Jocelyn Hay, CBE, Chairman and Founder of VLV

VLV was founded as Voice of the Listener in November 1983 by Jocelyn Hay in response to the first threat to turn BBC Radio 4 into an all news and current affairs network.

Having launched and won that campaign, issues arose which required the attention of a consumer body which could speak on the full range of broadcasting issues. Radio and television are so closely inter-linked, especially as about a quarter of the television licence fee revenue is used to fund BBC Radio, so the word 'Viewer' was added to the title in 1991.

Jocelyn Hay was awarded an MBE in 1999 for her services to broadcasting. In the same year, she also received the Elizabeth R Award for services to public service broadcasting by the Commonwealth. She was made a CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours 2005.

VLV Board of Directors - biographies

VLV, a non-profit making limited company, is governed by a Board of Directors. The Board Members are:

• Jocelyn Hay CBE - Chairman
• Hugh Peltor - Honorary Treasurer
• Carol Cattley
• Lewis Rudd
• Robert Clark
• Professor Ivor Gaber
• Laurence Pawley
• Professor Máire Messenger Davies
• Warren Newman
• Norman Green
• Professor Brian Groombridge
• Professor Sonia Livingstone
• Dr Matthew Hibberd

VLV Patrons

• Lord Barnet PC JP
• Archibishop Lord Eames of Armagh
• Sir Francis Graham-Smith FRS
• Lord Inglewood MEP
• Sir Charles Mackerras KT, CBE
• Dame Mary Peters DBE
• Lord Phillips of Sudbury OBE
• Lord Puttnam of Queensgate CBE
• Lady Solti
• Lord Thomson of Monifieth KT PC
• Sir John Tusa

VLV Staff

VLV has three members of staff, based in Gravesend.

• Linda Forbes - Conference Secretary
• Sue Washbrook - Membership Secretary