the year the BBC has undertaken extensive research with typical audience groups for each of its main services.The BBC’s first set of Statements will be published with this Annual Report, reflecting this feedback and, over the year, we will consult audiences on the objectives contained within them. Accountability to Government, Parliaments and Assemblies The BBC is accountable to the Westminster Parliament.The Annual Report is laid before Parliament and since 1999 the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee has taken up the BBC’s offer to appear before them to discuss it shortly after publication. Regular briefings are also provided to Parliamentarians on a wide range of issues. Broadcasting is a ‘reserved power’, in other words it is not devolved to the Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales or the Northern Ireland Assembly.The BBC takes active steps, nonetheless, to keep members of these elected institutions informed about its policy, its services and future strategy. Drawing the Line We consulted the public on issues of language, taste and violence Annual Report and Accounts 2001/2002 43 Listening to audiences Putting the public first When Gavyn Davies became Chairman in October 2001, he made it clear that improving the BBC’s direct accountability to the public would be one of his priorities. During his initial months as Chairman he met members of the public in a programme of over 30 events.These ranged from public meetings, focus group consultations with minority audiences, online chats and on-air debates to going out with a television detector van to get first hand experience of audience attitudes to paying for the BBC. What he learned contributed to the continuing modernisation of the BBC’s accountability. Drawing the Line The Governors are responsible for maintaining editorial standards and for ensuring an appropriate response to complaints. Research indicates that people expect more of the BBC than they do of other broadcasters and disappointment is greater when it fails to measure up. But, while there are clear guidelines on issues of fairness, impartiality and privacy, guidance on other standards is more subjective. Between November 2001 and April 2002 a series of workshops was held under the title Drawing the Line. These gave Governors an opportunity to explore directly with audiences what they find acceptable in these areas. The events were held in locations around the UK (Southampton, Leeds, Leicester and Edinburgh), and involved a range of people from different demographic groups, independently recruited though an audience research company. In small workshop sessions they viewed and discussed extracts from BBC television programmes chosen to highlight areas of possible concern with regard to bad language, sex and nudity, violence and the presentation of news issues. Predictably, cultural background affected attitudes to programmes and there was some difference in outlook between generations, but overall there was a surprising degree of consensus on key issues. There was a unanimous view that the BBC should not transmit programmes unsuitable for family audiences before the 9pm watershed.The move of BBC news from 9pm to 10pm meant, however, that this natural punctuation of the evening had been lost – with programmes which many considered to be unsuitable for family viewing now starting at 8.30pm.A later watershed on weekends was proposed, as family viewing habits tended to be different on non-school days. Despite the shocking nature of some of the material they viewed, there was a consensus among audience groups that news coverage should not be sanitised and that honest reporting was the most important factor; moreover shock could sometimes be valuable in raising awareness. Nonetheless, there was concern about a perceived trend towards gratuitous scenes of violence, and certain reports were felt to be intrusive and voyeuristic. ‘Live’ reporting on continuous news services was identified as a particular issue because less editorial control was possible. People attached considerable importance to warning introductions into programmes (and within programmes in the case of news).They were also particularly concerned with what was suitable for younger viewers, and asked for extra vigilance with regard to the content of programmes aimed at a young audience such as Top of the Pops. However, contrary to the indications of some current research, people felt that the language and behaviour in EastEnders were actually milder than they would be in real life and welcomed this as appropriate to the time of transmission. Feedback from this exercise, together with audience research, regular editorial policy reports, and feedback from the BBC’s Customer Services operations, will inform Governors’ oversight of editorial policy and complaints handling, and the judgement of the Programme Complaints Committee. EastEnders Putting audiences first 44 Annual Report and Accounts 2001/2002 Believe it or Not Believe it or Not was the title of a Governors’ seminar held in November 2001 which examined the changing spiritual and moral landscape of Britain and asked what ‘religious broadcasting’ should be and how it could best be delivered to a diverse and complex audience.The audience was recruited to provide a cross-section of radio, television and online users, including searchers and non-believers as well as people from the major faiths.Their concerns focused on three themes:  a desire to be told more about their own and other religions through television and radio – apart from personal religious belief, this was a matter of interest to them as citizens  a desire for quality – not just more programmes but ones that count and show care, depth and integrity  a desire for programmes to recognise and reflect the complexity within religions and ways of expressing faith In response, the Director-General said the BBC must be brave in reflecting society’s changes and emphasised the BBC’s commitment to making quality programmes which appealed to a wide audience and to ‘naturalising’ non-Christian faiths.The seminar dovetailed with the process of strategy development being led by the BBC’s new Head of Religion and Ethics, giving Governors, commissioners and programme makers a chance, before the strategy is set in stone, to explore these issues with audiences. The BBC and interactivity The BBC has made a significant investment in developing interactive services.The aim of this seminar, held in March 2002, was to provide an opportunity for the Governors to get to grips with the latest research on interactive television (iTV), what it means for audiences, and what it means for the BBC. Practical demonstrations provided an opportunity for hands-on experience of how the BBC is developing interactive news and information services on all digital television platforms. The seminar provided an opportunity to explore a number of critical issues, including the maintenance of BBC editorial standards as user-generated content becomes more prevalent; value for money; and the challenge of developing an iTV strategy when services differ so much from platform to platform. Reports from BBC advisory bodies Broadcasting Councils and the English National Forum On behalf of licence payers, a network of more than 500 people around the UK advises the Governors on programmes and services. Broadcasting Councils for Scotland,Wales and Northern Ireland represent the interests of people in the Nations. In England, Regional Advisory Councils advise the Governors through the English National Forum (ENF). They are informed, in turn, by a network of Local Advisory Councils. Over the past year, the Governors consulted them on a range of strategic issues through seminars on broadcasting regulation and the modernisation of the BBC’s governance and accountability and on recent trends in national and regional identity around the UK. The Councils’ most important task is to advise the Governors on programme and service objectives for the Nations and English Regions and to monitor, through a process of regular review, the extent to which the BBC delivers them. This year saw the delivery of the first new programmes and services resulting from increased investment in the BBC’s Nations and Regions.The Broadcasting Councils welcomed these warmly but stressed the importance of monitoring audience reaction and raising awareness of the new output.The ENF particularly welcomed additional investment in more BBC Open Centres and Mobile Zones (see page 48), in local radio and in extending regional television to more local audiences. Audiences asked for extra vigilance in the content of programmes for young people. Annual Report and Accounts 2001/2002 45 All the Councils emphasised the need to build closer relationships across the full range of audiences and communities, paying particular attention to underserved social groups and young people. Appropriate diversity in on-air portrayal also continued to be an issue, as did the need to build approval of the BBC around the UK by delivering programmes and schedules which met the needs of local audiences. Modernising accountability so as to achieve the BBC’s published governance and accountability reforms will be a priority in the coming year. Continuing to build production by Scotland,Wales and Northern Ireland for the UK networks was also identified as a significant priority by the Broadcasting Councils.The ENF argued that the small amount of network output made in the English Regions and lack of network exposure for regional programmes was at odds with the BBC’s stated objective to foster talent across the programme-making spectrum. Among more specific issues, the Broadcasting Council for Wales recommended a review of BBC Wales’s Welsh-language output, with a view to providing better value for Welsh licence payers, and stressed the need to raise awareness of BBC 2W and of BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio Wales as distinct services. The Broadcasting Council for Scotland drew attention to the need for more appropriate measures of approval for the BBC in Scotland.The Council also recommended building on the strong audience performance of BBC news by refreshing and revitalising editorial content across radio and television, and flagged up the need to continue to extend the reach of BBC Radio Scotland. The Broadcasting Council for Northern Ireland emphasised the importance of delivering high-quality sports programming, in line with a recent review of sports strategy.They drew attention, too, to the need to refresh the output of BBC Radio Ulster/Foyle while still maintaining their traditional high-quality programming. The ENF highlighted the role of the BBC in fostering political interest and debate in the critical areas of racial intolerance, social integration and poverty.The scheduling of regional political programmes remained a significant issue. The views of the Broadcasting Councils and the ENF are published in more detail in the Annual Reviews of BBC Scotland,Wales, Northern Ireland and the English Regions. World Service Consultative Group The World Service Consultative Group, which provides the Governors with independent external advice on the range and quality of BBC World Service output, reviewed output in English, Arabic, Bengali, Hindi, Urdu, Persian and Pashto during 2001/2002.This selection followed the Committee’s usual three-year cycle but was also informed by the aftermath of 11September and the conflict in Afghanistan. The international news situation for the period of the assessment was exceptional. Independent assessors’ reports provided striking evidence of the BBC World Service’s unique positioning, authority and trustworthiness in such circumstances, and the value and impact of its broadcasts. The BBC World Service English website also attracted high scores from assessors, particularly for its authority and accuracy. Scores for ease of use and navigability had improved on the previous year. The Consultative Group identified a number of areas where the assessors’ reports indicated room for improvement:  making the style of the BBC World Service Arabic radio output more accessible and appealing to its audience  reviewing the BBC World Service output strategy for India in the light of growing competition from television Religious broadcasting remains central to the BBC’s public service role.Thousands attended the 40th anniversary concert for Songs of Praise, held at London’s Royal Albert Hall. Speaking up More than 500 people around the UK advise the BBC Governors on programmes and services Putting audiences first  thoroughly reviewing the BBC World Service output in Hindi to better respond to audience needs and expectations  improving audibility across the Indian sub-continent by seeking to persuade Indian broadcasting authorities to make FM outlets available  exploring the feasibility of separating broadcasts to Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan  reviewing the balance of content in Persian broadcasts, and on the BBC World Service Persian website, to ensure that they are adequately covering and interpreting the issues of importance to all the political communities in the region It was clear that poor audibility and unattractive presentation style discouraged people from listening, even if they had a high opinion of the content broadcast.The Consultative Group recommended the BBC World Service to give a high priority to addressing these issues across the full range of its output. Central Religious Advisory Committee The Central Religious Advisory Committee (CRAC) advises the BBC on religious broadcasting policy and programmes. The events of 11 September provided a powerful demonstration of the importance of religious broadcasting in enabling a shocked public to come together in prayer and grief.They also highlighted the role religious broadcasting needs to play in helping audiences make sense of their world, overcoming prejudice, breaking down stereotypes and promoting peace. These were key themes for CRAC this year and members agreed with the views expressed at the Governors’ seminar that more should be done to reflect non-Christian faiths. They pointed out, though, how little religious output of any persuasion was on offer. In their view, the amount of worship programmes, in particular, was too small and they feared that a shift to a more educational approach would result in the devotional thrust at the heart of religion being lost. CRAC highlighted some very strong programming on radio and on television. Son of God earned particular praise for its openminded approach, scholarship and intelligence, coupled with sensitivity to issues of faith. It was felt to be a good example of the quality expected of the BBC. Islam UK – which reflected the experience of ordinary Muslims in the UK – was welcomed for the way in which it demystified Islam. The new BBC Religion website was praised for its user-friendly content and links to other BBC sites – particularly History, Education and BBC World Service. More disappointing was the continuing lack of mention of religion on the BBCi homepage. CRAC’s most significant programme criticisms concerned portrayal.The lack of accuracy in representing Buddhism was a recurring theme. Other instances included the inaccurate representation of Catholic priests in Waking the Dead and what was felt to be stereotypical and old fashioned portrayal ofWelsh people in Songs of Praise on St David’s Day 2002. It was observed, too, that coverage following events of 11September did not include the situation of the Sikh community, which had suffered from being wrongly confused with Muslims, and that future plans did not include any reflection of Sikh interests despite the size of the Sikh community in the UK. Handling complaints The Governors ensure that the BBC has a proper system for handling programme complaints. Complaints about policy, schedule changes, technical standards or questions of personal preference are forwarded to appropriate areas of the BBC for attention. Overall, the total number of complaints received at BBC Information Centres in Belfast, Glasgow and Bangor, by the Programme Complaints Unit (PCU) and by senior management in 2001/2002 was 95,638. Complaints represented 9.6% of the total number of contacts received by BBC Information this year, compared to 7.3% last year. Left: One Night with Robbie Williams illustrated the challenge of getting the tone right for everyone. Right: BBC English Regions Governor Ranjit Sondhi – a member of the Programme Complaints Committee – joins the debate at an audience workshop. 46 Annual Report and Accounts 2001/2002 Annual Report and Accounts 2001/2002 47 The PCU deals with complaints which give reason to believe that something broadcast by the BBC’s licence funded services may have fallen seriously short of the standards set out in the BBC Producers’ Guidelines. Its job is to investigate complaints impartially and to recommend appropriate redress. In 2001/2002, the PCU dealt with 794 complaints concerning 515 items, of which 231 were wholly or partly upheld – 29% of the total. Poor taste was the most common topic of complaint (33%).The findings on upheld complaints are published in a quarterly bulletin, together with a note of the action taken in each case. Sixty-five per cent of complaints were answered within the target times (20 days or 35 days for more complex cases), compared with 62% in 2000/2001. A sub-committee of the Governors, the Programme Complaints Committee, hears appeals against the decisions of the PCU. During the year, the Committee received 24 requests for appeal. Full consideration was given to all of these.Two appeals were upheld in part and three in full. The PCU also deals with the Broadcasting Standards Commission (BSC) on complaints about BBC programmes. In the year to 31 March 2002, the BBC received 36 notifications of fairness and privacy complaints from the BSC. Eleven were wholly or partly upheld.The Commission notified the BBC of 1,746 complaints about standards, and complaints were partly or wholly upheld about 14 broadcast items or series.The BBC complied with all directions given under the Commission’s statutory powers. Upholding editorial standards The Governors ensure that the BBC maintains high editorial standards, monitoring its compliance with the BBC Producers’ Guidelines and with the Code on Impartiality and Accuracy included in them. Overall, they were satisfied that in 2001/2002 the BBC had met the standards expected of it, despite some high-profile difficulties in the factual area, notably the controversy surrounding the MacIntyre Undercover fashion investigation and the libel action set in motion against the Ten O’Clock News by Oryx Natural Resources, over a story for which the BBC has apologised. While not wishing to discourage the BBC from making waves through investigative journalism, the Board noted the challenge of risk taking and the need for programme makers to check material thoroughly and to be aware of their responsibilities to behave fairly and edit legitimately. The BBC had risen to the challenge of the events of 11September, keeping audiences informed and enabling debate. Being accurate, impartial and informative in the coverage of Islam was a priority.The one wrong call was the tone of Question Time on 13 September. Judging expectations and getting tone right is increasingly challenging in a diverse society where there are ‘audiences’ rather than a single ‘audience’. One Night with Robbie Williams illustrated this and respect for the watershed remains a particular challenge for drama. Accessibility BBC Information operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, handling telephone and written comments and queries from audiences. Every comment is logged and reported daily across the BBC.The number of unsolicited calls dealt with by the call centre this year was 781,501, down 10% on last year. 119,566 letters were handled this year and BBC Information received over 185,000 emails – a 40% increase over last year. Page impressions on the BBC Information website increased by over 50%. capt Urfat Hussain in They Think It’s All Islam, part of the BBC’s Islam UK season which reflected the experience of ordinary Muslims in the UK. On call The BBC handled over one million information requests last year – by phone, letter and email