Why we need to Save Kids’ TV
British children’s television - on the BBC, Channel 4, ITV and Five - has been widely acknowledged as amongst the most creative and innovative in the world. But changes in children’s viewing patterns, and the ban on certain types of advertising to children, have put huge strains on commercial broadcasters.
Read more background
With a world-beating industry in collapse and UK Kids losing out as their viewing becomes predictable and homogenised, we need new ways of thinking about the funding and distribution of public service content for children. The Save Kids’ TV campaign aims to stimulate awareness of the issues, debate about the future of kids’ cultural entitlement and support for funding to provide kids the very best home-grown education and entertainment, which is their right.
Why kids need TV that’s about them…
We believe that our kids need programmes which reflect their lives back to them. This is a vital ingredient for a healthy, balanced childhood and to produce engaged and empowered citizens of the future.
Read more
What we need to do…
Save Kids’ TV has already campaigned successfully for the crisis in children’s television to be recognised. We were instrumental in pushing Ofcom to an earlier than planned review of children’s broadcasting which resulted in the October 2007 Ofcom report. This was a research-based analysis which identifies the huge problems facing the UK children’ production industry and revealed that the British public are concerned about the decline in viewing choice for their kids.
Save Kids’ TV’s response to the report is a comprehensive plan to ensure children’s media continues to be funded into the future.
Ofcom’s Second Public Service Broadcasting Review was published in April 2008. It looks at the future of kids’ television along with all other genres threatened by the PSB funding decline. The report recognises that children’s is the “canary in the coalmine” for all the other PSB genres Digital switch-over will bring a completely new regulatory environment in which it will be very difficult to force any commercial broadcaster to stick with their public service commitments.
Ofcom set out four possible scenarios for public service content in the UK which of course also relate to the future of kids’ TV. They called for responses to their ideas and Save Kids’ TV submitted a response which drew to their attention the basic needs of children whichever option was adopted.
With the consultation closed, the time has come for Ofcom to recommend a possible course of action to the Government and the planned date for that is September ’08. Save Kids’ TV will be campaigning vigorously to get politicians to understand the issues, the need for funding to replace what the industry has lost, and the urgency of the kids’ situation – more pressing than the other genres because the crisis hit the kids sector first!
You can also take action and join the campaign. Sign up for our newsletter to keep in touch with the issues and progress and sign the petition on the 10 Downing Street website to make the Government sit up and take notice. The Producers’ alliance PACT has also created a handy letter writing system so that you can send a mail directly to your MP, go to their website to do this if you feel you can…
Save Kids’ TV has produced a one-page flier which you can print off and distribute at meetings or amongst friends, or which you could email to people to get them interested in the campaign.
Download flier
If you’re a blogger or interested in reading topical blogs, you may like to visit KC the purple bunny’s blog.
