Tomorrow's BBC – seminar series

Back in January the Trust’s Chairman, Rona Fairhead, called for the debate on the future of the BBC to "include the voices of all the people out there who pay for the BBC… who love its programmes, who are its true owners." The Trust has a duty to represent licence fee payers' interests. It's clear to us not only that the public must be given an opportunity to have their say, but also that their views ought to be central to the Government's decision-making process. We see it as one of our jobs to help make that happen.



Things haven't gone entirely to plan. Regrettably, the way that funding decisions were made through the Budget in July did not allow the public to give their views. But there is still a lot at stake in the Charter Review for anyone who cares about the BBC, and the Government's Green Paper poses some big questions about its future purpose as well as its size, scope and funding.



The Green Paper also included the following helpful line about the work we intend to do:



"The Trust will ... also be consulting on proposals for the future of the BBC. We will take full account of the Trust’s work and work with them on a range of public and industry events to explore in detail the important issues in the coming months.”



We made a start on this in the summer, when we launched a consultation with some straightforward questions about the BBC, designed to allow anyone to take part and have their say. The response has been strong and we’ll be asking you questions about the BBC management's own proposals shortly.



In addition to the consultation, we have a lot of work planned over the course of the autumn to provide the government with further evidence to help them make their decisions including a programme of audience research, some economic analysis and a series of public seminars.



Today we're publishing the list of seminars we will hold around the UK. There is some more information below about when and where these will take place, as well as how you can take part.



Of course many of the participants in these events will be those who already work in and around the media, with particular interests and points of view. But we are opening them up to the wider public, too, in the hope that we hear a slightly different sort of debate. Anyone who comes along will be able to express their view and to ask questions of a panel that will include industry experts, academics and commentators as well as BBC management.



We want this to be an open, honest process, so our first event on 1 October - Tomorrow’s BBC: Who Governs? - will include a debate about the future of the Trust itself. This seminar is being organised in conjunction with the University of Westminster and the Media, Communication and Cultural Studies Association (MeCCSA).

Further information about the Trust’s seminar series and how you can get involved

The Trust will film the events and will publish them online on the Trust's site, so those who can’t attend will be able to watch the discussion.