Culture Politick

Arts Council England Chief Executive Alan Davey has today called for local authorities across the country to maintain their investment in the arts.

Speaking at the Arts Council sponsored Local Government Association’s annual culture, tourism and sport conference -at which Ed is also in attendance – Alan argued that local authority investment in the arts has already paid dividends in terms of both economic and social benefits, and that the arts are well placed to play an even greater role in the future success of local communities if investment is sustained. He said:

‘While I of course recognise the pressure local authority budgets are currently under, and the need for tough decisions to be made, I really do not believe there is an area of public expenditure where such a small amount of money delivers greater benefits than the arts.

‘There are numerous examples of arts organisations generating huge amounts for their local economies. Recent economic impact studies have shown that in its first year of operation the Sage in Gateshead contributed £43 million to the North East economy, in the South East the De La Warr Pavilion contributed £16 million, Pallant House Gallery in Chichester £2.7 million. These are just a few examples of the arts as income generators, contributing towards regeneration, investment and economic development.

‘The arts also attract tourism and business, creating the kinds of communities that people want to live in…

‘While we will of course continue to work closely with local authorities across the country to support arts organisations, the Arts Council is simply not in a position to replace any lost local authority funding. We’ve got to have grown up conversations about our shared ambitions for the arts, and how they contribute to what people really want in their communities. We need to make sure that in 10 years, we still have an infrastructure that works.’

Ofcom has published the conclusions of its investigation into the pay TV market:

1. Sky Sports available on all platforms: Sky must offer to supply Sky Sports 1 and 2 to other retailers – for example, cable, terrestrial and IPTV – at a wholesale price set by Ofcom.
2. Sky pay services on terrestrial: Ofcom gives conditional approval to Sky and Arqiva’s request to offer pay TV services on digital terrestrial TV (known as “Picnic”).
3. But dependent on a wholesale deal: Approval of Picnic is subject to Sky implementing a wholesale deal under the supply obligation for Sky Sports 1 and 2. In addition, if Sky decides to offer movie channels on digital terrestrial TV then those channels must also be offered to other digital terrestrial TV operators.
4. Reference on movies: Ofcom is consulting on its proposed decision to make a reference to the Competition Commission asking the Commission to address concerns regarding the sale and distribution of subscription video-on-demand premium movie rights (but which cannot be addressed fully using Ofcom’s powers).
5. Innovation on HD: Sky must offer to wholesale high-definition versions of Sky Sports 1 and 2. HD is a relatively new innovation. To help to promote future innovation Ofcom has not set wholesale prices for the HD channels but requires them to be offered on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms.

More detail available HERE.

You can read the report in full HERE, or in summary here:

• Recommendation that the Government, working with Digital UK, gives urgent attention to publicising the available solutions to the minority of people who experience difficulties in receiving a digital television signal. (Paragraph 57)

• Digital UK needs to make more information about switchover available in hard copy and through voluntary organisations as well as online. Digital UK should provide more information at the point of sale to help customers choose digital television equipment suitable for their needs. Digital UK should coordinate more effectively with Digital Outreach and the Help Scheme operators. The Committee recommends that Digital UK, the BBC, the electronic retail sector and the voluntary sector should jointly consider these three suggestions. (Paragraph 71)

• Strong recommendation that any help scheme for digital radio similar to the Digital Switchover Help Scheme should be funded through general taxation. (Paragraph 78)

• Strong regret that the cost benefit analysis carried out by PriceWaterhouseCoopers was not published at the time it was delivered to Ofcom and the Department for Culture Media and Sport in February 2009. (Paragraph 99)

• Recommendation that the Government should work with manufacturers to ensure that digital car radios are fitted with multi-standard chips as soon as possible and inform consumers of availability and benefits of digital radios containing the multi-standard chip. (Paragraph 120)

• The Government must ensure that advice goes to retailers and the public that when purchasing radios, consumers should purchase sets that include a digital tuner. This will prevent the problem getting worse. The Government should encourage the industry to devise a sensible scrappage scheme, recognising that the industry, manufacturers and retailers, will benefit heavily from the new sales generated by digital switchover. The Committee recommends that the Government inform consumers as soon as possible as to how the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) regulations will operate for disposal of analogue radios. (Paragraph 126)

• Recommendation that the Government should make clear to the public that DAB will remain the digital radio standard for Digital Radio Upgrade. (Paragraph 128)

• At the same time it is recommended that the Government should set a date by which all new digital radios should contain the multi-standard chip, giving the UK the option of a subsequent move to a different standard.

• Recommendation of an early and extensive information campaign to publicise the Government’s digital radio policy, its rationale and its implications for listeners. (Paragraph 131)

• Recommendation that, as a matter of urgency, the Government, Digital Radio UK, representatives of the electrical manufacturing and retailing industries, and representatives of the vehicle manufacturing and retaining industries should agree advice to consumers about purchase of digital radio equipment. The Committee also recommended the introduction of a ‘kitemarking’ scheme for digital radios, to include information on power consumption. (Paragraph 132)

• Recommendation that the Government explains in a public communications campaign on digital radio that, while DAB radios will continue to operate for the foreseeable future, radios containing the multi-standard chip will provide insurance against a future change of digital standard and will also work on the continent of Europe. (Paragraph 133)

• Recommendation that the Government confirms as soon as possible that a help scheme with special focus on disadvantaged groups will be part of the Digital Radio Upgrade programme. In this case, funding should be raised through general taxation, not through the licence fee. (Paragraph134)

• Recommendation that the Government and broadcasters consider how increased production and dissemination of digital radio content can be encouraged. (Paragraph 137)

The Press Complaints Commission has upheld a complaint about Rod Liddle’s blog for the Spectator, marking the first time that the PCC has censured a newspaper or magazine over the content of a journalistic blog.

The piece in question was published on 5 December 2009 and claimed that ‘the overwhelming majority of street crime, knife crime, gun crime, robbery and crimes of sexual violence in London is carried out by young men from the African-Caribbean community’. A reader complained that the statement was incorrect.

In concluding that the article was indeed in breach of Clause 1 (Accuracy) of the Editors’ Code of Practice, the PCC recognised the magazine’s argument that the nature of a blog post is often provocative and conducive to discussion. However, the Commission did not agree that the magazine could rely on publishing critical reaction as a way of abrogating its responsibilities under the Code.

While the Spectator had provided some evidence to back up Mr Liddle’s position, it had not been able to demonstrate that the ‘overwhelming majority’ of crime in all the stated categories had been carried out by members of the African-Caribbean community. Nor could it successfully argue that the claim was purely the columnist’s opinion;  rather, it was a statement of fact. As such, the Commission believed that ‘the onus was on the magazine to ensure that it was corrected authoritatively online’. In the absence of such remedial action the Commission upheld the complaint.

PCC director, Stephen Abell, said:

‘This is a significant ruling because it shows that the PCC expects the same standards in newspaper and magazine blogs that it would expect in comment pieces that appear in print editions. There is plenty of room for robust opinions, views and commentary but statements of fact must still be substantiated if and when they are disputed. And if substantiation isn’t possible, there should be proper correction by the newspaper or magazine in question.’

You can read of the Commission’s decision in full HERE.

Checks of compliance with Ofcom’s Voluntary Code of Practice on Broadband Speeds (see HERE) have revealed that ISPs are meeting some aspects of the Code but are falling short in other areas.

The research found that the majority (85 per cent) of telephone mystery shoppers were provided with an estimate of the maximum speed available on their broadband line before signing up with a provider. However, almost half (42 per cent) of these shoppers had to prompt providers for their speed late in the sales process. In addition, three quarters (74 per cent) of mystery shoppers were not informed that their actual speed was likely to be below their maximum line speed.

The research also showed that shoppers often received a wide variety of different estimates of the maximum line speed from different ISPs for the same line. Ofcom has found that ISPs use different methods for calculating and presenting such line speed information.

Ofcom is now proposing to tighten the Code and expects to be able to agree changes by summer 2010. If agreement cannot be reached with ISPs, Ofcom has said it will consider whether it is necessary to introduce formal regulations.

To address the shortfalls in compliance with the Code, Ofcom is going to:

• work with ISPs to agree a consistent and accurate way of calculating and presenting access line speed information and amend the Code accordingly;
• amend the Code to require ISPs to commit to giving the access line speed estimate early in the sales process, i.e. before asking the customer for bank details or a MAC. Currently the Code only requires ISPs to give this information before completion of the sales process.
• find ways of ensuring that ISPs give consumers better information on why and how actual broadband speeds may be lower than headline speeds.
• explore with ISPs whether it would be appropriate to add a new provision in Code which allows customers to leave their contract period without penalty if the access line speed received in practice is significantly below the estimate given at the time of signing up.

Today’s report can be read in full HERE, or in summary here:

• There is a direct obligation for the BBC to show that it demonstrates value to all licence fee payers and that measuring audience reach is a useful component of that. But that the proportion of those who do not use any BBC television or radio service for at least 15 minutes per week, and the figures for some services which are used only by a minority of their own target audiences, indicates that this value is not being delivered to enough people. (Paragraph 33)

• The BBC’s figures seem to have been presented in a somewhat cavalier manner. Mark Thompson’s description of ‘the story of share’ as ‘one of a fairly high level of stability’ does not seem an accurate assessment for television, when considered on a five-year rather than two-year basis. (Paragraph 40)

• Full support of the BBC’s objective to increase the distinctiveness and quality of its output. However the Committee was not convinced that the claims of statistically significant positive shifts in perceptions of the distinctiveness and quality of BBC output were supported by the information contained in the BBC’s Annual Report. It agreed with the Trust’s assessment that there has been a slight improvement, but noted that changes in the measurement system may be responsible for some of this shift. (Paragraph 45)

• The Committee commends the BBC on its increased targets for the proportion of network output to be produced in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and note that the proportion of spend in television in the nations and regions has generally been rising. However, it also notes, the fact remains that the BBC is spending less now than before. After rising by £100m to £984m in 2007/08, licence fee spend in the nations and regions decreased by £40m to £948m in 2008/09. (Paragraph 49)

• The Committee is not convinced by the BBC’s arguments on acquired programming. While there may be cases where the justification for acquiring high-quality programmes or series from overseas is strong, justification on bona fide public service content grounds is likely to prove relatively rare. Over the last three years the BBC has spent £279m on acquired programmes. Taking into account the Mark Thompson’s estimate of £90m for the current year this will have risen to a total expenditure of nearly £370m for the period 2006–07 to 2009–10. The Committee therefore welcomes the commitment by the BBC, contained in its Strategy Review, that it will reduce spending on programming from abroad by 20%, to £80m by 2013, and thereafter cap spend to 2.5p in every licence fee pound. (Paragraph 54)

• Some of the claims regarding BBC Three made by the BBC Trust and Executive are not fully supported by the evidence. The BBC has been more ready to highlight favourable over unfavourable information and its implications. In particular, the Committee noted that the Trust’s claim of ‘BBC Three’s effectiveness in reaching young people’ is not supported by its audience reach. It also expressed surprise that the test of the value of BBC 6 Music and the Asian Network in the latest strategy review appears not to have been applied to BBC Three. (Paragraph 63)

• Instead of bringing a profit to the licence fee payer, Project Kangaroo has resulted in considerable cost. (Paragraph 69)

• Welcome of the BBC’s move towards greater transparency regarding its staff and talent costs, including the disclosure of senior BBC managers’ headcount and payments to talent in bands. However, the BBC’s commitment to this level of transparency was said to be long overdue. The Committee believe that the information released by the BBC should be expanded, at minimum, to include a breakdown of headcount by salary band not just for senior managers but all BBC employees, and the number of individuals in each payment band for talent. The Committee further recommended that additional payment bands for talent should be introduced, disclosing the number of individuals and total payments for those earning within given bands. The Committee said it did not expect to see any entries in the £5m plus category. (Paragraph 77)

• The reward packages of the Director General and senior management of the BBC were seen to be out of step with the current economic climate and the need for public sector pay restraint. The BBC must look to cutting its costs, and leadership on this should come from the top of the organisation. The Committee therefore welcomed the BBC’s commitment to making a 25% cut in the BBC senior management pay bill by 31 July 2013. However it also recommended that the BBC’s remuneration policy should include benchmarks not only with the private sector but also with senior management pay scales in the public sector. (Paragraph 82)

Film London and Screen South today announced a ground-breaking new partnership merging their film commission services which will now represent 85% of the UK’s film industry. This new strategic collaboration aims to assist more domestic and international production, increasing inward investment to London and the South East.

The new Filming Partnership will continue to service all production industries including film, TV, commercials and video games. Its remit will encompass London’s 33 local authorities as well as Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Middlesex, Oxfordshire, Surrey and West Sussex. It will also represent the majority of the country’s major studios including Pinewood, Shepperton, Ealing, 3 Mills and Maidstone.

Adrian Wootton, Chief Executive of Film London said:

‘By joining forces we can provide a more extensive range of expertise and knowledge to give productions the best possible service. London is one of the world’s busiest production centre’s, the South East is home of the some of the world’s best studios and together we offer a metropolitan city, areas of outstanding natural beauty and world-class talent – it is the complete package. Providing a single point of contact will deliver a more coherent and efficient service, avoiding duplication, which will benefit productions of all sizes.’

Jo Nolan, Chief Executive of Screen South said:

‘The primary aim of the merger is to add value and be of benefit to the industry. In 2009 50% of the productions assisted were serviced by both agencies. This merger solidifies an existing positive working relationship and for film-makers it simplifies the process. The partnership will increase the level of expertise and support the offer, making the area and its assets more attractive which in turn will achieve more business.’

The joint service will be delivered by Film London’s Inward Investment & Business Development team in partnership with Screen South. Screen South’s current Film Commissioner will be appointed as the Filming Partnership Manager for London and the South East and the team will be based out of Pinewood and Film London’s central London’s offices.

Edward on best behaviour meeting the Hoard last week

£1.285million National Heritage Memorial Fund grant saves the Staffordshire Hoard

The National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF) has announced a grant of £1,285,000 that will ensure the Staffordshire Hoard is saved for the nation.

The grant, awarded to Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and Potteries Museum and Art Gallery in Stoke-on-Trent, will fill the funding gap to reach the Hoard’s purchase price of £3.285million and means this outstanding collection will remain in the West Midlands close to where it was discovered in July last year.

Dame Jenny Abramsky, Chair of NHMF, said:

‘We’re delighted to be able to announce this news today.  The Staffordshire Hoard is an extraordinary heritage treasure. It is exactly the sort of thing the National Heritage Memorial Fund was set up to save, stepping in as the ‘fund of last resort’ when our national heritage is at risk, as a fitting memorial to those who have given their lives in the service of our nation. We’re delighted, in our 30th anniversary year, to be able to make sure it stays just where it belongs, providing rare insights into one of the more mysterious periods of our history.’

News of the NHMF grant marks the end of a high-profile three-month campaign led by The Art Fund.  There has been remarkable public interest and the campaign successfully raised £2million, which is testament to the strength of feeling across the country that the Hoard should stay in the UK. Historian David Starkey said:

‘This news from the National Heritage Memorial Fund is wonderful. The Staffordshire Hoard provides us with vital clues to our ancient past and now we can set about decoding them. I’m delighted that all the other funding bodies and the generous public have helped save these breathtaking treasures for posterity.’

In its 40th anniversary year, the Serpentine Gallery has announced that the 10^th Serpentine Gallery Pavilion is being designed by world-renowned French architect Jean Nouvel and will mark his first completed building in the UK.

The Pavilion commission has become an international site for architectural experimentation and follows a long tradition of Pavilions by some of the world’s greatest architects. The immediacy of the commission – a maximum of six months from invitation to completion – provides a unique model worldwide.

There is also no budget for the commission; it is paid for by sponsorship, sponsorship help-in-kind and the sale of the finished structure, which does not cover more than 40% of its cost. On the occasion of the 10th anniversary the Pavilion is being supported by Arts Council England, through its Sustain programme.

Moira Sinclair, Executive Director of Arts Council England, London said:

‘Our Sustain fund was established to help support artistic excellence in the context of the economic downturn, and the Serpentine Pavilion is a landmark example – uniquely special to and beloved by London, and a key ‘moment’ on the international visual arts and architectural calendars. I am delighted that this grant, alongside our core funding to the Gallery, will help ensure a stunning Pavilion for 2010 that will inspire, intrigue and entertain everyone who explores it.’