CR spoke with CBC

At the end of 2011 CBC called for fair representation of faith groups in media ownership and expressed concerned that Christians are under-represented in the BBC. They are pressing media regulator Ofcom to safeguard Christian broadcasting in the UK by ensuring that faith groups are given fair representation across the media. Ofcom is reviewing whether other genres, as well as news and current affairs, should be considered as critical for informing democracy. CBC believes that a faith perspective is crucial to public debate. CBC represents Christians in the media and is a seasoned campaigner for Christian broadcasting, championing legal rights and religious freedoms. Sarah J spoke with Peter Wilson, a broadcasting consultant for the Christian Broadcasting Council about these issues as well as media ownership and protecting children.

Sarah J: Recently there's been something of a debate about whether or not there's fair representation of faith groups in media ownership here in the UK. Tell me a bit about that.

Peter: Well I think the main thing to say is that over 10 years ago it was very difficult for Christians to broadcast in the UK on free to air media like radio. It was very difficult for Christian broadcasters to win licences. Since the law was changed in 2003 broadcasters/community groups, have been able to get community FM licences if they so wish and national broadcasters have been able to go on the national DAB platforms.

This is so different to what happened previously where faith groups including Christians, and it's Christians that did most of the lobbying to get the law changed, were unable to broadcast. Mainly due to the fact that people thought that we were going to have the worst extremes of the American model, which because of the way that faith is discussed in this country we have not gone down that road.

Sarah J: So there were significant changes ten years ago in terms of allowing a bit more Christian media to be able to have a place here in the UK, but presently there's still a bit of under representation within the BBC of Christians isn't there?

Peter: Oh yes. I mean if you look at the BBC's own review of diversity within the organisation you come up with some quite striking figures whereby for instance they would claim to have a fair representation of people in the BBC representing the population. It was called the BBC Diversity Report, it was published on 31st January 2011 and from the members of staff who were asked if they professed a Christian faith it was only 37% compared to a national figure in that same survey of 63% in the overall population. Muslims were approximately the same working within the BBC and the national figure. Those BBC personnel who said they were non religious was 50% compared to 23% in the national figure and interestingly a department of Communities and Local Government's Report that was published not too long ago covering the period 2008/2009 looking at people who had a religious faith of all sorts said that 82% of the English and Welsh population had a religious belief. Now compare that with the BBC's own figures and they seem to be under representing the faith groups of this country in their staff.

Sarah J: And do you think that's about the recruitment proceedings within the BBC or do you think that that's because loads of Christians that are interested in broadcasting go and work for Christian based broadcasting organisations?

Peter: Well I would have hoped more Christians would have gone and worked for an organisation like the BBC because there are more jobs available with a large organisation like the BBC. It has been pointed out by certain BBC journalists themselves who are Christians that the feeling within the organisation appears to be anti Christian in some aspects. I think what that leads to is that unfortunately within the BBC, so many of them don't understand faith based topics and therefore you get a bias against faith and especially against the Christian faith in some of the non religious output of the BBC. If you're talking about faith in the news context or maybe in a play, or in some sort of documentary which is not made by the BBC's own religious and ethics department, you seem to often get negative views of the Christian faith in particular, but also other faith groups as well.

Sarah J: And one of the other things that I know you're concerned about at the moment within CBC is safeguarding what comes out that children might be viewing. Tell me about that.

Peter: That's not just the BBC of course because if people have satellite television or cable television coming into their homes there are a vast variety of other children's television channels besides the ones that the BBC has. What I think we have to make clear is that if a toy manufacturer takes over a television programme company, which has happened, that there are safeguards in place to make sure that children aren't led by the nose to demand from their parents to buy the type of toys that are shown in the programmes on the television; especially as children under seven it has been proved through research, are unable to tell the difference between editorial and advertisements.

Sarah J: So is the concern that certain private sector businesses might use taking over media companies to their own advantage?

Peter: Some will and some will take over for very good reasons in order to safeguard the output of another channel. I think the key to all of this is that there is fair competition for broadcasting licences of all sorts and there are no hurdles put in the way of new entrants coming into the media market. I think competition is the way that things can move on.

There is within the current legislation that governs community broadcasters, in other words mostly FM but one or two medium wave operators broadcasting to a small area, they are not allowed to broadcast if a commercial radio station has one of it's transmitters broadcasting to less than 50,000 people. The anomaly in that is because in the Digital Economy Act 2010 commercial companies were allowed to broadcast the same service across a number of transmitters. Therefore you might get a station broadcasting on three or four transmitters, one of which serves a population of less than 50,000, but the total broadcasting areas for that one station is somewhere in the region of 150,000 - 200,000 people, but the town or small area of the countryside served by that one transmitter would not be allowed to even apply for a community radio licence. You may have parts of this country where there is a large commercial operator operating and it is not necessarily providing for that small area a level of community broadcasting that that broadcaster may wish to have.

I also feel that some of the current restrictions on community broadcasts should be removed. A recent report by the Office of Communications, Ofcom, said that over half the community broadcasters in this country were operating at a loss.