When Times Get Tough, Politicians Hammer TV

Michael Hedges April 6, 2022 Follow on Twitter

When under certain stress public servants in this post-modern age turn to television. Reliably reaching great numbers of people television is quite important. Being on TV is one factor. Controlling what TV shows to that big audience is another, arguably more important. Among certain observers, this is called state capture, very sinister. Unfortunately for those seeking such control, the audience controls the volume.

Once again UK politicians are set on privatizing broadcaster Channel 4. Its illustrious tenure, nearly 40 years, may actually come to a close this time. “I have come to the conclusion that government ownership is holding Channel 4 back from competing against streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon,” said Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries, quoted by Variety (April 4).

Channel 4 is absolutely unique. Obviously, that starts with public ownership through the Department of. and it is funded commercially. The 12 channels offer a diverse programming range all commissioned from mostly independent UK producers. Specialized audiences are well-served, alternative is a hallmark. Its biggest current hit is The Great British Bake Off.

Unable to batter dominant UK public broadcaster BBC into submission, the right-wing Conservative Party and its faithful following have turned to Channel 4 for “revenge” over perceived bias in Brexit coverage, said Conservative MP Julian Knight, quoted by Sky News (April 5). “Across much of the party, there is a feeling of payback time and the word privatization tickles the ivories of many. The money is irrelevant. The timing of the announcement, coinciding with Channel 4 news, was very telling.” MP Knight is current chair of the House of Commons Media Select Committee. The herald of UK right-wing psychodrama, daily newspaper The Telegraph (April 6) reported the possible privatization by calling the channel “a left-wing Frankenstein.”

Privatizing Channel 4 was brought forward last summer by UK prime minister Boris Johnson. The Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) opened a public consultation receiving 60,000 responses overwhelmingly against privatization. Various Conservative Party leaders have called for privatizing Channel 4 - along with the BBC - starting with prime minister Margaret Thatcher.

“With over 60,000 submissions to the Government’s public consultation, it is disappointing that today’s announcement has been made without formally recognising the significant public interest concerns which have been raised,” said the Channel 4 statement, quoted by Evening Standard (April 5). Channel 4 had presented the government a “vision for the next 40 years” based on “continued public ownership” and “built upon the huge amount of public value this model has delivered to date and the opportunity to deliver so much more in the future,” wrote chief executive Alex Mahon in an email to staff. The Channel 4 proposal would "continue to commission much-loved programs from the independent sector across the UK that represent and celebrate every aspect of British life as well as increase its contribution to society, while maintaining ownership by the public.”

The UKs significant production industry responded in horror. “Why do they want to make the UK’s great TV industry worse? Why? It makes no business, economic and even patriotic sense,” said independent producer Armando Iannucci, quoted by Deadline (April 5). “Wrong decision by the government,” added The Great British Bake Off co-host Matt Lucas.

“Unlike other broadcasters, Channel 4 makes none of its programs in-house,” said professional producers association Pact chief executive John McVay. “But a private owner could shift production away from independent producers to cut costs, with a knock-on impact on the wider industry. Selling it off now risks reducing the opportunities for independent producers, and reducing the amount of programming commissioned outside London – levelling down, not levelling up. It isn’t too late for the government to think again.”

“As it is we are fighting incredibly hard to keep the British creative sector going in the face of, effectively, government attack on its independence,” offered major production house Planet 24 principal Charlie Parsons to iNews (April 5). “I just don’t understand the financial logic of it. It doesn’t make sense. The decision to privatise it can only have been a political one, because economically it doesn’t make sense because in the end the economics of having creative voices which are different is actually enormously good for the economy and enormously good for the country.”

UK media watchers, being very aspirational, suggested Discovery, ITV, Sky and Paramount as potential buyers for Channel 4 as well as streamers Amazon and Netflix. Discovery is in the midst of the huge WarnerMedia acquisition. Sky UK is a subsidiary of Comcast, owner of NBCUniversal. ITV operates TV channels in the UK and Ireland plus has an extensive production business. Paramount Global, formerly ViacomCBS, already owns UK Channel 5 along with extensive US and Australian holdings. And, of course, the streamers are what they are; none currently owning TV channels.

The UK government is reportedly looking for GB£1 billion. Before the bidding stage arrives, the UK Parliament will formally debate the matter after yet another public consultation. Likely bidders, approved by the government, will certainly be UK-based Conservative Party supporters, raising the spectre of Rupert Murdoch in TV land.

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