CRCA-commissioned report reveals exciting new model for governance of BBC

CRCA ( Commercial Radio Companies Association) has today published an independent paper from international corporate governance expert, Stilpon Nestor, which examines the future governance and regulation of the BBC.

The paper concludes that at present the BBC has no ‘owner', no body whose sole purpose is to represent the interests of licence fee payers. To address this, Nestor proposes a three-pronged approach to BBC governance and regulation: -

The creation of ‘Ourbeeb' - the BBC's equivalent to a plc shareholders' meeting. ‘Ourbeeb' would take over key ownership functions currently performed by the DCMS and Governors, including reviewing the public service remit of the BBC, setting conditions for new services, and either approving, or playing an important role in the approval of new services.

Reflecting the creation of ‘Ourbeeb', the BBC's Board of Governors and its executives should morph into a unitary board, with an appropriate balance of non-executive and executive directors. The board would be dedicated to the effective management and enthusiastic championing of the BBC.

Ofcom's current regulatory remit should be expanded to address ex ante competition issues, and to bring regulation of the BBC's output into line with other broadcasters.

CRCA Chief Executive, Paul Brown, said “ We are excited by the ideas presented in this paper. They seem to us to represent an excellent way to bring the governance and regulation of the BBC into line with modern international best practice. Importantly, they present a framework by which each of the three discrete roles currently performed by the BBC Governors, those of ownership, management and regulation, could be best handled by the most appropriate agency. ”

CRCA commissioned the paper to bring fresh, external thinking to the debate about the BBC's current governance and regulatory framework, which the Secretary of State, The Rt Hon Tessa Jowell MP, has called “unsustainable”.

Further Information: -

• The full report can be viewed online at www.crca.co.uk or email mandy@crca.co.uk to request a copy

• The CRCA is the trade association for UK Commercial Radio. It is a voluntary, non-profit-making body, formed by the first radio companies when Independent Radio began in 1973.

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