Britain: An official handbook > 1977

432
The Independent
Broadcasting
Authority
The Programme
Companies
BRITAIN 1977: an OFFICIAL HANDBOOK
casting, music, agriculture, schools broadcasting, further education, pro¬
grammes for immigrants, science and engineering and charitable appeals.
There is also a programme complaints commission. The governors appoint the
chief executive officer of the BBC—the Director General—with whom they
discuss all major matters of policy and finance. He is chairman of the BBC’s
board of management, which also includes the managing directors for tele¬
vision, radio and external broadcasting, and the directors of personnel, finance,
public affairs and engineering.
The National Broadcasting Councils for Scotland and Wales control the
policy and content of television and radio programmes intended primarily for
reception in their respective countries. Local radio councils, representative of
the local community, are appointed by the BBC to advise on the development
and operation of local radio stations.
The domestic services of the BBC are financed principally by an annual grant
voted by Parliament (£212 million in 1975-76) which is the income from the
sale of television receiving licences less certain deductions for collection and
other expenses. This is supplemented by profits from trading activities, in¬
cluding domestic sales of records, books, magazines and other publications
connected with BBC radio and television programmes, and overseas sales of
programmes. Nearly three-quarters of the BBC’s expenditure on domestic
services relates to television. The BBC meets the cost of local radio stations but
some local education authorities have assisted in the making of educational
programmes.
The BBC’s external services are financed by a grant determined each year by
the Government; in 1975-76 this amounted to over £27 million.
The Independent Broadcasting Authority consists of a chairman, a deputy
chairman and nine other members (three of whom have responsibility for
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) appointed by the Home Secretary. The
IB A does not itself produce programmes; these are provided by commercial
programme companies. The authority’s four main functions are to appoint the
programme companies, to supervise the programme arrangements, to control
the advertising and to build, own and operate the transmitting stations for
independent television and independent local radio.
The IBA is advised by a General Advisory Council, by Scottish, Northern
Ireland and Welsh committees, and by committees on educational broad¬
casting, religious broadcasting, charitable appeals and advertising. A specialist
panel advises on medical and allied advertisements. A Complaints Review
Board reviews reports of complaints received and investigated by the IBA’s
staff. Local advisory committees provide advice on local radio services.
The chief executive officer of the IBA is the Director General. There are also
two deputy directors general, and a headquarters and regional office staff
covering all technical and administrative services.
The IBA receives no payments from licence revenue. The finance for its
operations is drawn from annual rental payments made to it by the television
and radio programme companies which amounted to about >£ 14’9 nnillion in the
year ended March 1975. The television programme companies also pay to the
IBA, for transfer to the Government, a further sum known as the levy which is
related to their profits.
Fifteen television programme companies hold contracts to provide television
programmes in the 14 independent television regions of Britain (two companies
share the contract for London, one providing programmes during the week and