Britain: An official handbook > 1993

24 Television and Radio
Broadcasting in Britain has traditionally been
based on the principle that it is a public
service accountable to the people through
Parliament. While retaining the essential
public service element, it is now also
embracing the principles of competition and
choice.
Three public bodies—the British
Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the
Independent Television Commission (ITC)
and the Radio Authority—have the main
responsibility for television and radio services
throughout Britain:
• the BBC broadcasts television and radio
programmes;
• the ITC licenses and regulates non-BBC
television services, including cable and
satellite services; and
• the Radio Authority licenses and
regulates all non-BBC radio services.
These authorities work to broad
requirements and objectives defined by
Parliament, but are otherwise independent in
the conduct of their day-to-day business.
The government department responsible
for overseeing the broadcasting system is the
Department of National Heritage, which was
set up in April 1992, taking over the
broadcasting responsibilities previously
exercised by the Home Office. The Secretary
of State for National Heritage is answerable
to Parliament on broad policy questions.
Television
Television viewing is by far Britain’s most
popular leisure pastime: 95 per cent of
households have a colour television set and 68
per cent have a video recorder. Average
viewing time for each person is around 24
hours a week.
At present there are four terrestrial
television channels, offering a mixture of
drama, light entertainment, films, sport,
children’s and religious programmes, news
and current affairs, documentaries and
educational programmes. The BBC provides
two complementary networks—BBC 1 and
BBC 2—which are financed almost
exclusively by licence fees. The ITC
regulates two television services: ITV and
Channel 4, which are expected to
complement each other and are largely
funded by advertising. (In Wales Sianel
Pedwar Cymru—S4C—broadcasts
programmes on the Welsh fourth channel.)
All four channels broadcast on 625 lines
UHF (ultra-high frequency). Over 99 per
cent of the population live within range of
transmission.
British television productions continue to
win many international awards, and in 1990
television companies received £138 million in
export earnings.
Radio
Practically every home has a radio set, and
the widespread ownership of portable sets
and car radios means that people can listen
to radio throughout the day. The BBC has
five national networks, which transmit all
types of music, news, current affairs, drama,
education, sport and a broad range of
feature programmes. The first national
commercial radio station, Classic FM, began
broadcasting in September 1992 and two
other national independent stations are
planned.
There are 39 BBC local radio stations
serving England and the Channel Islands, and
regional and community radio services in
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Some
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