Happy Honeymoon, Michael

While congratulating Michael Grade on being appointed Chairman of the BBC, the BJR goes on to observe: "...even before the sound of the pealing bells that greeted Mr Grade's betrothal had faded there came an unwelcome wedding present in the shape of an interim report on public service broadcasting from Ofcom, the new media regulator. Among other things, this challenges the BBC to assert itself as a standard-setter for excellence in programming and to strive for public service content in every broadcast - and it proposes that the licence fee might be shared out among other broadcasters to encourage public-service productions... Some broadcasters see the review as foreshadowing an Ofcom ambition to seize control of the BBC's public-service remit during the negotiations over the new BBC charter." The BJR believes that "Much depends on how Mr Grade and his fellow-governors handle the challenge from Ofcom." Michael Grade's honeymoon at the Corporation is likely to be a short one.