Bradshaw to ‘challenge’ BBC
By politics.co.uk staff
Ben Bradshaw is expected to back the BBC later today following comments by James Murdoch last month.
The culture, media and sport secretary will “reiterate his support for the BBC”, a spokesman said, ahead of this evening’s speech to the Royal Television Society’s convention in Cambridge.
Mr Murdoch launched a scathing attack against the BBC last month, attacking its state-sponsored status and claiming this was distorting the market.
Among the measures Mr Bradshaw will touch on are plans to use some of the licence fee to fund regional ITV news.
He will look at the future of public service broadcasting in the run-up to the next Charter review and will respond to comments made by James Murdoch and Sir Michael Lyons on top-slicing.
Mr Bradshaw will “challenge” the BBC, however, to improve its services.
