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

EBU President gave his first public speech in London on the future of public service broadcasting and citizenship in E-Europe at VLV conference at the Royal Society of Arts, Wednesday, 6-8th June  

Mr Wessberg,  Director  General of the Finnish Broadcasting Corporation, YLE, incoming Presidency of the EBU, took questions on the role that public service broadcasting can play in the future E-Europe and the contribution it can make to fostering cultural diversity and  the development of active citizenship. 

Lord McIntosh of Harringey, Government spokesman on the Media in the House of Lords welcomed participants and Mr Wessberg at the start of the conference.

More than 100 broadcasters, regulators, academics, journalists and representatives of citizen and consumer groups attended from Europe, the Commonwealth, North America, Africa and the Pacific.  The speakers included: 

Nicholas Argyris, 
Director, Communication Policy & Regulatory Framework, Information Society Directorate, EC
Philppe Chauve, 
Telecommunications and e-commerce, Directorate for Trade, EC 
Jean-Eric de Cockborne, 
Directorate for Education & Culture, EC
Caroline Diehl, 
Director the Media Trust and the UK Community Channel;
Ulla Martikainen-Florath, 
Director of Education, Finnish Broadcasting
Johanna Frelin, 
Head of Children & Youth, Swedish Broadcasting  Corporation
Chris Grace, 
Head of Animation, S4C, The Welsh Fourth Channel;
Professor Sylvia Harvey, 
Sheffield Hallam University
Robert Emmett O’Reilly, 
Executive Director, Radio Canada International
Andrew Ramsay, 
Director, Broadcasting & Creative Industries Group, DCMS, 
Professor Vincent Porter, 
University of Westminster
Don Redding, 
Public Affairs, Intermediate Technology and Development Group
Elizabeth Smith, 
Secretary-General, Commonwealth Broadcasting Association;
Caroline Thomson, 
Director of Public Policy, BBC;
Lord Thomson of Monifieth, KT, PC, DL 
Carole Tongue, 
Consultant and former MEP, 
Philip Whitehead, MEP

Among the issues delegates addressed:

• the new European regulatory framework for broadcasting;
• the effect of WTO moves to liberalise world trade in audio visual services; and the role of NGOs in protecting cultural diversity and the democratic process;
• ways of developing active citizenship and fostering democracy on-line in Europe and the Commonwealth;
• the protection of children from commercial exploitation in the face of increasingly globalized media; and the funding of original and indigenous programming;
• opportunities for developing better access to education and life-long learning;

Guillaume Cheneviere, the new President of the World Radio and Television Council, and former Director General of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation, brought us up to date on the situation outside Europe. 

We were also delighted that colleagues from the Friends of the ABC, Australia and the Friends of Canadian Broadcasting  joined us with representatives from member organizations in Denmark, Finland, Portugal and Spain, of EURALVA, the European Alliance of Listeners’ and Viewers’ Associations.  

Copies of edited transcript or a audio cassette of this conference will be available shortly. It will cost £35. Orders may be e-mailed to vlv@btinternet.com. 

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