The BBC: Moving with the Times In a multimedia world the definitions between sectors and specialisms continue to blur. Criticaleye speaks to Peter Horrocks, Director of BBC Global News, about the BBC’s commitment to serve a global audience and how the corporation is rising to meet the multimedia challenge

How do you manage multimedia when the Some 239 million people a week visit BBC those news organisations. In the end, that’s audience is global? News, more than any other international the thing that we most look to; that people news broadcaster, and that’s the kind believe what we say and trust us to deliver We look to the impact and understanding of thing that I ultimately look to as an their news content. that we create in people’s minds. We have assessment of whether we’ve been effective. high aspirations in terms of helping people to That so many people still trust BBC News With respect to digital, what has the BBC understand a complex and rapidly changing ahead of other news organisations is both learned from other industries? world and to enable them to make up their rewarding and vindicating. own minds based on independence and In terms of keeping an eye on the impartial information. The relationship we We track trust in BBC News compared to competition, we look at CNN or Sky News build with our audience, and the ability that CNN, Al Jazeera, Voice of America, The New to compare how they are innovating with new technology gives us to understand what York Times, and so on, and in most of the their media content. And I’d point to the way the audience is thinking, is fundamental. Our markets we operate in, the BBC and BBC The New York Times innovated in digital, audience is our ultimate judge. News has a greater level of trust than all of in particular information graphics and the

www.criticaleye.net 1 ability to be able to tell stories simply by environment or growing within the confines taking advantage of new platforms, as a fine of budget constraints, but the strength of an example of how to do it. organisation that’s based on principles can shine through with the consumer. But I think we’ve learned more from the technology sector than from fellow media Being a PSB, how do you square a companies. It’s the technology space that’s the commercial agenda? most challenging and the one we have to keep the closest eye on. The pace of innovation is You always start with the editorial values and just staggering. A few years ago Twitter hardly principles on which the BBC’s reputation existed, while Facebook is only 10-years-old. is built. Two of those values, absolute Things that were tiny are now dominant news independence and editorial integrity, are distribution mechanisms and also play a crucial. In the parts of our operation where significant part in the input into our content. we do rely on commercial revenues, BBC World News and the news part of the BBC My career in BBC News goes back 30 years and website, the day-to-day editorial teams are in the traditional broadcast world that I started focused only on their editorial activity. They’re in, that difference in both distribution and in not involved in commercialisation and they editorial input would have been very hard to don’t deal with advertisers, distributors or concede. An organisation with the heritage of syndication. Rather, that’s left for people the BBC has got to be prepared to look outside like me, at very senior levels, to manage and their perceived industry and to be open to new decide on how it needs to be balanced. ideas, wherever they might come from.

What’s your strategy for keeping up with the pace of industry change? Digital brings down barriers and

Strategy should relate to values and principles but because of the rapidly changing forces you to think in a more competitive environment, you have to be completely aware of the environment that you’re working in and in which your audiences holistic way are living and consuming. I read voraciously and keep abreast of many hundreds of Twitter feeds supplied by media companies We do, however, ask our journalists to be and analysts, whether it’s journalism, digital aware of the need for their content to be media, technology, advertising or marketing. attractive and for it to attract particular audiences. We also ask for their ideas, some My team, dispersed around the world, keep of which may be ones that we can effectively me informed with extensive audience research commercialise. But the way we do that is and market reports. You’re continually relating by putting the editorial priority first. And it that market knowledge to your strategy but, always comes first. at the same time, you must be wary of the intensity of that competitive and technological So, this digital collision is creating cross- environment and make sure it doesn’t throw over within jobs as well as sectors? Peter Horrocks you off course. You have to study and keep Director up at an extraordinary pace. Balancing these Exactly. Historically, the BBC had a very clear things is a daily challenge. separation between its news operation and BBC Global News and World Service its World Service operation, its domestic What are the main challenges for a public news operation and its international news Since February 2010, Peter has been service broadcaster (PSB)? operation, which was commercially funded. responsible for the overall editorial leadership These things all come together on the internet. and management of BBC Global News, which To make sure the public that you’re serving The BBC has a truly global reputation, so we brings together BBC World Service, BBC are appreciative of what you’re doing. That can’t easily separate how people perceive us in World News, bbc.com, the BBC’s international means being true to the values of your Russia or Africa from our reputation in the UK. facing-online news services, BBC Monitoring, organisation but also making sure that you’re Digital brings down barriers and forces you to and is Chairman of the BBC World Service serving the interests of audiences. Recent think in a more holistic way. Trust – the BBC’s international development events like the phone-hacking controversy charity. BBC World Service delivers actually serve to make people more aware © Criticaleye 2012 programmes and services in 27 languages on of the organisations that have long-term television, radio and new media to a global value systems and governance, and that audience of at least 182 million every week. try to maintain high standards. Perennial challenges include operating in a regulated ContactPeter through www.criticaleye.net

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