United Kingdom

[GB] Consultation on New Plans for Party Political Broadcasting

IRIS 1998-3:1/24

Stefaan Verhulst

PCMLP University of Oxford

The BBC, ITC, Radio Authority and S4C have issued a consultation document on the future shape of party political broadcasting. It is part of the first wide-ranging review of the conventions surrounding party political and party elections broadcasts since 1974. The actors involved consider a review neccessary as the whole process of political communication and political broadcasting has been transformed in the last 25 years. Moreover British democracy is undergoing a process of change, with more parties, new electoral arrangements and elections to new bodies. This consultation paper recommends several changes to present practices and invites comment on proposals which include plans to: move the focus of party political broadcasting to election campaigns when parties are directly seeking votes from the electorate; replace the annual series of Party Political Broadcasts with more Party Election Broadcasts to reflect the growth in the number of elected bodies in the UK; introduce Party Election Broadcasts on BBC Television and Radio, and Ulster Television for the parties standing in Northern Ireland to replace the informal system of 'election addresses' (UTV) and 'Campaign Broadcasts' (BBC); introduce a higher threshold of one sixth of seats contested, for minor parties; establish a system of Election Broadcasts for the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly; increase the number of Local Election Broadcasts for major parties on BBC-1, BBC-2 and ITV from one to two; cease Budget broadcasts, and concentrate opportunities for Ministerial broadcasts on truly exceptional circumstances; Channel 4 to drop its political slot items. Changes to the relevant codes and guidelines will be finalised later in the year.