Voice of the Listener and Viewer (VLV) represents the citizen and consumer interest
in broadcasting and works for quality and diversity in British broadcasting.

Margaret Hodge MP, Minister for Children, opened VLV’s 9th annual conference on children and broadcasting in London on Wednesday, 5 November.

The 2003 Communications Act introduced a new regulatory framework for British TV and Radio, and a new Office of Communications, Ofcom, to replace the five bodies which currently regulate broadcasting and telecommunications. The new Act also opens the ownership of British media companies to foreign buyers. 

The UK’s leading TV companies, Carlton and Granada, have just been given permission to merge, and the advertising market shows little sign of recovering from its recent recession. But as new services proliferate and the delivery of radio, television and other content via the internet and mobile phones increases, what are children actually watching, and which new media and technologies are they using ? And what effect will these changes have on the provision and quality of children’s programmes in the UK? 

Among the speakers were: 

Dorothy Prior, Controller CBBC
Steven Andrew, Controller, CITV
Tim Suter, Partner, Content & Standards Policy Development, Ofcom
Andrea Millwood-Hargrave, Director of Research ITC and BSC
Anna Home, Chief Executive, Children’s Film & Television Foundation
Ruth Gardiner, Editor, Childrfn’s Unit, BBC Radio and Music 

Commenting, VLV chair, Jocelyn Hay said: ‘The United Kingdom is already the most competitive market in the world for children’s television with over a dozen, mostly foreign-owned, largely unregulated, satellite and cable channels competing for the attention of young British viewers. 

The new Communications Act, which will allow the take-over of the new, single ITV company by any of these corporations, brings the risk that children will spend more time watching the often animated, largely unchallenging, American programmes they show. VLV believes that children should have access to the widest possible range of high quality programmes which put their interests and needs above all else. 

Our fear is that new foreign owners will put pressure on editors to tailor programmes to be equally acceptable to their overseas audiences. The result will be fewer regional references, locations and voices and the erosion of the rich cultural heritage which British children currently enjoy. Meantime, increasing competition for viewer adds to the pressure already felt by channel controllers and schedulers striving to maintain audience share. The conference considered these questions and looked forward to hearing the Minister’s views on them.’ 

VLV was glad to acknowledge support for the conference from the Broadcasting Standards Commission and the British Board of Film Classification. 

For further information or tickets please contact: Linda Forbes or Jocelyn Hay on. 
Tel: (00)1474-352835; Fax:  (00)1474-351112 or email:vlv@btinternet.com.

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