The BBC has vowed to defend its entertainment programming from Government meddling.
Danny Cohen, the BBC's controversial Director of Television, will use the Edinburgh Television Festival as a platform to defend the Corporation's entertainment output.
Leading Government figures are said to be concerned about the amount the BBC spends on programmes like The Voice UK and Strictly Come Dancing.
Speaking to Broadcast magazine, the former Controller of BBC One said: "A debate has opened up in recent weeks and we want to have a clear position on it.
"There is no evidence from the public that they don’t want the BBC to provide entertainment.
"We’re not changing our position. The BBC has a long and illustrious history in big entertainment shows. We should continue doing it and ultimately that’s a benefit for the market, which it stimulates."
The Government is currently considering the future shape of the BBC as part of the Charter renewal process.
Last month it emerged that Cohen had orchestrated a letter to the Prime Minister in support of the BBC, which was purportedly written by a number of high-profile personalities.
It is expected that several senior BBC executives, including James Purnell and James Harding, will use the opportunity of appearing at the Festival to promote the continuation of the TV licence fee.
1 comment:
All I see here is mention of entertainment, nothing more, not even a single mention of education. I've always said that TV is mainly entertainment. People don't NEED to pay for televised entertainment, particularly when we have DVDs and online media. The way the BBC is acting, is not that of an entertainment outlet, but a dictatorship. They blackmail members of parliament, they only report on what THEY think is relavent and they have a proven record of covering up their mistakes. We, as a civilised democrasy, should not have to pay for any of that from ANYONE, especially an ENTERTAINMENT outlet. They are losing their grip with their licence fee and popularity, but they are acting like nothing is wrong and it is truly PATHETIC. The sooner these people wake up, the better.
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