Pilkington Committee on Broadcasting

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The Pilkington Committee was set up on July 13, 1960 under the chairmanship of British industrialist Sir Karl Pilkington to consider the future of broadcasting, cable and "the possibility of television for public showing".

The report, published in 1962, criticised the populism of ITV, and recommended that Britain's third national television channel (after the BBC Television Service and ITV) should be awarded to the BBC. BBC2 was launched two years later.

[edit] Members

The members were:

  • Sir Karl Pilkington
  • H Collison
  • Elwyn Davies
  • Joyce Grenfell
  • Richard Hoggart
  • EP Hudson
  • JS Shields
  • RL Smith-Rose
  • Elizabeth Whitley
  • WA Wright
  • Professor FH Newark (from March 1961)
  • J Megaw (resigned 5th January 1961)
  • Peter Hall (resigned 27th January 1961
  • Sir Jock Campbell (resigned 2nd February 1961)

At the time, there was public concern about acquired programming, such as Westerns and American crime series. The committee felt that ITV was to be blamed for this concern.

[edit] Findings and recommendations

The report, published on June 1, 1962, intended to ensure that television reflected the correct British social values, also considered:

  • renewal of the BBC Charter;
  • Licence Fee funding;
  • extending radio hours;
  • adult education broadcasting;
  • a second television channel;
  • colour television on 625 lines;
  • local broadcasting; and
  • better commercial television regulation.

The report resulted in BBC local radio franchises, colour television licences, and BBC2. The report also criticised commercial television for being too trivial.

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