Dear Editor, The consultation review published by Ofcom last week, regarding the future of public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom would appear, on first reading, to offer no crumbs of comfort to Birmingham or indeed, the Midlands.

The decline of Birmingham as a centre for the mass media has been noted by The Birmingham Post and its correspondents on several occasions this year. There is absolutely no representation from the Midlands in the ITV network schedules and – with the demolition of Pebble Mill in 2002 – we are no longer to be found on BBC1. There is no drama, no entertainment, no youth programming and simply put, there is no television being broadcast from the second city by either of the UK’s major TV networks.

Birmingham, the Black Country and indeed the whole of the Midlands have been lost from the map by our broadcasters. This must be the only country in Europe that so blatantly ignores its second largest conurbation in this way. Radio production has also been cut back to the extent that the Mailbox is making a minimal contribution to the national radio networks. All of this is despite the fact that the Midlands is the most densely populated region outside of the South East and generates more income for all the broadcasters than any other nation or region.

The inequity of the current situation is quite staggering, and even more so when you consider that the decline has been allowed to happen under a Labour Government. One can only hope the Conservatives were sufficiently impressed with their welcome in Birmingham this week that they too will notice the absence of the second city and the wider region when they return home and switch on their TV or radio. Something has got to be done. We are missing out on our fair share of jobs and investment and suffering a most damaging effect on the profile and perception of the city and region at a national level.

The BBC is now saying that an announcement will be made about their Drama Village at Selly Oak in the autumn. This is rather ominous as I have never known an organisation to feel the need to make an announcement about something that is going to remain open. Only one day-time drama programme is currently commissioned by BBC Birmingham and all the signs are that this will move to Manchester. Without this small production facility, what chance is there that the state broadcaster will be able to increase production in the city? Well, you only have to look at ITV to get your answer as to where this could be heading and I for one am beginning to wonder why am I paying a licence fee.

The Ofcom consultation paper makes for heavy reading. Birmingham and the Midlands are not mentioned specifically on any of its 155 pages. Much is said about the need to increase ‘out of London’ production by the BBC and Channel 4, but it is not made clear as to where exactly in the regions this production should shift to.

Other proposals include a reduction in “out of London” requirements at ITV and a reduction in its regional and local news programming – so there’s not much chance of us being able to reverse the trend with this broadcaster and one is left asking the questions: What is ITV for? What happened to its strong federal, regional structure?

And yet the Ofcom report does offer some possibilities. Firstly, it is suggested that more independent and truly local television stations could be created. We currently do not have a city-wide station and in this we have already fallen behind Manchester which has its own Channel M, available through the aerial. Greater Birmingham TV – now there’s an idea.

Secondly, the report seems to suggest that Channel 4 should also receive a share in public funding. In which case, as a region we should build on the working relationship that has already been established with that network by Screen West Midlands. The state broadcaster may be turning its back on us, but Channel 4 might have an interest in making more programmes for the nation from our multi-cultural and diverse region.

Thirdly, the Ofcom consultation paper is exactly that. Formal replies can be made to Ofcom by December 4. I would urge Birmingham City Council and regional development agencies to develop a strategy for the development of the mass media in the city and to respond accordingly to the paper. We need to make a case about a fair and equitable distribution of broadcasting investment in the regions. We need to argue for greater and fairer representation of all regions – there is more to England than London and the North West. And we need to point to the talent and the heritage in our region.

So all is not lost, not yet. What is urgently needed is a unified and strategic approach and we might just be able to maintain and build our presence in the broadcasting nation and hence the world.

Michael Bradley,
Solihull.

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Great things in the region number 101

Dear Editor, I enjoyed greatly the 100 Great Things About The West Midlands supplement (Post, Sept 29).

While some of us would prefer it to be included in that 100, let’s compromise and add a 101st: Birmingham’s jazz scene is a great thing, worthy of inclusion.

The jazz course at Birmingham Conservatoire is drawing some of the most talented young players across the nation to this city, the Cobweb Collective reflects the strong community that results, and incorporates not just students but graduates of the course who have chosen to make Birmingham their creative home and workplace.

The Drum, Symphony Hall/Town Hall, the CBSO Centre, Bearwood Corks Club, the Rainbow in Digbeth, the Cross in Moseley, the Jam House in the Jewellery Quarter, the White Swan in Stratford, and Taylor John’s and the Warwick Arts Centre in Coventry have all provided vital performance spaces, and Birmingham Jazz, Stratford Jazz and Coventry Jazz as promoters have commissioned new works and provided great support for these musicians.

All have contributed to keeping Chris Bowden, Sara Colman, Soweto Kinch, Bryan Corbett, Andy Hamilton, the Sub Ensemble, Maylight, the Walsall Jazz Orchestra, Midlands Youth Jazz Orchestra and many more making strong, new and original Birmingham jazz.

Peter Bacon,
Lichfield.

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A pledge not to be trusted

Dear Editor, I welcome the Conservatives pledge yesterday to invest in high-speed rail (Tories backing high-speed rail link from Birmingham to Europe, Sept 28), however their specific plans contain some fatal flaws:

1. The Tories are likely to fund the project using the existing capital funding planned for railway infrastructure, meaning that other capital schemes will possibly be axed.

2. A Heathrow Airport Station is not included in the Conservatives plans. This should be a key part to any High Speed network in the UK as it is vital to cut car journeys to Heathrow if we are to significantly cut road traffic emissions.

3. To benefit the whole country and economy the high speed network needs to include the North-east and Scotland, the Tories plans only extend as far north as Leeds.

As a result it appears that what the Conservatives dress as radical is in fact mere populism. This plan for high speed rail is clearly targeted at key parts of the electorate, Scotland and the North-east are unwinnable for the Tories and are as such ignored.

High Speed expansion could be a once in a generation development, which would cut journey times, reduce domestic air travel and weaken the North-South economic divide if delivered properly. The Tories cannot be trusted to do this!

Paul Richards,
by email.

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Socialism for the rich

The announcement of the Government takeover of Bradford and Bingley is not genuine nationalisation but a form of “socialism for the rich”.

This state takeover, and that of Northern Rock, is not to protect small investors – and clearly not the thousands of jobs that are now being shed – but to shore up the capitalist system and in particular the rich shareholders of the wider banking system.

Nor have the government come forward with proposals to nationalise the pensions industry to protect those coming up to retirement – with the fall in the stock market over the last twelve months pensioners retiring today will be potentially 25 per cent worse off than those retiring a year ago. Aren’t pensioners worth as much as bankers?

£50 billion or more can be found to bail out the banks – but when I called in these pages for nationalisation of car production at Longbridge or Ryton, or for state intervention to save other manufacturing or industrial jobs, New Labour supporters told me that was “living in the past”. Aren’t car workers worth as much as bankers?

What is most striking about this economic crisis, however, is that amongst the three big parties there is only one voice – defence of their system and pass the bill to the taxpayer.

There is no national authoritive voice calling for genuine socialist nationalisation that would allow the economy to be rationally and democratically planned for the benefit of all.

Working people urgently need an independent political party of their own that’s not afraid to use the traditional language of socialism against working peoples’ traditional enemy – the free market system.

Coun Dave Nellist,
Socialist, Coventry City Council National chair,
Campaign for a New Workers Party.