Can Arts On BBC Be Saved?

A public review of the BBC reveals that viewers don’t value the public broadcaster’s arts programming. “Some will see these figures as further evidence of dumbing down. Public service broadcasting, they will conclude, continues to be squeezed by competitive pressures on audience share and reach, forced to abandon the cultural high ground in pursuit of endless makeover and reality TV strands, and tacky celebrity journalism such as Thursday’s Channel 5 documentary on Michael Jackson’s face. But the reality, as so often in these kinds of debates, is more complex.”

London’s Manhattan Project For The Arts

What will London’s new arts initiative look like? “It sets out to make an immediate impact with a step-by-step policy of clearing blocks to arts activities. Its first move is a website which goes online today and which acts as a “space agency” – a clearing house for empty buildings or rooms which could be used for marketing, rehearsals and performances by arts groups.”