[Swprograms] Quote of the Day

[jfiglio1@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

In a Bloomberg News article carrying the byline of Charles Goldsmith 
and published in todays Albany (NY) Times-Union (and probably other 
papers), BBC Director General Mark Thompson is quoted as follows:

"[The BBC] should no longer think of itself as a broadcaster of TV and 
radio and some new media on the side.  We should aim to deliver public 
service content to our audiences in whatever media and on whatever 
device makes sense for them, whether they are at home or on the move."

But apparently if you are part of the BBC's audience living in the 
Western Hemisphere or Australasia and you are a part of the sizeable 
segment of that audience for whom the media that makes the most sense 
for you--whether at home or on the move--is shortwave and the device 
that makes sense for you is a shortwave capable radio, you curiously--
and somewhat illogically--do not come under the aegis of Mr. 
Thompson's stated intent.

One can only conclude from this dichotomy that this statement is just 
more of the same p.r.-inspired b.s. that is intended to obfuscate 
rather than clarify and illuminate which we are getting used to 
hearing from those in BBC management circles of late.  Underlining 
this point is information contained in the remainder of the article 
wherein Mr. Thompson states that he wants the BBC and its web site to 
be a "premier destination" for unsigned music groups, ape the success 
of sites like MySpace.com, create a new "broad-based teen brand" 
with "a single music strategy" across all its platforms and commission 
more comedy pilots while creating a BBC Sports broadband portal with 
live video and audio.

To my ears, these all sound like broadcasting objectives more 
appropriate to commercial entities, and decidedly not the "delivery of 
public service content" stated by Mr. Thompson.  In drawing such a 
conclusion, one has to wonder under what possible justification can 
the BBC still legitimately claim special status as a public service 
broadcaster and demand access to a mandatory license fee, let alone an 
increase in one.

recent management had broken the BBC... and it can no longer be 
fixed.  Make it be what its myopic management wants it to be by 
releasing it from its no longer deserved special status.  What has 
been lost is considerable and valuable, but it can no longer be 
recaptured or rebuilt and that is sad, very sad.  Let's not reward the 
destroyers of the dream and let the delusion that this is a "public 
broadcaster" stand any longer.

John Figliozzi
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