Channel 4 proposals attacked

Broadcasting unions have warned against selling off Channel 4 amid reports that the government is considering privatising the channel.

According to a report in the Financial Times, plans for the privatisation of the public service will go ahead as soon as next year, with ministers launching a formal consultation within weeks.

Channel 4 was launched in 1982 as a publicly-owned public service broadcaster funded by advertising. Its remit was to be “a disruptive, innovative force in UK broadcasting”, to take more risks than other channels and to be committed to diversity.

Paul Siegert, national organiser for broadcasting for the National Union of Journalists’ (NUJ), said the NUJ was “calling on the government to keep Channel 4 in public hands. He said: “Privatisation would see the channel’s public ethos replaced in favour of the interests of shareholder profit.” And he said the channel currently has a unique place in the market and is particularly popular with younger viewers. “This should be cherished and not sold off to the highest bidder.”

Head of the Bectu entertainment section of the Prospect specialists’ union Philippa Childs said: “It cannot be ignored that talk of privatisation is happening in parallel with a major review into the future of public service broadcasting, including Channel 4, ITV and the BBC.”

She added that it was “paramount” that the government’s recommendations “are not influenced by a desire to make as much profit as possible from the sale of Channel 4”.