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

What future for Children’s Television and Radio? 
Wednesday, 6 November 2002.

Dr Kim Howells MP, Minister for Tourism, Film and Broadcasting will open VLV’s 8th Annual conference on children’s TV days before the new Communications Bill is presented to Parliament.  The new Bill removes the special protection currently given to the amount, range and quality of programmes on ITV, and proposes to will lift restrictions that prevent non-EEA companies from buying ITV. 

The Disney Corporation is one of the American companies seeking to expand its services in the UK and recently failed in a joint bid with Capital Radio to buy the West Midlands regional radio licence. 

What difference would these changes, or foreign ownership of  British media companies, make to the quality of children’s programmes in the UK, and to our children’s heritage of language, music and culture? 

Speakers include:
Dr Kim Howells, Minister for Tourism, Film and Tourism
Nigel Pickard, Controller, BBC Children’s Programmes
Janie Grace, Controller, ITV Children’s Programmes
Nick Wilson, Controller, Children’s & Youth, Programmes, Channel 5
With support from the British Board of Film Classification 

Tickets £80, concessions on request, including lunch.
Venue: Commonwealth Club, London WC2. 
Time: 09:45- 16:45pm
*To be confirmed

Keynote speaker:  Lord Puttnam of Queensgate CBE, Chair, Joint Parliamentary Committee scrutinising the draft Communicatons Bill.
Plus: David Levy, Controller, BBC Public Policy and
Barry Cox, Deputy Chair, Channel 4 & Chair, Digital Stakeholders’ Group
Chair:  Professor Vincent Porter, Director, CCIS, University of Westminster

The new Communications Bill will introduce controversial and radical changes in the remit, regulation and ownership of Britain’s public service broadcasters with  far-reaching implications for the future of British cultural and democratic life. 

Among the most controversial proposals are those to lift restrictions on foreign (non-EEA) companies buying British media interests, including ITV, and on major newspaper owners buying Channel 5. 

The Joint Scrutiny Committee recommended no change in the current media ownership rules.  This conference will encourage public debate about these crucially important issues. 

Tickets: £80, concessions on request, including lunch .
Venue:  11:00 - 15:30pm, Hamilton House, London WC1. 

A VLV conference to consider the new Communications Bill (expected in November 2002) for broadcasting in Scotland.

Speakers include:
Mark Leishman, Deputy Director, BBC Nations and Regions
Donald Emslie, Chief Executive, Scottish Media Group
Richard Findlay, Chief Executive, Scottish Radio Holdings
Jeremy Mitchell, Chair, Scottish Advisory Committee on Telecommunications
John Angus Mackay, Director, Gaelic Broadcasting Committee
Richard Neville, Editor, Business AM
Professor Neil Blain, Paisley University
Jay Crawford, Programme Director, Real Radio

Tickets: £10, individual concessions £7.50, students £3, excluding lunch. 
Venue: Morningside church, Napier University, Morningside, Edinburgh.

An educational seminar of the VLV Forum for Educational Broadcasting supported by UFI- learndirect, (University for Industry) and NIACE, (National Institute for Adult & Continuing Education) the leading voice for adult learning, to debate the impact on adult education of the proposals to be included in the new Communications Bill. 

The broadcast media represent a key source of information and stimulus to learn for adults from the full range of Britain’s communities.   Broadcasts shape our understanding of the world we live in, inform us of issues of social, aesthetic and scientific importance.  They do this with great flair and a lightness of touch. 

The new Broadcasting Bill proposes significant changes,in the ownership and remit of Britain’s broadcasters  which have far-reaching implications for the public duty of broadcasters to educate,  inform and entertain. 

Speakers include:
Paul Gerhardt, Head of Learning Strategy, BBC
Professor Naomi Sargant, NIACE
John Brown, Director, University for Industry
Heather Rabbatts, Head of Channel 4 Learning
Tim Suter, Head of Broadcasting Policy, Department for Culture, Media & Sport.
Chair:   Alan Tuckett, Director, NIACE

Tickets: £10. Concessions £7.50. 
Venue: Institute of Education, Bedford Way, London WC1.
For further information contact: Linda Forbes or Jocelyn Hay on :01474 352835.

Telephone: 01474 352835.
Fax: 01474 351112.
E-mail: vlv@btinternet.com

Sorry, we do not have the resources to handle individual programme complaints. If you have a complaint about a programme please click here