Tuesday, June 29, 2004

Privatise the BBC?

On the other hand, not everyone in Britain seems to want to give the BBC a chance.

"Kelvin MacKenzie, the former Sun editor and boss of TalkSport, today launched a stinging attack on the BBC, arguing the government should grab the bull by the horns and abolish the licence fee."

Quotes from Privatise the BBC, says MacKenzie in MediaGuardian:

"As the corporation prepares to launch its case for charter renewal, the Wireless Group chief executive insisted the BBC produced nothing the commercial sector could not provide itself and should be privatised.

"The BBC has got much too grand for itself and is much too large. It's time to sell it off," he told the Today programme on Radio 4.

"I would privatise BBC1 and BBC2 - they are straightforward light entertainment channels. I would also privatise BBC Radio 1, Radio 2, Radio 3 and Radio 5 Live. For Radio 4 I would just make a government grant to the Arts Council and let them get on with it."

If the BBC were to go private, Michael Grade would probably do a good job as CEO.