Public spirit of the Beeb is to come under scrutiny: while the industry acquaints itself with a new ITV, public service commitments will dominate debate over the future of TV--and the BBC Charter

Marketing Week, October, 2003 by Torin Douglas

ITV director of programmes Nigel Pickard lost no time last week in setting out his post-merger stall. Within hours of the Carlton-Granada deal being approved with fewer-than-expected strings, he was calling for ITV's public service programme obligations to be lightened as well. "Chief seeks to ease ITV's religions burden", said The Guardian's headline.

Giving the annual BAFTA lecture, Pickard said ITV's requirement to provide 104 hours a year of religious programmes "stuck our like a sore thumb" in the new, more commercial world and "may just turn out to be too much". Its other public service obligations should also be reassessed: "We're fast approaching the point where special cases and special interests can no longer be accommodated on a mainstream channel that has...