{"id":12560,"date":"2022-03-21T22:00:06","date_gmt":"2022-03-21T21:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1609985"},"modified":"2022-03-21T22:29:10","modified_gmt":"2022-03-21T21:29:10","slug":"charlotte-moore-talks-bbc-licence-fee-debate-weve-got-a-long-way-to-go","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/charlotte-moore-talks-bbc-licence-fee-debate-weve-got-a-long-way-to-go\/","title":{"rendered":"Charlotte Moore talks BBC licence fee debate: \u201cWe\u2019ve got a long way to go\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By Patrick Cremona\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Monday, 21 March 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

In the last few years, the debate about the future of the BBC \u2013 and particularly the use of the licence fee model to fund it \u2013 has become one of the most prominent cultural talking points in the country.<\/p>\n

The broadcaster\u2019s Chief Content Officer Charlotte Moore addressed the debate in a new interview in this week\u2019s edition of Radio Times magazine<\/strong>, explaining that she thinks recent global events have seen the BBC prove its value.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really think right now that the BBC is proving its worth,\u201d she said. \u201cI think we did that during COVID. There are these moments when there is a real feeling that we\u2019ve never needed a public service broadcaster more, to inform and educate and entertain and to bring the nation together.\u201d<\/p>

Of course, the people who really need to be convinced are those currently in government, who will have the final say on the corporation\u2019s future.<\/p>\n

Culture secretary Nadine Dorries has been particularly vocal about the licence fee debate, but Moore revealed that Dorries had struck a more conciliatory tone in recent conversations.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was really interested in Countryfile, we talked about Ambulance, we talked about the breadth of what we\u2019re making, we talked about young audiences and whether we\u2019re doing enough,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n

And when further pressed on how to convince those young audiences that the \u00a3159 fee is worth paying \u2013 especially when so many other subscription services and channels are available \u2013 Moore was defiant in her response.<\/p>\n

\u201cEighty percent of young people come to the BBC every week,\u201d she said. \u201cWe are the biggest media brand for 16- to 34-year-olds. A lot of young people watch Call the Midwife, a lot of young people watch Countryfile.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really incumbent on us to make sure that we are relevant to their lives, which is why we\u2019ve increased our spend on BBC Three. We\u2019ve put BBC Three on a broadcast channel again because we recognise that there is still a percentage of people in this country who don\u2019t have broadband.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a good start, but we\u2019ve got a long way to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n