Putting audiences first Audiences are at the heart of everything the BBC does and, because they directly fund it, they expect the BBC to be more accountable than other broadcasters.The Governors aim to ensure that this expectation is met. Governance reforms intended to improve the BBC’s direct accountability to the public were announced in 2002. Last year’s Annual Report included a commitment to greater public involvement based on BBC objectives and the BBC Statements of Programme Policy.The Governors stressed the unique value of face-to-face dialogue with licence payers to develop understanding of the BBC’s public service role and how well it is being achieved.This year saw two key developments: the introduction of a more deliberative style of consultation with licence payers and a focus on issues relating to audience objectives. Audience reactions to BBC news and current affairs programming At workshop sessions between January and April 2003 in Wolverhampton, Belfast,Tunbridge Wells and Bristol, BBC Governors met audience groups of different ages and social profiles to hear their reaction to what the BBC offered across the portfolio of analogue and digital services (including online).These workshops explored how far news and current affairs programming from the BBC remained in line with its public service remit: whether it was meeting the needs of the UK’s diverse audiences in terms of ethnicity, region and age and what could be done to make it more engaging to underserved or disengaged audiences. There was a clear message that the main network television bulletins should provide straight reporting and analysis – human interest stories should be left to other broadcasters. People also felt that there was too much coverage of entertainment and celebrity stories; this was not what they expected from a public service broadcaster. Attitudes to BBC regional news were different, however; people welcomed local interest and enjoyed a more personal tone. Overall, the BBC was still seen as both the first port of call for major news stories and the most trusted broadcaster. Some were concerned about perceived Government intervention – even if unjustified, the BBC should take this concern on board. It was acknowledged that the timing of the Above left: Users were consulted on the BBC’s online services at a Governors’ seminar. Left: Accountability workshop with BBC Governor Dame Pauline Neville-Jones. 58 Annual Report and Accounts 2002/2003 Annual Report and Accounts 2002/2003 59 workshops, which coincided with the run up to and duration of the war in Iraq, coloured perceptions of the news agenda. Participants wanted more context for big stories, with welladvertised current affairs programming to back up news bulletins. Audiences asked for reassurance that BBC current affairs programmes were not being marginalised in late-night or weekend slots or only to be found on BBC Two. Participants questioned whether the timing of the main BBC news bulletins was ideal for today’s lifestyle – was 6pm too early and 10pm too late? Should there be short news updates throughout the evening? Younger audiences in particular wanted news at times that suited them and the idea of waiting for big news programmes was felt to be oldfashioned. They stressed, too, that making news more engaging was not so much a matter of style as of relevance. Consulting audiences on the BBC’s online services The Governors monitor the performance of new services in the context of the BBC’s remit and strategy and the terms of Government consent for their launch. In 1998 consent was given for the BBC to offer online services based on the following objectives: •to act as an essential resource offering wide-ranging unique content •to strengthen accountability and forge a new relationship with licence payers •to provide a home for licence payers on the internet and act as a trusted guide At a Governors’ seminar in March 2003, more than 70 users considered the range and mix of content on www.bbc.co.uk, the BBC’s use of the internet for accountability, and the public purposes of BBC online services. In April, representatives of the Broadcasting Councils and English National Forum took up the debate. What the users thought Participants in the Governors’ seminar stressed that being a trusted guide to the internet was a paramount role for the BBC as a public service broadcaster. At the same time, the BBC should be a pioneer in internet development in the same way as it has been on television and radio. All agreed that the BBC was a very good starting point for new internet users. Views about content varied. Some thought the range was too wide and navigation difficult and that the site should focus on augmenting the BBC’s television and radio output and avoid replicating information available elsewhere.The majority view, though, was that the BBC’s range of content, style and trustworthiness contributed to the uniqueness of its online service. Given the nature of the internet it was suggested that the BBC’s purpose should be to offer distinctiveness, quality and accuracy online, alongside the core remit to inform, educate and entertain. Participants stressed the importance of the BBC website in home learning and its role in enabling people to follow up interests aroused by programmes. Opinion was divided about whether there was a need for the BBC to have a www search engine when others were commercially available. While some participants questioned the value of resourcing this, others valued the provision of a child-friendly, UK-focused search engine. All agreed that the lack of advertising was a bonus. The BBC’s ability to offer comprehensive, tailored regional and local sites was singled out for praise, although some observed that it was time to add more depth and appeal to a wider demographic range.There was debate about whether the Where I Live sites should act as a conduit for information within communities or facilitate links to others. The regulation of message boards was a widely shared concern, though well-moderated boards and discussion forums extended the audience’s relationship beyond television and radio. Message boards were felt to be a particularly important public service for younger people, providing them with a forum for anonymous discussion of personal issues. The role of BBC online services in developing accountability to licence payers continued to be important but many were unaware of the ways in which this was currently done.They felt these areas of the website should be more visible, accessible and understandable. There was some concern over the funding of BBC online services, particularly as many licence payers did not have access to the internet.The majority of the participants agreed Far left: Where I Live now has 55 sites across the UK. Left: Come and visit the BBC – where to find Television Centre tours online. Audiences debated issues with Governors at workshops on news and online services. Listening to audiences Putting audiences first 60 Annual Report and Accounts 2002/2003 Right: BBC Statements of Programme Policy published this spring. Far right: BBC Radio 1 DJs Nihal and Bobby. that £5 was a suitable amount of the licence fee for the BBC to spend on online services. About half of them thought that it would be appropriate for the BBC to spend more than this in future. What the BBC’s advisers thought Representatives of the advisory network saw sites such as BBC News, Where I Live and educational sites as the core of what the BBC should be offering. Message boards raised significant issues.The group was divided over whether the BBC should be ‘connecting communities’ or ‘connecting with communities’ online. Some thought that it was the BBC’s role to connect communities and provide a platform for sharing information. Others were unsure where such sites fitted into the public service remit and felt that there were better ways of putting people in touch with each other. Like the seminar participants, Council members were concerned about moderation. Overall, the group questioned whether message boards were a good use of resources. The About the BBC site was considered relatively successful; it provided quite a lot of information about what the BBC did, how it was run and policy documents. It did not perform as well in taking account of licence payers’ views, although there were opportunities for the public to submit comments. Overall, accountability should have a higher profile on the BBCi homepage, making it more obvious that there was a forum for users and encouraging both positive and negative feedback, with infrastructure in place to respond to comments. What will happen next? The Board of Governors will take account of the views from both consultations in considering a report from BBC management which will be published in the summer. Listening to Asian audiences Over the past year, the Governors reviewed the BBC’s accountability to Asian audiences in the light of feedback from their consultation on cultural diversity in 2000 and the fact that, now that BBC Asian Network has become a UKwide service, the regional remit and status of the Asian Network Advisory Council is no longer appropriate. To ensure that they can monitor how far the BBC meets the needs of all Asian audiences and that a strong link between the BBC and the Asian community is maintained while the new BBC Asian Network finds its feet, the Governors will in future look for a full range of information to be captured and routed to them by the Governance & Accountability department.They will expect, too, that resources will be made available to ensure that BBC Asian Network has access to audience consultation and feedback on programme strategy which match those of other radio networks. Systematic consideration of the interests of Asian audiences will also form part of the business cycle of the Broadcasting Councils, English National Forum and Regional and Local Advisory Network. A new platform for interest groups The Governors need advice on particular issues of concern to interest groups such as disabled people. Deliberative forums drawn from membership of the Advisory Councils offer a new way of considering issues arising out of specialist services and concerns such as race, culture, religion, gender, age, sexuality or disability.A disability group has been piloted and an Asian group will also meet during 2003. Improving openness and transparency The BBC’s first Statements of Programme Policy was published in July 2002 in tandem with the BBC Annual Report. Reform of the BBC’s business cycle meant that the Statements for 2003/2004 followed less than a year later, in April 2003. The Governors see the Statements as an opportunity to improve the BBC’s accountability.Audience groups were asked how far their experience as viewers and listeners had matched up to the Statements for 2002/2003. Overall, there Annual Report and Accounts 2002/2003 61 was a satisfactory fit between expectations, Statements and audience experience. In terms of accountability, licence payers continued to be pleasantly surprised by the BBC’s efforts to make the document accessible to them.They doubted, though, that there would be much general interest in information beyond programme plans and would have liked simple charts indicating exactly how the BBC planned to spend their licence fee. This Annual Report, and particularly the objectives set by the BBC Governors for the year ahead, reflect their assessment of how far the BBC succeeded in delivering its public service remit in 2002/2003. Further points relevant to the Statements are incorporated in the report on BBC performance against objectives on pages 8 to 15; the Review of services on pages 20 to 53; the Compliance section on pages 68 to 81, and the Broadcasting facts and figures section on pages 122 to 131 of this report. Reports from BBC advisory bodies Broadcasting Councils and the English National Forum The BBC is unique in drawing on a network of more than 500 people around the UK for advice 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) and are informed in their turn by a network of Local Advisory Councils. The Councils’ most important task is to advise the Governors on programme and service objectives for BBC Nations & Regions and to monitor, through a process of regular review, the extent to which the BBC delivers them. Overall, they felt that significant progress had been made against the year’s objectives.They were encouraged by audience response to programmes in their area and by the range and diversity of BBC outreach to different audiences. The Broadcasting Council for Scotland welcomed in particular the introduction of Politics Scotland and looked forward to a major review of all BBC Scotland’s news journalism in the year to come, noting that this would include comment from a wide range of individuals and groups.The ENF noted the higher audiences to regional current affairs and political programmes following their move from BBC Two to BBC One, although the scheduling of the Politics Show at Sunday lunchtime was felt by some to be inconvenient. The ENF argued, too, that the South East and East Midlands regions should have their own dedicated political programme and that English regional television needed to expand into genres such as arts, culture and heritage to reflect the diversity of life across England. Connecting with audiences was a key theme of the year. The Broadcasting Council for Northern Ireland particularly noted the contribution that newly appointed regional correspondents were making in this respect and highlighted the significance of the new studio facilities in Enniskillen. BBC Wales’ ambitious programme of activities included further development of the digital storytelling project Capture Wales/Cipolwg ar Gymru. Local Voices projects, record attendance at community events and outside broadcasts and increased accountability all helped deepen the relationship with licence payers across the UK. Building on these strengths was a priority for the year ahead. In general, the Broadcasting Councils were encouraged by the range and volume of commissions from Scotland,Wales and Northern Ireland for the BBC networks, which included some notable successes. Sustaining this was seen as a significant challenge. Regional and Local Advisory Councils monitor how well the English regions are reflected on BBC network services. While welcoming new dramas set in the North of England, they continued to feel that more was needed – particularly in the case of the Midlands.The London Regional Advisory Council was anxious to ensure that EastEnders portrayed the full diversity of the capital. 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.These are available on the BBC’s website at www.bbc.co.uk/annualreport. The Governors’ World Service Consultative Group The World Service Consultative Group (WSCG) provided the Governors with an independent review of the range and quality of BBC World Service output in English, Arabic, Hausa, Somali, Portuguese, Spanish and Chinese. All attracted high scores for authority and accuracy. Right: Voices – in Dallow. A network of 500 people around the UK advises the Governors on programmes and services. Speaking up Putting audiences first 62 Annual Report and Accounts 2002/2003 Far left: Moses, one of the landmark programmes at the heart of the BBC’s new religion strategy. Left: BBC World Service website. BBC World Service output to Africa in English, Hausa and Somali had made an impressive impact.The WSCG stressed the strong educational dimension of BBC World Service output to Africa, which appeals across all socio-economic groups. It also noted that while the BBC Arabic Service was performing well in a challenging market, BBC World Service needed to continue to improve the range and appeal of its programmes. BBC World Service achieved a significant impact in the highly competitive US media environment where co-productions with American public radio are crucial to attracting audiences. The WSCG asked BBC World Service to keep these coproductions under review to ensure programmes continued to demonstrate the BBC’s strengths of accuracy, impartiality, relevance and depth and did not lose BBC style, tone and values.The WSCG agreed that high-profile local partnerships were essential to the delivery of the output but was concerned about low awareness of BBC output in Spanish and Portuguese in Latin America. Restrictions imposed by the Chinese authorities on the distribution of BBC World Service limit its impact, both on radio and online.The WSCG urged BBC World Service to develop local partnerships based on the provision of education, business, science and language training programmes and to review the target audience for its Mandarin online site and the scope for broadening its agenda beyond news and current affairs. The Central Religious Advisory Committee The Central Religious Advisory Committee (CRAC) advises the BBC on religious broadcasting policy and programmes. The BBC’s new strategy for religion and ethics was a key theme of the year. CRAC welcomed the higher profile of religious broadcasting and the investment in landmark programmes and big events, but remained uneasy about the lack of live worship which reflected ordinary faith communities on television.The commitment in the BBC Statements of Programme Policy 2002/2003 to a minimum of 112 hours of religious output across BBC One and BBC Two a year was also welcome, although CRAC asked for reassurance that the projected minimum of 80 hours on BBC One would not be dominated by Songs of Praise and Heaven and Earth. Better representation of non-Christian faiths continued to be a priority.This was a live issue in view of the BBC’s strategy to maximise the potential of religion to reach parts of the audience. It is part of the BBC’s public service remit to provide information to meet public need and the BBC Religion website was seen as an important resource for multi-faith education. Members felt that more could be done in the area of religious news and also found there was less information about programmes and many more quizzes than they expected. Among many programmes reviewed, CRAC recorded particular praise for Panorama – Suffer the Little Children. Although not a religious programme, it was felt that this had been brave, if frightening, and in the best tradition of investigative journalism. Responding to complaints The Governors’ Programme Complaints Committee (GPCC), is responsible for ensuring that complaints made by viewers and listeners are properly handled.The GPCC also hears appeals against decisions by the Programme Complaints Unit (PCU) or by directors of BBC divisions on serious complaints.The findings on appeals are reported in a quarterly bulletin. During the year, the Committee considered 39 appeals, of which two were upheld in full and three in part. Annual Report and Accounts 2002/2003 63 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. When it upholds a complaint, BBC management is required to take appropriate action. In 2002/2003, the PCU dealt with 1,596 complaints (794 in 2001/2002) concerning 807 items, of which 137 were wholly or partly upheld – 8.5% of the total. Findings on upheld complaints are published in a quarterly bulletin, together with a note of the action taken in each case. 49.5% of complaints were answered within the target times (20 days or 35 days for more complex cases), compared with 65% in 2001/2002.This was due to the increased number of complaints following the introduction of an email complaint facility on BBCi in August 2002. The PCU also liaises with the Broadcasting Standards Commission (BSC) on complaints about BBC programmes. In the year to 31 March 2003, the BSC notified the BBC of 36 fairness and privacy complaints and upheld eight in whole or in part.The BSC notified the BBC of 1,399 complaints about standards, and complaints were partly or wholly upheld about 50 broadcast items.The BBC complied with all directions given under the BSC’s statutory powers. 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 PCU and by senior management in 2002/2003 was 118,142 (2001/2002 95,638). Complaints represented 8.4% of the total number of contacts received by BBC Information this year, compared with 9.6% last year. A more rigorous system for holding management to account for proper handling of complaints has been introduced this year.The introduction of separate bulletins for the PCU and GPCC, a new remit for the GPCC, and an external Editorial Adviser have also emphasised the distinct role of the Governors as representatives of the public interest. Governors took part in Drawing the Line workshops as part of an ongoing consultation with members of the public about what they find acceptable in the areas of taste and decency and what standards they expect from the BBC. The Broadcasting Councils and ENF are now taking these consultations out to more local audiences. In the light of recent complaints, the GPCC also held a seminar with programme makers, led by the Controller of Editorial Policy, on how the BBC views current trends in audience expectations. Recognising that standards are not homogenous and audience expectations vary for different channels and in different contexts, they emphasised the importance of openness to feedback and inviting comment from audiences. 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. Overall, contacts for the unsolicited service totalled 1,177,464 this year.The number of unsolicited calls rose compared with last year, totalling 796,490.There was also a slight increase in the volume of letters at 123,521. The number of emails increased by another 39% over last year, totalling 257,453. In addition the Audience Lines service handled a total of 1,171,958 contacts through live calls, automated calls and emails. Overall there were 2,349,422 contacts with the audience last year through the centres in Belfast, Glasgow and Bangor. Right: At accountability workshops around the UK audiences debated issues with BBC Governors including Dermot Gleeson (far right). The BBC’s 24 hour a day call centres had 2.3 million audience contacts through telephone, email and letters. All day, every day