BBC, Bruised Battered and Cowed

BBC, Bruised Battered and Cowed

The initials BBC now stand for Bruised Battered and Cowed as the Corporation struggles to recover from the unprecedented pounding it received this week from Lord Hutton and triumphant Labour politicians.

Following the resignation of former Director General Greg Dyke the hapless BBC Board of Governors, under the guidance of Deputy Director Mark Byford, now has the unenviable task of finding someone who has a track record of unrivalled media excellence combined with all round political acceptability. For although the BBC is in theory an independent body, it nevertheless has to work within the shadow of the British Parliament which exercises considerable influence over its funding and future plans via the BBC charter which is up for renewal in 2006.

But would any high profile media executive worth their salt want to take on the running of this quintessentially British institution while it is in the middle of a major panic attack? Witness the recent case of TV presenter Robert Kilroy-Silk who was suspended for making some ill advised comments about the Arab nation in a Sunday newspaper article. Ordinarily he might have received a slap on the wrists, but in its current mood of hypersensitivity the BBC immediately removed his show from the airwaves which until then had been a staple of the morning viewing schedule.

But as it works to redefine its future the BBC should keep at least one eye on the outside world because surveys commissioned in the UK by the Times and the Guardian showed that public opinion is firmly behind Mr Dyke. If confirmation were needed, and in a display that would warm the heart of any Corporation Boss, hundreds of BBC employees massed outside BBC Television Centre in London last Thursday carrying placards demanding his return. No such demonstration of support manifested itself outside Prime Minister Tony Blair's place of work in Westminster, perhaps because the Times survey showed that 36 per cent of respondents now had a less favourable opinion of him.

So whilst the Labour government may be outwardly triumphant, behind closed doors they must be worried about such swings in public opinion, and the concern being expressed in some quarters that the Hutton report came down so heavily on the BBC whilst making scant criticism of the government's actions which led to Dr Kelly's suicide. Tony Blair is already suffering badly from the fallout of the Iraq war, especially the lack of weapons of mass destruction. And if this were not enough, his credibility as a leader barely survived the paper thin majority he scraped together in January over a bill to increase University tuition fees - 5 compared to his usual majority of 161.

So if I were Tony Blair I would be hurriedly updating my resume and scouring the want ads; I hear there is a good job going at the BBC.



	The initials BBC now stand for Bruised Battered and Cowed as the Corporation struggles to recover from the unprecedented pounding it received this week from Lord Hutton and triumphant Labour politicians. Following the resignation of former Director General Greg Dyke the hapless BBC Board of Governors, under the guidance of Deputy Director Mark Byford, now has the unenviable task of finding someone who has a track record of unrivalled media excellence combined with all round political acceptability. For although the BBC is in theory an independent body, it nevertheless has to work within the shadow of the British Parliament which exercises considerable influence over its funding and future plans via the BBC charter which is up for renewal in 2006. But would any high profile media executive worth their salt want to take on the running of this quintessentially British institution while it is in the middle of a major panic attack? Witness the recent case of TV presenter Robert Kilroy-Silk who was suspended for making some ill advised comments about the Arab nation in a Sunday newspaper article. Ordinarily he might have received a slap on the wrists, but in its current mood of hypersensitivity the BBC immediately removed his show from the airwaves which until then had been a staple of the morning viewing schedule. But as it works to redefine its future the BBC should keep at least one eye on the outside world because surveys commissioned in the UK by the Times and the Guardian showed that public opinion is firmly behind Mr Dyke. If confirmation were needed, and in a display that would warm the heart of any Corporation Boss, hundreds of BBC employees massed outside BBC Television Centre in London last Thursday carrying placards demanding his return. No such demonstration of support manifested itself outside Prime Minister Tony Blair's place of work in Westminster, perhaps because the Times survey showed that 36 per cent of respondents now had a less favourable opinion of him. So whilst the Labour government may be outwardly triumphant, behind closed doors they must be worried about such swings in public opinion, and the concern being expressed in some quarters that the Hutton report came down so heavily on the BBC whilst making scant criticism of the government's actions which led to Dr Kelly's suicide. Tony Blair is already suffering badly from the fallout of the Iraq war, especially the lack of weapons of mass destruction. And if this were not enough, his credibility as a leader barely survived the paper thin majority he scraped together in January over a bill to increase University tuition fees - 5 compared to his usual majority of 161. So if I were Tony Blair I would be hurriedly updating my resume and scouring the want ads; I hear there is a good job going at the BBC.