The Laughton Report into the BBC's local TV pilot scheme (see posting immediately below) received a less-than-complimentary response from the Newspaper Society this afternoon. David Newell, director of the regional newspaper industry body, issued a statement which began by saying the report sent out "mixed messages."
Newell added: "The Newspaper Society's position has not changed. It would be a wholly unjustified use of licence fee money for the BBC to replicate local news services which are increasingly being developed by the regional press. The BBC's recent offer to pay regional newspapers for content serves to illustrate that the BBC is currently unable to produce the local content it would need for these services, and would have to turn to the main source of content for local news and information.
"At a stage when regional publishers' local online or TV services are developing, a large-scale BBC roll-out could undermine commercial innovation and distort investment, to the disadvantage of viewers and readers."
Well, as I've said, this might be the public position in principle, but what happens eventually in private in practice might be very different, and altogether less antagonistic. Now we must await the considered view of the BBC Trust.
