LONDON — On November 14, 1922, the clipped tones of
the BBC's director of programs, Arthur Burrows, crackled across the airwaves.
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"This is 2LO, Marconi House,
London calling," he
announced, and with that, public service broadcasting in Britain was born.
One hundred years on, the British Broadcasting Corporation
is a global media giant. But its centenary comes at a time of drastic budget
cuts that have raised questions about its future.
The corporation, officially founded on October 18, 1922, has
a special place in Britain's broadcasting landscape.
"The BBC is us," said Jean Seaton, professor of
media history at the University of Westminster in London, and the corporation's
official historian.
"It remains despite the attacks of this government an
expression of us, unlike Netflix, which is an expression of the world," she
told AFP.
"The BBC is an expression of our sense of humor,
interests, or values. It belongs to us."
For nearly seven million people, each day starts with BBC
Radio 4's flagship “Today” program, which often sets the political agenda.
On the weekends, Strictly Come Dancing, which pairs
celebrities with professional ballroom dancers, has had viewers glued to their
sets for 20 years and is the most talked-about television program on air.
BBC series such as
Peaky Blinders, Fleabag, and Killing Eve,
have been exported around the world.
The BBC's influence extends far beyond Britain's borders,
making it one of the small island nation's most visible and respected global
brands. It reaches an audience of 492 million around the world every week,
according to the corporation's 2021-2022 annual report. BBC World Service
broadcasts in 41 languages to about 364 million people a week globally.
For the last 100 years, the broadcaster has stuck firm with
its original mission statement: to "inform, educate, and entertain".
"It underpins everything that we want to do," said
James Stirling, who is head of the BBC's centenary celebrations.
Impartiality
Another word — impartiality — crops up repeatedly and has
become a priority for BBC management given the frequent criticism it has
received from the conservative government.
During Brexit, Britain's divisive divorce from the
European Union, it accused the BBC of bias in favor of those who wanted to stay in the
bloc. Ministers have also alleged that it focuses too much on the concerns of
urban elites rather than the working classes.
Britain's right-wing tabloids, never shy of criticizing
their publicly funded competitor, have lapped it up.
But more worrying is a decision in January by Boris
Johnson's government to freeze its license-fee funding model for two years,
raising fears it could be scrapped in future.
The annual charge for households with a television set is
currently set at $176.
In response to Johnson's plans, the BBC on May announced a
huge cost-cutting program of £500 million a year, axing about 1,000 of its
22,000 staff, and moving about services online.
The financial situation has been accompanied by an exodus of
younger audiences towards streaming and on-demand platforms, prompting
questions about why they should still pay for the BBC.
"Today" presenter Nick Robinson, a former BBC
political editor, said it was vital for the broadcaster to keep proving its
value. "If my kids' generation... just come to the view that I don't
really need that, I can get all that stuff from YouTube and get it from all
these competitors... then we're done," he told the Daily Telegraph.
'Pride'
Successful new formats have emerged, however, despite the
BBC often being labeled as "legacy media".
Journalist Ros Atkins has made his name with video
"explainers" of major news stories and issues, combining them with
analysis, fact-checking, and vital context. They are broadcast on television,
the BBC website, and via social media, where they often register millions of
views around the world.
"While we still have millions of people who consume our
journalism via our platforms — the BBC website, TV, and radio — millions of
others are consuming journalism elsewhere on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok,"
he said.
"We've seen very big numbers on these videos. They
prove this kind of journalism has an audience."
Atkins, who started at the BBC in 2001, is well aware of the
difficulties ahead. "It's going to impact all of us who work here,"
he added. "But if you ask me how I feel about the experience of being a
journalist at the BBC... I still feel I'm walking through the door at the best
news organization in the world."
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