How it fits together

How does Building public value fit with Charter Review and how do these link with the changes happening across the BBC?

Charter Review is the process we go through roughly every 10 years as our Royal Charter approaches its renewal date. Our current Charter expires in December 2006 and ultimately everything we're doing to plan for the future feeds into our Charter Review activity - without a Charter the BBC as we know it wouldn't exist.



The Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS), which runs Charter Review, is looking in detail at the BBC and getting feedback from the general public and interested parties, including the BBC itself. As part of this, at the end of June 2004, the BBC published its vision paper for the next 10 years and beyond.



Entitled Building public value, this document sets out our vision. At the core of that vision is the concept of ‘public value' which recognises that the BBC has a very special purpose. While commercial broadcasters ultimately aim to return monetary value to their shareholders or owners, the BBC exists to create public value. When we produce programmes and services we need to think of our audiences not only as consumers but as members of a wider society to which we must contribute.

At the same time as we published Building public value, Mark Thompson announced four internal reviews: Content Supply, Out of London, Commercial and Value for Money. The aim was to take an in depth look at key aspects of the BBC to ensure maximum public value in everything we do. During September 2004 there were opportunities for everyone in the BBC to contribute to these reviews through a series of BBC-wide brainstorms called Shape our Future.



In late 2004 the internal reviews reported back and on 7 December Mark Thompson set out our vision for the future in more detail and announced broad conclusions from the reviews. This evolved vision is based on the proposals in Building public value which were developed using input from Shape our Future and each of the internal reviews.



During 2005 many of the changes we need to make will begin. These are being co-ordinated both at divisional level and by the central Changes team. For more go to Change@BBC.