How is the company structured?
The BBC is structured into sections which manage the BBC day to day. An example of the sections which are structured are:
“The Director-General's Office and BBC Direction Group, Audio and Music, BBC North, Finance and Business, Future Media, News Group, Operations and Vision.’’
The BBC also has three commercial branches, BBC Worldwide, BBC Studios and Post Production and BBC World News.
The four areas below explain how the BBC is run with the interests of its viewers and listeners at the core of what it does.
Royal Charter
The BBC is established under a Royal Charter. The current Charter came into force in 2007 and runs until the end of 2016. It explicitly recognises the BBC's editorial independence and sets out its public purposes.
BBC Trust
Under the Charter, the BBC is governed by the BBC Trust, which sets the strategic direction of the BBC and has a clear duty to represent the interests of licence fee payers. The Trust sets purpose remits, issues service licences and holds the Executive Board to account for its performance in delivering BBC services.
The Trust works closely with national Audience Councils in order to understand the needs and concerns of audiences.
Executive Board
Operational responsibility rests with the Executive Board. It is responsible for delivering the BBC's services and running the organisation in accordance with the overall strategy set by the Trust.
For more details and an explanation of purpose remits and service licences, see the most recent Annual Report.
Media regulators
Government responsibility for broadcasting and creative industries in the UK lies with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
Ofcom is the independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries, with responsibilities across television, radio, telecommunications and wireless
How is the BBC funded?
The BBC is funded by the public who buy a TV license. The BBC also sells its programmes abroad & to other channels to supplement its funding.
The annual cost of a colour TV licence is £145.50 (as from 1 April 2010). A black and white TV licence is £49. Click here to find out more on how to pay your Licence Fee.
How the licence fee was spent in 2010/11
Between 1 April 2010 and 31 March 2011 the cost was £145.50 – the equivalent of £12.13 per month or just under 40p per day.
The BBC used its income from the licence fee to pay for its TV, radio and online services, plus other costs, as shown below.
Is the BBC truly competitive given the funding it receives?
Yes, the BBC is competitive as they come across in a traditional manor on BBC one and two in order to keep their audience who pay license fees happy. This for example means elder people who don’t want to see the use of drugs etc. However they have created BBC three which is more into the 21st century and keeps their company up to date and relevant to younger audiences as well as older.
Is there still a place for a public service broadcaster in today’s competitive digital era?
No, I don’t think there is room for another public service broadcaster in today’s digital era as I feel not many people would want to pay anymore as they already pay for a license which suits their needs. This means that BBC are already catering who a wide target audience and as people are most likely to be happy with the service the BBC is already providing.
What are the pros and cons of the way the BBC is funded and operated?
Some pros of the way the BBC is funded are for example: * Public are controlling it * Caters for a mass audience * Variety of programmes e.g education, drama, etc
Some cons of the way the BBC is funded are for example: * They limit themselves to certain programmes * No cutting edges programmes * Not up to date Comparison of BBC with channel 4
