Great Coverage of Great National Events: The BBC Way

One of the reasons the BBC exists is to unite audiences at moments of national celebration or reflection. Yesterday, we announced our coverage of two massive, yet very different, summer events - the 116th BBC Proms and our coverage of the 19th football World Cup. Both inspire incredible passion in a uniquely British way.

The ongoing election coverage and the extraordinary impact of the Prime Ministerial debates, has demonstrated the power of television, wherever it comes from and reminds us that the BBC is not the only broadcaster that can provide coverage of great national moments. But three things make our approach different. First, we will always bring you the big national events which form part of our heritage without needing to consider whether they are commercially attractive. From the Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph to the State Opening of Parliament, our motivation is simple: we exist to bring people those events that resonate across the whole country.

Second, the BBC brings new audiences to these great national events. For example, the Olympics. Your first memory may depend on your age - was it Linford Christie's glory in 1992, Seb Coe and Steve Ovett's battle in 1980 or Dick Fosbury's unique jumping style in 1968? Whatever the memory, it was the BBC that brought these moments to you. We are always looking to find ways of opening up these events to new audiences. The enthusiasm and tradition of the Last Night of the Proms brings young and old together- 4.5m of you last year - in a celebration of music that has become a highlight of our cultural calendar. To help ensure this tradition endures, this year BBC Three will be showing its first Prom, a Doctor Who special, which will provide an introduction into the world of the Proms for many of its audience.

Finally, the BBC provides for audiences for whom these events can be a springboard to curiosity and new knowledge. This summer BBC Four will be exploring the history and culture of South Africa, which will attract new audiences initially interested because of the passion and drama of the action on the football field. This reflects our core mission of informing, educating and entertaining.

Our latest announcements promise more such wonderful moments this summer. It's no secret that I am a huge fan of the Proms, and this year's line-up looks set to be the best yet, with numerous highlights on Radio Three and BBC Two and Four over the two month programme. For me, Paul Lewis playing Beethoven's Piano Concertos with the BBC Symphony Orchestra will be a particular highlight. Meanwhile, I hope our coverage of Africa's first-ever World Cup will produce lifetime memories - and not just for the England fans following the competition.

These are the iconic events that the BBC exists to cover and excels at covering. Bringing our audiences the World Cup, the Proms, and the other landmark events that really resonate with everyone, is one of the five editorial priorities that we have set for the BBC. These are events that attract huge viewing figures - more than 16m people watched some of the Proms last year, while four-fifths of the population watched some of the last World Cup. But even more important than the size of the audience is the value they place on such events. Research shows 84% of people see sport as a vital way of bringing society together, while 82% feel entitled to watch key national events free-to-air because they have paid the Licence Fee.

While we're talking about value, all too often the BBC is accused of profligacy in a simplistic debate around staffing numbers for these great events. Yes, we must deliver value for money, and we have planned carefully to ensure spend on major events this summer is kept as lean and efficient as possible to guarantee our coverage does achieve great value.

But at the same time, this determination must never be at the expense of the quality experience Licence Fee payers demand and expect. It would be a complete false economy to cover these events half-heartedly. The viewer does not expect one of the world's greatest sporting occasions presented from some windowless room in the basement of Television Centre. They want iconic moments brought through knowledgeable top quality broadcasting. These are their events and the BBC has duty to them to deliver the goods. We are not going to short-change the audience.