Simon Gray
[email address]
22nd March 2010
Dear Mr Gray,
Freedom of Information request – RFI20100315 Thank you for your request to the BBC of 2nd March, seeking the following information under the
Freedom of Information Act 2000:
the outline costs of the various BBC radio stations:
Radio 1
Radio 1 Xtra
Radio 2
Radio 3
Radio 4
Radio 5 Live
Radio 5 Sports Extra
BBC 6 Music
BBC 7
BBC Asian Network
I would like the cost information broken down in terms of:
Total 'on air talent' (ie presenters & djs etc) salaries (I do not
need to know individual salaries),
Total production staff (ie producers, broadcast assistants etc)
salaries,
Total rights (ie music broadcast rights, drama first broadcast &
repeat fee rights, etc) costs, &
Total transmission cost (ie, how much it costs for the transmitters
etc to physically pump the broadcast out).
I would like this information separated for each of the stations
listed above.
Additionally, I would like the number of hours per week that each
station is broadcasting for, & the BBC's estimated (or known)
weekly audience figures for each station. If you were able to
calculate the total cost per listener hour for each station for me,
that would be icing on the cake.
The information you requested in relation to transmission costs is available in the financial
statements in the last Annual Report, which you can find at:
http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/annualreport/pdf/bbc_ar_online_08_09.pdf
Please note that we don’t buy our transmission service on a per channel or network basis. The
figures as displayed are a means by which we account for the spend in this area and represent an
allocation of costs to each of the services based on internal assumptions.
All the other information you have requested is excluded from the Act because it is held for the
purposes of ‘journalism, art or literature.’ The BBC is therefore not obliged to provide this
information to you and will not be doing so on this occasion. Part VI of Schedule 1 to FOIA
provides that information held by the BBC and the other public service broadcasters is only
covered by the Act if it is held for ‘purposes
other than those of journalism, art or literature”. The
BBC is not required to supply information held for the purposes of creating the BBC’s output or
information that supports and is closely associated with these creative activities.1
You may not be aware that one of the main policy drivers behind the limited application of the Act
to public service broadcasters was to protect freedom of expression and the rights of the media
under Article 10 European Convention on Human Rights (“ECHR”). The BBC, as a media
organisation, is under a duty to impart information and ideas on all matters of public interest and
the importance of this function has been recognised by the European Court of Human Rights.
Maintaining our editorial independence is a crucial factor in enabling the media to fulfil this
function.
That said, the BBC makes a huge range of information available about our programmes and
content on bbc.co.uk. We also proactively publish information covered by the Act on our
publication scheme and regularly handle requests for information under the Act.
Appeal Rights
The BBC does not offer an internal review when the information requested is not covered by the
Act. If you disagree with our decision you can appeal to the Information Commissioner. Contact
details are: Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire,
SK9 5AF telephone 01625 545 700. http://www.ico.gov.uk
1 For more information about how the Act applies to the BBC please see the enclosure at the end of this letter. Please
note that this guidance is not intended to be a comprehensive legal interpretation of how the Act applies to the BBC.
Please note that should the Information Commissioner’s Office decide that the Act does cover
this information, exemptions under the Act might then apply.
Yours sincerely,
Chris Burns
Group Manager for Audio & Music
Freedom of Information
From January 2005 the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2000 gives a general right of access to all
types of recorded information held by public authorities. The Act also sets out exemptions from that
right and places a number of obligations on public authorities. The term “public authority” is defined in
the Act; it includes all public bodies and government departments in the UK. The BBC, Channel 4 and
S4C are the only broadcasters covered by the Act.
Application to the BBC
The BBC has a long tradition of making information available and accessible. It seeks to be open and
accountable and already provides the public with a great deal of information about its activities. BBC
Information operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week handling telephone and written comments
and queries, and the BBC’s website bbc.co.uk provides an extensive online information resource.
It is important to bear this in mind when considering the Freedom of Information Act and how it
applies to the BBC. The Act does not apply to the BBC in the way it does to most public authorities in
one significant respect. It recognises the different position of the BBC (as well as Channel 4 and S4C)
by saying that it covers information “held for purposes other than those of journalism, art or
literature”. This means the Act does not apply to information held for the purposes of creating the
BBC’s output (TV, radio, online etc), or information that supports and is closely associated with these
creative activities.
A great deal of information within this category is currently available from the BBC and will continue
to be so. If this is the type of information you are looking for, you can check whether it is available on
the BBC’s website bbc.co.uk or contact BBC Information.
The Act does apply to all of the other information we hold about the management and running of the
BBC.
The BBC
The BBC's aim is to enrich people's lives with great programmes and services that inform, educate and
entertain. It broadcasts radio and television programmes on analogue and digital services in the UK. It
delivers interactive services across the web, television and mobile devices. The BBC's online service is
Europe's most widely visited content site. Across the world, the BBC broadcasts radio programmes in
32 languages on the BBC World Service and the 24 hour television service, BBC World News.
The BBC's remit as a public service broadcaster is defined in the BBC Charter and Agreement. It is
the responsibility of the BBC Trust to ensure that the organisation delivers against this remit by
setting key objectives, approving strategy and policy, and monitoring and assessing performance. The
Trustees also safeguard the BBC's independence and ensure the Corporation is accountable to its
audiences and to Parliament. The Trust is supported by a network of advisory bodies across the UK.
Day-to-day operations are run by the Director-General and his senior management team, the
Executive Board. All BBC output in the UK is funded by an annual Licence Fee. This is determined and
regularly reviewed by Parliament. Each year, the BBC publishes an Annual Report & Accounts, and
reports to Parliament on how it has delivered against its public service remit.
