U.K. BROADCAST GROUP SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS TO IMPROVE DIVERSITY
U.K. has many of same problems as U.S. with minority ownership and content, Broadcast Standards Commission(BSC) of Britain said in report Thurs. on visit with U.S. broadcast leaders and regulatory officials in Washington Dec. 12-14. During stay, group met with civil rights groups, NAB, FCC and NTIA representatives, and telecom lawyers to get feel for regulatory process. Group evaluated EEOC policies and programs used by companies to increase minority participation throughout industry. Major concerns mirror those of U.S. minority groups and include content, ownership and jobs, group said. “Black business programs in the U.K. are based on American experience,” BSC Comr. Vday Dholakia said: “We are attempting to bring in all the regulatory bodies under one organization.” He said bill that would achieve goal was under consideration in Parliament.
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No major broadcast or cable stations in Britain are minority-owned, BSC Research Dir. Andrea Millwood-Hargrave said: “Ownership is one of our primary issues.” U.K. has one Asian and one African Carribean station in country with 7% (1.5 million) minority population, Dholakia said. Minorities own 20 low-power TV stations. BBC also produces minority programming. “The process” to get programs aired or to purchase stations “is often cumbersome,” Dholakia said: “Information is not palatable and not readily available.” Minorities also don’t have access to capital. “It’s tough to get money” to buy broadcast properties, he said.
Reel Life TV Managing Dir. Celina Smith is “amazed” blacks own no TV stations in “a society this big.” She said U.K. had no “policy for change” and 1,500 independent TV members had started Producers Alliance of Cinematogy Trades (PACT) to fight for diversity in industry. Smith, who is PACT Diversity Dir., said in U.K. producers must “pitch ideas to programmers” in effort to receive funding that included production fee. She said that to survive many blacks now were shopping ideas in U.S.: “Everyone is lobbying the government for their interests. Broadcasters in the U.K. have too much power on the content part of the business.”
Black programming is at low end of British market, Smith said. Most of shows produced there by blacks are documentaries, which have “less demand abroad.” Smith said BSC came to U.S. searching for some mechanism to help it achieve goal of more inclusion throughout industry: “We examined affirmative action programs and the tax certificate system in U.S., but despite programs, the problem still hasn’t gone away.”
BBC is most progressive, with 8% of management staff black, Smith said: “They lack high-level managers. We are trying to get decision-makers across the board.” BSkyB “does very well in accounting and administration, but they have virtually no blacks in production,” Smith said: “They keep saying they are going to do something about it.” BSC wants to see govt. implement widespread diversity and affirmative action policy, with penalties imposed on companies that don’t adhere to rules, Smith said. “We definitely need some kind of procedure.”