ROYAL TELEVISION SOCIETY ANNUAL REPORT 2008 AGM 27 May 2009 at 6:00pm at the RTS, Kildare House, 3 Dorset Rise, London EC4Y 8EN Patrons Ofcom Principal Patrons Pepper Post Production PRS for Music BBC S4C BSkyB SMG Channel 4 Television UKTV ITV Value Partners Management Consulting International Patrons RTS Patrons ABN Amro APTN Accenture Autocue Discovery Communications Europe Avid Technology Europe Microsoft Bloomberg MTV Channel Television NBC Universal Digital Television Group OC&C Strategy Consultants Granada Television RTL Group HIT Entertainment Time Warner Ikegami Electronics UK Walt Disney Company ITV Anglia ITV London ITV Meridian Major Patrons ITV Tyne Tees ITV West Arqiva ITV Yorkshire Ascent Media Networks Panasonic Broadcast Europe BT Vision PricewaterhouseCoopers Cable & Wireless Quantel Deloitte Radio Telefís Éireann DLA Piper Reuters Television Enders Analysis SMG Grampian Television Five SMG Scottish Television FremantleMedia Tektronix (UK) GMTV Tiger Aspect IMG Media Ulster Television ITN University College, Falmouth KPMG University of Teesside Millbank Studios Vinten Broadcast 2 R O YA L T E L E V I S I O N S O C I E T Y REPORT 2008 Contents Patrons 2 Notice of AGM 2009 4 Form of proxy 5 Advisory Council election manifestos 6 Minutes of AGM 2008 7 Board of Trustees report to members 10 National events 2008 23 Centres report 2008 24 Who’s who at the RTS 30 Auditors’ report 32 Financial statements 33 Notes to the financial statements 36 Trustees’ and Directors’ reports 43 Picture credits 51 R O YA L T E L E V I S I O N S O C I E T Y REPORT 2008 3 Notice of AGM 2009 The 80th Annual General Meeting of the Royal Television 4 To elect Paul Corley, John Mair, Lucy Pilkington and Sue Society will be held on Wednesday 27 May 2009 at: Robertson as Members of Council. Kildare House 3 Dorset Rise 5 To consider – and if thought fit, pass – the following London EC4Y 8EN Special Resolution. at 6:00pm. A Special Resolution that the Memorandum of Association of the Society be amended by the deletion of the existing Clause 2 and the substitution therefor of the following: Voting by proxy Under Article 24, members of the Society are empowered to 2. The objects for which the Society is established appoint a proxy to attend and vote at the AGM. The completed are: proxy form, on page 5, should reach Head Office no less than 2.1 The advancement of public education in the 48 hours before the meeting. practice, technology, art and science of television and allied fields; and 2.2 The advancement of the arts and culture, in particular by promoting and encouraging the Agenda achievement of high standards of creativity in 1 To approve the minutes of the previous Annual General television and allied fields. Meeting held on 23 May 2008. 6 To appoint Arram Berlyn Gardner as auditors for 2009/10 2 To approve the 2008 Annual Report. and to authorise the Board of Trustees to fix their remuneration. 3 To receive the Financial Report, Balance Sheet and Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2008. 7 Any other business. Proposed amendment of Clause 2 of the Society’s Memorandum of Association One of the responsibilities of the Board of Trustees of the the advancement of the arts and culture alongside the exist- Society is to keep its constitution under review and in par- ing educational object. ticular to ensure, as far as reasonably possible, that its chari- This is, to some extent, uncharted territory in that neither table purposes keep pace with the changing nature of televi- the courts nor the new Charity Tribunal have had occasion to sion and related subjects as well as reflecting the Society’s rule on the effect of this wording being included in the Chari- current role and aspirations. ties Act 2006. The Society has for many years regarded the advancement However, the Charity Commission has indicated that it has of art and culture as central to its remit but the constraints no objection to the proposed new Clause 2 it is hoped that the of charity law have until now meant that it has had to regard amended objects will give the Society greater freedom and this as subservient to the purpose of advancing education. At flexibility to promote high standards of creativity in television present, its objects are as follows: through such means as its awards programmes as well as its educational work. The advancement of public education in the science, practice, technology and art of television and its allied Sir Robert Phillis fields and other scientific subjects. Chair of the Board of Trustees The arrival of the Charities Act 2006 brought with it, for the first time, a list of descriptions of the purposes that the law recognises as charitable. This list now includes the advance- ment of art and culture without any requirement that it be linked with education. The Board of Trustees would now like to take the opportu- nity to amend the objects to include an express reference to 4 R O YA L T E L E V I S I O N S O C I E T Y REPORT 2008 Form of proxy If you wish to I, ....................................................................................................................................................................... appoint another member please of ...................................................................................................................................................................... insert the name of your proxy here. being a member of the above named Society and entitled to vote hereby appoint You may delete reference to the ........................................................................................................................................................................., Honorary Treasurer and Chair. Initial or, failing him, the Honorary Treasurer, or, failing him, the Chair of the meeting, as my proxy to vote for the alteration me and on my behalf at the AGM of the Society to be held on 27 May 2009 at 6:00pm and at any adjourn- ment thereof. In respect of the resolutions referred to in the Notice of the Meeting, I desire my proxy to vote as indicated: For Against Abstain Please insert ‘x’ 1.0 Approve minutes of the previous meeting held on in the appropriate 28 May 2008: box if you wish to instruct your proxy on how to vote 2.0 Approve the 2008 Annual Report: 3.0 To receive and adopt Financial Report, Balance Sheet and Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2008: 4.1 To elect as a member of the Advisory Council Paul Corley: 4.2 To elect as a member of the Advisory Council John Mair: 4.3 To elect as a member of the Advisory Council Lucy Pilkington: 4.4 To elect as a member of the Advisory Council Sue Robertson: 5.0 To approve the Special Resolution to amend Clause 2 of the Society’s Memorandum of Association: 6.0 To appoint Arram Berlyn Gardner as auditors for 2009/10 and to authorise the Board of Trustees to fix their remuneration: (If this form is signed without any indication as to how the proxy shall vote, the proxy will exercise his or her discretion both as to how he or she votes or abstains from voting) Signature ........................................................................................................... Date ..................................... Form of proxy 1 Under Article 24, members of the Society are empowered to vote at the AGM by proxy. To notes be valid, this form of proxy must be deposited at the Royal Television Society, Kildare House, 3 Dorset Rise, London EC4Y 8EN not less than 48 hours before the meeting. 2 The proxy, who must be a member of the Society, must attend the meeting in person to represent you. 3 Unless otherwise directed, the proxy will vote or abstain as he or she sees fit. R O YA L T E L E V I S I O N S O C I E T Y REPORT 2008 5 RTS Advisory Council election manifestos 2009 casting side of our industry, which I believe will be crucial Paul Corley to the RTS debates over the coming year, especially in this uncertain time. >Sponsors: Wayne Garvie; Jane Lighting; David Lowen; Grant Murray; Sue Robertson I would like to seek re-election to the RTS Advisory Council. I Sue Robertson have been a member of the Advisory Council for the past two years and was a member of RTS Council before that. Director of corporate affairs, Five I was elected a Trustee of the RTS by the Advisory Council and have performed those duties diligently during the past >Sponsors: Wayne Garvie; Jane Lighting; David Lowen; Grant two years. I am also a co-opted non-executive member of the Murray; Martin Scott RTS Executive Committee. I have been director of corporate affairs at Five since Janu- I have enjoyed a 35-year career in television, working ary 2001. Prior to this I was director of corporate affairs at for BBC, ITV and Channel 4. Senior posts held in television United Broadcasting and Entertainment (1999-2000) and include managing director of Carlton Broadcasting, chief head of corporate affairs at Channel 4 (1995-1999). I worked executive of Border plc, and managing director of GMTV. I at the BBC (1987-1995), initially in production on Panorama, was also commissioning editor of factual programmes for Question Time and Newsnight and then as a manager within ITV in the late 1990s. Political Programmes. Having worked half of my life outside London (Cumbria Before starting my TV career, I worked as secretary to the and the North East, as well as a spell for Granada) I under- SDP Parliamentary Committee and as press secretary to the stand the issues facing the RTS now in extending its activities Rt Hon Dr David Owen MP. regionally and to younger members. It is important also that I have been vice-chair of the RTS (2002-2005) and chaired the RTS continues to reinvent itself as digital broadcasting the Early Evening Events Committee during this period.