Home > Media and Analysts > News Release Archive > 2006 > Apr > 06|04|06

06|04|06

Ofcom consults on commercial television appeals for donations

Section 10.15 of the Ofcom Broadcasting Code currently prevents commercial television broadcasters from appealing for donations to help make their programmes. Ofcom is today seeking views on whether this ban should remain in place.

Radio broadcasters are not currently subject to the same restrictions, although there are conditions attached to the way they appeal for donations. More than ten percent of radio listeners have chosen to access radio services via other digital platforms, including television. Ofcom believes it is therefore appropriate to consider whether in future there should be a uniform approach to regulating this form of funding which is applied equally across all platforms.

Viewer concern

Audience research by Ofcom suggests that viewers are concerned about various aspects of appeals on television. Specifically, that donations will be used for a purpose other than the one for which they were given and that vulnerable people might accept misleading and exaggerated claims and make donations they cannot afford.

Ofcom has not yet formed a view on whether the advantages of lifting the current restrictions outweigh any potential disadvantages.

In the event that, after consultation, the current restrictions were lifted, a number of safeguards would also need to be considered:

• current conditions on radio appeals would apply to television. Namely, that the audience must be told the purpose of the donation, which must be accounted for separately and later used for its stated purpose;
• current rules governing religious broadcasters will apply to appeals made by them. Of most relevance are rules which state that:
  
  
  • broadcasters must exercise the proper degree of responsibility with respect to the content of religious programmes; and
  • religious programmes must not improperly exploit any susceptibilities of the audience.
    
• appeals must not create unrealistic expectations of what might be achieved by donor contributions; and
• donations must not be accepted from political bodies, and must not affect editorial independence.
  

Next steps

The deadline for responses is 15 June 2006. The document can be found at www.ofcom.org.uk along with research into viewer attitudes towards possible future funding mechanisms.

Ends.

Back to top