Roger and out

Roger Mosey has just left the BBC after 35 years. 

Over that time he'd been head of BBC Television News, controller of Radio 5 Live, editor of Radio 4's Today programme, director of the corporation's 2012 Olympics coverage and head of BBC Vision.

He's now written an article for The Times reflecting on the state of the BBC, which you can access - if you pay for it - here. 

For those of us too stingy to pay for the privilege, many quotes from the article can be found strewn around the rest of the media (though not on the BBC News website).

Here are a selection, culled from the Guardian and the Telegraph:

"On the BBC’s own admission, in recent years, it did not, with the virtue of hindsight, give enough space to anti-immigration views or to EU-withdrawalists; and though he may have exaggerated, the former Director-General Mark Thompson spoke of a “massive bias to the left” in the BBC he joined more than 30 years ago.”

“There was more internal political diversity in recent times, but that isn’t enough unless it’s evident in a wider range of editorial views on air.”

“Co-ordination can therefore lead to homogeneity; and that can be intensified by regulation that sees there being “right” and “wrong” answers."

“The BBC Trust speaks the language of diversity but in its edicts it promotes conformity, whether it’s about an agreed approach to the science of climate change, “correct” terminology in the Middle East or the way of documentary about benefits should be constructed."

“This has obvious risks.”

"None of this is an argument for taking a wrecking ball to the BBC. Its strengths remain manifest. But it does suggest there should be a debate about how the next licence fee settlement helps pluralism and diversity."

“The hard question for the corporation is why in a digital age it should have the whole pie to itself forever – when doing something different might be better for the public good.”

"For instance, Channel 4 tried a few years ago to launch a suite of radio services to rival the BBC. If that couldn't work as a commercial enterprise, might it enrich the nation if similar bids were open to funding by the BBC? "The debate about 'top slicing' as it is unromantically known, played out to no particular conclusion a few years ago. It's obvious that there are dangers, but there may be some big wins to be had too."

Update: Thanks to DB at Biased BBC, Mr Mosey's piece in full can be read here - as posted by Mr Mosey himself.