It was obvious to me that the Hutton Report wold be used as the excuse to limit the Beeb’s balanced coverage of Blair’s massive screw-up in Iraq and related matters and their consequences. It was also obvious that at some point “re-structuring” would include selling part of the BBC off to these same salivating media barons.

If any values democracy in Britain, they owe it to themselves and the country to make the independence of the BBC an election issue….and a BIG one.

For BBC offerings easily from one place—including Radio Player, News Player, Sport Player, Weather Player, Podcasts, and World Service (including foreign languages) and TV Clips, Film Network, and Collective—click the Search tab and open The BBC at the bottom of the list. This—perhaps most importantly the personalization—is significantly more than the BBC intends with their iPlayer.

For an advanced version demo, including Playlists and set only with BBC streams, Login: MyBBC (with no password required). (And, a companion mobile version is in beta.)

The Radeo Internet Player
More than 10,000 Stations, 20,000 Shows, and 800,000 Episodes–
Broadcasts, Webcasts, and Podcasts Worldwide–Audio and Video.
Wherever You Are, Wherever They Are, and Whatever They Are.
Easy to Play Your Favorites, Find More, and Share Them.
http://www.radeo.net

Your conclusion that “it will crash” seems harsh though, i think there’s still time to change course.

As far as I go, I was at the BBC as a CSD and Development Producer for 5 years before I left for the commercial world, I then had 18 months to reflect on my time at the beeb and frankly couldn’t wait to get back, all of those things you describe about being bad at the beeb where exactly what I experienced outside.

Since I’ve been back I couldn’t ask for more support from the organisation, right the way up the structure and from every department – seriously, there’s a tide change going on at the BBC at the moment – and I appreciate that http://backstage.bbc.co.uk is at the front of that change and that I experience an awful lot more freedom than a lot of people around me – but that’s exactly what backstage is about internally (not just externally) – not to mention the other initiatives going on to give developers freedom to try new things, new systems and to rapidly prototype new ideas and models.

meh – and I was going to leave this alone Let’s talk about this properly at Hack Day – you should have had your invite by now and if not you’ll get it in the next couple of days.

a lot of us ‘trapped’ at the beeb think that it’s doing stunning work and that we have a bright future.

I’m pleased that there are people like you who are happy working at the BBC.

I used the word ‘trapped’ because that’s the word a number of other BBC’ers use when they email me in private to point out that I ‘have it lucky’ with my visa situation and that I should be thinking a little more of those who are ‘trapped’ at the BBC with (for them, in their jobs) little other opportunity.

Matt, you have a great role in a great project and you’ve only been there for less than a year (in your current stint). There are plenty of people around you and on the floor above you who have little other career options and few other potential employers. They feel trapped – that’s what they tell me. I’m talking coders through to execs.

I may paint a very bleak picture of the BBC, but having left the BBC with time to reflect I think the overall picture is bleak. There are glimmers of brilliance with people working hard to do something new and wonderful but overall the organization isn’t able to capitalize and support them.

In our defence I would point out the work that backstage is doing, not to mention all the other amazing work going on in BBC Research & Innovation.

I’ll leave this alone now, but it’s not quite as bleak a picture as you’re painting, and rather a lot of us ‘trapped’ at the beeb think that it’s doing stunning work and that we have a bright future.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/news/press_releases/30_04_2007.html

1.2 The BBC’s new Royal Charter and Agreement requires the BBC Trust to undertake a Public Value Test (‘PVT’) before a decision is taken to make any significant change to the UK Public Services. The PVT comprises two elements – a Public Value Assessment (‘PVA’) and a Market Impact Assessment (‘MIA’)

Ben sorry I may have the wrong end of the stick here but I think you’re confusing OFCOM Media Impact Assessments with the BBC Trust’s Public Value Tests.

See you at Hack Day

m

It’s still very early days for the Trust. So far, the BBC Jam decision has caused the most trauma. But the Trust has a chairman now, and a real chance to prove itself by, this time, averting a potential disaster.

Will they seize the moment and defend the BBC’s editorial independence? Or will they allow that independence to be compromised for everyone – including the unwitting UK licence fee payers? We’ll find out in June… possibly.