Those of us who care about broadcasting should not be afraid to ask candidates questions about it during the election campaign.
It may be of less concern to many than government competency, the cost of living and the quality of public services.
But it matters to the whole of society all the same.
The last 5 years saw the government add to the pressure on BBC funding by reneging on an agreement on licence fee increases.
There was also the botched attempt to privatise Channel 4, dropped after Rishi Sunak took office.
One positive move last week is that the Media Bill made it onto the statute book before the unexpectedly early dissolution of parliament.
This gives Ofcom new powers over streaming services and helps guarantee the prominence of the public service broadcasters’ streaming services. These are welcome moves which enjoyed broad support within the industry.
Some may be more concerned about the impact on commercial radio. It will be much easier for stations to change their formats or drop local output as long as local news is maintained.
But the big question in this campaign is about the future of the BBC.
What role should it play and how should it be funded?
The Conservatives had previously indicated the TV licence was on the way out but, of course, finding a viable and practical alternative is easier said than done.
Polls suggest Labour is almost certain to form the government after 4th July barring a major upset during the campaign.
There are many questions to ask.
Is Labour committed to the TV licence as we know it or might it look at options such as a “household charge” for the BBC?
How well funded should the BBC be? Should there be a one-off “restorative rise” in the licence fee for now?
Should free licences for the over 75s be brought back?
All of us who care for the BBC can see the direct effects of cuts – local radio and the News Channel – and can look out for the less apparent effects of budget shortfalls such as the number of prominent repeats.
It is also worth asking politicians where they stand on privatising Channel 4.
I have argued before that if Channel 4 is to have a safe public sector future, it needs to be much truer to its original character – serious-minded, serving minorities, providing a PSB alternative to the BBC.
The economic arguments against C4 privatisation are articulated well by many independent production companies but hardly cause a ripple with viewers faced with another schedule which appears to be a mix of the trivial, the derivative, the familiar and the mainstream.
More Unreported World and Derry Girls – less Come Dine with Me and Double the Money.
Still – despite the protestations of C4 when it faced privatisation – it is clear that the problems in the TV ad market leaves the business exposed and risks the parts of it which are still special.
ITV 1 and Channel 5 are, of course, purely commercial channels and they recently agreed new licences with Ofcom.
It is worth remembering all the big moves towards the creation of ITV 1 as we now know it happened under Labour.
Might Ofcom be given teeth to deal more effectively with other broadcasters though? GB News has at the time of writing avoided sanctions from Ofcom for what many in the industry consider to be serious misdemeanours.
Do the “local” TV stations on Freeview which are not locally owned and run deserve any protected future?
And lastly what about Freeview itself? However technology may develop and regardless of whether the internet-based Freely service takes off, what should the government do?
At the very least should there be an explicit long-term commitment to maintaining Freeview as a “service of last resort” to ensure the potentially vulnerable do not lose out?
Or can a government produce a grand vision which could lead to every home having unmetered, reliable internet access?
These are all important issues to highlight to candidates.
Just a thought.
If a “household charge” replaced the licence fee, part of it could be used to ensure all households had a reliable broadband connection which was free at the point of use.
That in turn could lead to a point where turning off Freeview might actually be realistic. But it would be a huge investment and take a very long time.
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PICTURED: TV set/remote control image. COPYRIGHT: unknown.