Contemporary Arts

The Facts of the Matter

At the moment, according to the licence figures and allowing for those without licences, some 20,700,000 can receive TV. Of these, 9,455,000 can receive ITV as well as BBC. This ratio has to be remembered when there are widely trumpeted claims about the public preferring ITV to the BBC. All that this claim means is that in areas where the public can have both channels, a higher percentage—computed by systems which are open to many objections—stay tuned to ITV.

On the other hand, when the major expansions of ITV are completed, by December of this year, almost as many people will be able to watch ITV as watch BBC. There will probably always be that 'almost,' because it is unlikely that the ITA will trouble, as the BBC does, to extend the range of its transmitters to pocket areas, where the cost of providing a service is uneconomically dis- proportionate to the number of new viewers.

Despite the losses made by Associated- Rediffusion, the London weekday contractors, in its last year of operation, the omens for com- mercial TV are all favourable. Advertisers, after sitting on the sidelines for a while to see how things went, are now jumping on the bandwagon. The present difficulty which many periodicals have in getting advertisements is a direct result of the growth of ITV.

All of this is cheering news to those who sup- ported an alternative service and were prepared to back their faith with cash. True, some of those who spoke feelingly about breaking the BBC's monopoly may regret their words as they watch one ITV variety programme after another; but those businessmen who regarded the second ser- vice as a profitable investment are able to look ahead to at least eight years of brightness. (Under the Television Act, the ITA's present authority runs until 1964.

Despite the Television Act, which places responsibility for the control of programmes (including advertisements) on the ITA, the general opinion in commercial television is that it is the programme contractors who call the tune.

The fact that, in the unlikely event of any con- troversy, it is the ITA which is officially respon- sible, is probably a source of pleasure to the programme contractors rather than anything else.

On the few (unpublicised) occasions on which the ITA has cautioned or otherwise admonished one of its contractors, there has usually been a political reason. There appear to be few occasions on which the ITA has expressed internal concern about the general level of ITV programmes. (That the ITA is perhaps worried about this state of affairs is shown by the request for a grant for cul- ture which, under the Act, the Postmaster-General

i3 authorised to give. But this throws all the responsibility for 'high-quality' programmes

back on the Government, leaving the contractors free to apply their much-sought 'free enterprise' to twelve-year-old-mind programmes.) There arc at present six programme contrac- tors, four of which are currently presenting pro- grammes. These four are Associated TeleVision (which presents the London weekend, Midlands weekday programmes), Associated Rediffusion (London weekdays), Granada TV (Northern

weekdays), ABC TV (Midlands weekend); the two others are Scottish Television and Television

West and Wales, which are scheduled to begin transmission in August and December of this year respectively.

The control of ATV is divided among strong variety and music-hall interests, the Daily Mir- fror group and radio and electrical manufacturers. Associated Rediffusion is an amalgam of

Associated Newspapers (the Daily Mail), British Electric Traction and various broadcast relay services. Granada TV and ABC TV are both run by the film distributing and production companies of the same names.

The chairman of the ITA is Sir Kenneth Clark, and its administrative head, the Director-General, is Sir Robert Fraser, who was formerly head of the Central Office of Information.

From the facts alone, several points of future discord in British television are visible. One is the disposition of the licence revenue. As, statistically, it seems inevitable that by the end of the year at least two-thirds of the country's potential television audience will watch ITV rather than the BBC, the ITA will have a not un- reasonable case for demanding a share. On the other hand, it can be argued that there is no point in giving them this money if they are merely going to spend it on bigger and better versions of cur- rent programmes.

Despite occasional attempts to compete directly with the commercial service—Sunday nights, for

example, when viewer research suggested that hardly anyone who could watch both services was watching BBC—the BBC pursues its own way with 1'V programmes. It is very strongly felt in the Corporation that it would be a great mistake to try and beat the commercial boys at their own game. Also, it doesn't matter how few people watch the BBC, as long as its programme output is balanced between culture and entertainment.

There is, as well, a strong leaning among BBC chiefs towards sound—the rugby to TV's soccer. The fact of TV's phenomenal rise and influence does. not sway them unduly. In case this attitude seems somewhat shortsighted, it is an interesting fact that, according to Variety, this season sound radio in America for the first time in ten years showed strong signs of resurgence. TV, on the other hand, has lost a lot of money. Whether this represents a trend or not it is, of course, too early to say.

BBC aloofness and commercial success do not promise a happy marriage. And, with the fairly urgent question of which of the two systems shall operate a second service (i.e. either the BBC or the ITA would be able to offer alternative pro- grammes at the same time), there promises to be lot of lobbying. a lot of hot air ahead.

To be avoided is the dominance of television by commercial interests. If this happens, the 'commercial' will be the most intelligent show available. On the other hand, the BBC smugness, the 'it doesn't matter if only seventy people do listen to the Third programme, as long as it's there' attitude, is equally stifling.

The simplest next step towards a solution is to put both services on the same base. That would provide true competition and a balanced pro- gramme, far better than the present uneasy yoke.

DAVID STONE