The BBC and The Sky at Night

For all its travails and the political pressure it comes under there is nothing to match the BBC in the world of broadcasting and more widely the gathering and presentation of information in as near neutral way as is possible. True, there has been money wasted on executive pay-offs but the private sector ideologues are in top of the draw greenhouses throwing stones – except that they have the added luxury of having installed unbreakable glass.
The BBC World Service is one of the few ways open to this country to project its influence in the world – a benign influence earned from impartial, complete and trustworthy information. But it too has faced narrow minded and ill-motivated cuts.
Many of the BBC’s self inflicted executive financial wounds stem from the dire culture of managerialism that was introduced under a government of similar ilk to the one we endure now. Hopefully, much of this worthless bossing around is now being reconsidered, with the savings invested in high quality programmes.
But the BBC is not perfect and it has made real blunders when it comes to Birmingham with the disinvestment in studios and programmes made here and the cancelling of Carl Chinn’s programme as examples.
Alas, the BBC is now on the verge of another programming miss-step by threatening to axe The Sky at Night. Few programmes would have survived the loss of an inspiring and dedicated presenter such as Patrick Moore but the new presenters have been doing very well in my view.
The BBC, as a public service broadcaster, has a remit to provide educational programming. It is on this basis that they collect the licence fee and no programme can claim to fill this remit more strongly than The Sky at Night. Many of today’s scientists and academics state that their enthusiasm for their subject was inspired by this programme and many more ‘armchair’ enthusiasts such as myself have gained much from it over half a century. What other programmes can boast that?
If you agree that The Sky at Night should be saved, please sign the petition at www.change.org