socialmedian: Group launches to fight top-slicing BBC licence fee

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Group launches to fight top-slicing BBC licence fee

Source: The Guardian

Nov 03, 2009

Summary

Charities, unions and consumers groups unite to form Citizens' Coalition for Public Service Broadcasting

The Citizens' Coalition for Public Service Broadcasting launched last night, backed by 30 organisations including charities, unions, and consumer groups opposed to the government's plan to "top-slice" the BBC licence fee.

Instead, the CCPSB is asking government to raise an extra £375m a year from industry levies or spectrum sales to support regional and local TV news, children's programmes and other endangered genres including serious documentaries.

The coalition, funded by a grant from the Joseph Rowntree Trust, formed over the summer to lobby against what the founders, including broadcasting union Bectu and campaigning group Voice of the Listener & Viewer, see as shortcomings in the Digital Britain white paper and digital economy bill, which will be outlined in the Queen's Speech on 18 November.

Last night's meeting at the Palace of Westminster was sponsored by John Grogan, Labour MP for Selby and chair of the all-party parliamentary BBC group. He said that

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