That Subsidy
The Times had some dignified Bank Holiday fun with the plea made by ITA for a Govern- ment subsidy. In language as sonorous as that which issues from Printing House Square. ITA stated: The authority is conscious, and its view is shared by the programme companies, that the present programmes, although extremely popular, do not contain a sufficient number of programmes of information and discussion or of plays and performances of lasting value . . . such programmes . . . do not attract relatively large audiences, in spite of their national value.'
In these few words ITA demolishes almost the entire case for its existence, which was that it could present an attractive alternative to the BBC without lowering traditional standards. After printing the ITA statement, The Times reproduced extracts from speeches made by eminent members of both Houses of Parlia- ment showing how firmly they believed that commercial interests could supply balanced programmes and secure a ,response to them. The Government, however, had it both ways. It argued that the programmes could be balanced but set aside L750.000 a year as a reserve fund against contingencies. It is to this sum which ITA now lays claim and finds itself fobbed off, not on the ground of prin- ciple, but for reasons of economy.
I myself opposed commercial television and the more I see of it the more certain I am I was right. Yet I regret the Government's deci- sion. I would have given them the money. When the programme companies are prosper- ous and the viewers have attained greater sophistication, commercial television may feel it can neglect the moronic fringe from time to time. But in the pioneering years, the pro- gramme companies must go out for the biggest audiences if they are to prosper. The pro- grammes meanwhile may even have to descend from their present level.
should have thought that given the existence of ITA the Government should, in the public interest, do all possible to raise its quality. Moreover the freedom of ITA to put on good and therefore subsidised programmes would increase the freedom of the BBC to maintain and raise its own standards. As long as ITA presents popular inanities, the BBC must compete at the same level or lose a vast section of its audience. The BBC needs a second programme and ITA needs help to lift its standards. And the Government which created these problems by destroying the BBC's beneficent and far-sighted monopoly has to be brought to face them.
It has been a thin week for viewing. The best thing I saw was Ibbotson running his four-minute mile and I had a jolly August Monday evening watching an old Korda spy thriller on ITA and an old Hitchcock spy thriller on BBC timed so that the viewer could see the whole of both films. I sneaked away for a time to watch Chataway starting his towns- man's tour of rural England. He did very well. I went astray recently in speaking of his Young Woodley charm. I see now that it is of Candide that he reminds me.
Previous page
