23·06·09 Week 25 explore.gateway.bbc.co.uk/ariel THE BBC NEWSPAPER HOW TO REPORT THE VIRUS THAT IS NEITHER ‘PLAGUE NOR PUSHOVER’ a Page 8 photograph : mark bassett Global call from tent city GLOBAL NEWS put up its tents at White City and put ◆on a show that included live programmes and lively debates. Here Nadia Arshad, assistant editor for BBC World News, records a piece to mark the tenth anniversary of the World Service Trust. Report Page 3 Top slicing is Right place at Nice work if on the agenda the right time you can get it WE MAY HAVE REACHED an historic MARCUS GEORGE a Farsi speaker IF IT’S NOT THE BEST JOB in the world ◆moment in the history of the BBC with ◆in World Service, went to Iran to ◆(see P15), Ryan Morrison’s is surely the government officially putting forward find stories during the Iranian elections. a contender for best job in the BBC this a plan to give around £130m a year of Suddenly he found himself filing reports summer. He’ll be spending it beside the licence fee money to other broadcasters. to many outlets as the post-election sea, painstakingly updating BBC Jersey’s Implications of Digital Britain Pages 2, 10 demos transformed the story Page 3 online beach guide Page 8 > NEWS ROUND-UP 4 WEEK AT WORK 8-9 OPINION 10 MAIL 11 JOBS 14 GREEN ROOM 16 < 162 News aa 00·00·08 23·06·09 NEED TO KNOW: THE CARTER REPORT COMMENTARY a September showdown The bigger Room 2425, White City looms over top slicing threat to 201 Wood Lane, London W12 7TS u DIGItal BRItaIN is the Digital Britain is largely of the BBC Trust in an email to the BBC 020 8008 4228 government’s attempt to map the the work of Stephen Carter, everyone made it clear that UK’s communications needs for minister for communications, the licence fee should not be BILL Editor the next five years. From a BBC technology and broadcasting, regarded as a ‘slush fund’ and Andrew Harvey 02-84222 perspective the key issue involves who says it should be seen as that his trustees would ‘not sit THOMPSON Deputy editors a proposal to take around £130m ‘resoundingly good news’ for quietly by’ while the govern- Sally Hillier 02-26877 from licence fee revenue each the BBC which the government ment raided the kitty. u The debate Cathy Loughran 02-27360 year and give it to independent is encouraging to be a ‘bigger Since then the temperature about how we Features editor regional news providers. and broader’ media player. has cooled a little and the BBC build Digital Brit- Clare Bolt 02-27445 The report also recom- That, of course, sets to one has until early September to ain reflects the im- Reporters mends an expanded role for side the licence fee ques- accept top slicing, suggest a portance of connected computers in Carla Parks 02-27630 BBC Worldwide as a global tion and here Michael Lyons workable alternative or try to our lives, but I like to think that I’ve Laura Scarrott 02-84224 business but with ‘greater sep- positioned himself on a col- force the government to back been living in my own digital Brit- Peggy Walker 01-43940 aration’ from the BBC. lision course. The chairman down. Debate: Page 10 ain for a while. I’ve been online for Production editor 25 years, and remember the BBC’s Claire Barrett 02-27368 first internet connection as well as Art editor u WHERE’S THE MONEY COMIng FROM? u WHAT HAPPENS TO THE BBC’S PART- the first world wide web conference. Ken Sinyard 02-84229 Until 2013 the government wants to use any under- NERSHIP OFFER TO ITV? In the event that top Today I am rarely offline and Ariel online spend (estimated to total £200m) from the digital slicing happens, Mark Thompson has said the BBC on an average evening there are Andy Walker (editor) 02-84227 help scheme for two purposes: to help achieve a would probably take its offer to share content and seven or eight computers, phones Alex Goodey 02-27410 universal broadband network and to fund three facilities with ITV ‘off the table’. However, if non- and games consoles sharing my Business co-ordinator pilot news operations in Scotland, Wales and an licence fee funding is found to help either ITV or 20megabit home internet connec- Silvana Romana 02-84228 English region by independently financed news new IFNCs, the BBC would extend a helping hand. tion. I am a wired citizen of the net- Ariel mail consortia (IFNCs, see below) . The pilots would work age, or something like that. [email protected] establish how much funding might be required by u TIMESCALE The government wanted to Like many early adopters I am Ariel online expore.gateway.bbc.uk/ariel new entrants into news provision. It is anticipated announce top slicing as a done deal until Michael having to work hard to keep up as that they could work more cheaply than the tradi- Lyons objected so forcefully. Instead, the pro- new tools, services and technologies Guest contributors this week tional news gathering operation of ITV. posal to take a 3.5 percent portion of licence fee emerge and toys that were once cut- – the ‘contained contestable element’ – has been ting edge become commonplace, FERGUS WALSH the BBC’s medical u WHAT ABOUT LONG TERM? After 2013, opened for consultation until early September. from email to social media. correspondent on reporting swine when licence fee levels will be renegotiated, £130m Carter is convinced regional news needs support This is also a problem for organi- flu and what will happen this autumn a year would continue to be drawn from the licence from somewhere (although Sky is unconvinced) sational early adopters like the BBC, Page 8 fee in what Carter calls ‘a contained contestable and has ruled out direct treasury grants. The gov- since being a big web publishing suc- ANNA CASSAR of Radio 4 explains the element’ (colloquially top slicing) and given to ernment says it is open to other suggestions but if cess story is no guarantee of survival enduring appeal of messageboards IFNCs. Carter says the BBC remains the gold stand- nothing viable emerges by September the BBC will in the age of social networks, while Page 6 ard for broadcasting and should not be weakened. either have to accept or fight the plan. success in streaming conventional The money he wants to go to regional news would television doesn’t ensure relevance be in addition to the BBC’s licence fee settlement. u WHAT’S THE PLAN FOR RADIO? in an always-on, two-way world filled BBC Jobs 0370 333 1330 The Conservatives are opposed to top slicing but The government wants to move all national and with connected devices. Jobs textphone 028 9032 8478 threaten to reduce the licence fee. large stations away from FM and AM to DAB, switch- This may become a serious issue BBC Jobs John Clarke 02-27143 ing off analogue in 2015. The reasoning is that the for the BBC if Carter’s proposals are Room 2120, White City, London W12 7TS u WHO PROVIDES ALTERNATIVE NEWS? nature of audio ‘puts it at the forefront of device implemented, because they include The government will invite local groups to form and platform convergence’ with availability through plans to provide next generation Advertise in Ariel IFNCs as news providers across the UK. These could the internet, mobiles, digital tv where it will need its broadband to the whole of the UK, Ten Alps Publishing 020 7878 2314 include existing commercial tv companies, local own digital medium. With 9m DAB sets already in and once the whole country has 50 www.bbcarielads.com newspapers, news agencies, other publishers. They use in the UK, switchover is the chosen route. or 100mbps available the iPlayer is would bid for a franchise in much the same way that The government is asking the BBC to extend na- going to look very old-fashioned. Printing the old regional television companies divided the tional DAB coverage so that it is at least comparable The plan for comprehensive next Garnett Dickinson Group territory – only this time successful bidders would to FM radio; it wants manufacturers to come up with generation access was a welcome Rotherham 01709 768000 receive licence fee funding. A licensing body would receivers that cost no more than £20 and it wants improvement on the widely criti- be responsible for allocating money and ensuring car makers to move to DAB no later than 2013. cised suggestion that 2mpbs univer- Subscribe to Ariel high editorial standards. (This is a role envisaged for Although there has been criticism of the quality of sal broadband might suffice. Six months: £26, £36, £40 the BBC Trust by Peter Bazalgette, see Page 10). the signal and environmentalists have complained The fast network will be part- Twelve months: £50, £60, £68 that DAB uses four times the power of traditional ly funded by £6 a year levy on ordi- (prices for UK, Europe, rest of world u HAS LICENCE FEE MONEY PREVIOUSLY radios, the BBC is supportive. nary phone lines. Since it will raise respectively) GONE ELSEWHERE? Yes. The present licence only a small portion of the billions Cheques to: Garnett Dickinson Print, fee includes a sum of around £150m a year to help u WHAT ELSE DOES CARTER SAY ABOUT such a network will cost, perhaps it Brookfields Way, Manvers, pay for digital switchover, principally providing the THE BBC? should be seen not as a policy but as Wath Upon Dearne, Rotherham S63 5DL elderly with set top boxes.