BBC Says They’re Too Smart For Audience

-By Warner Todd Huston

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) continues to refute claims that they are heavily biased to the left and the State run entertainers deny any claims that they pander to the elites of British society. But a new internal study seems to be saying that the programing “remains too middle class and highbrow and needs to be driven downmarket”. Leave it to the BEEB to imagine that they are somehow too smart for their audience.

Executives at the corporation have always denied that it is a bastion of the liberal elite, pandering to the young, upmarket and metropolitan.

But now they are secretly conceding there may be some truth in the accusations and are drawing up plans to make programmes more populist.

Some “truth in the accusations”? As laughable it is for the BEEB to continue to deny their leftward leaning editorial underpinnings — they “embedded” a reporter with the Taliban to give them positive coverage, for Heaven’s sake — it’s even more outrageous that they imagine themselves the smartest one in the room.

For those Americans who are unaware, the BBC is funded by the government and every British citizen is forced by law to pay a tax to own and watch their TVs. Even if they never watch a BBC channel, they pay the tax. They call it a license fee and it amounts to a compulsory annual payment of £131.50 (about $260 US yearly).

But, the new study seems to be saying that the BBC’s programming does not serve the “lower classes”.

Although in its early stages, the report has already found that lower income families are less well served than their wealthier counterparts. “There is a feeling we may be serving the professional classes well, but not reaching the C2s and D1s,” one BBC insider is reported to have said.

It is a good question, seeing as how the British people are forced to foot the bills for the BBC. Should the media group cater to the whole of the citizenry, or should they program only what they, not the paying public, want to program?

Naturally, the BBC reveals that they couldn’t care less what the people who pay the bills want. They imagine themselves the ultimate arbiter of what is good entertainment.

However, a BBC insider said: “The corporation has lost all perspective. It is defeatist to constantly chase the populist market. Sometimes you have to give people what they need and not just what they want.”

Can’t you just feel the disdain they have for that lowly “market”? And isn’t it interesting that this “insider” feels that the market works… except for what HE wants programmed? Obviously this “insider” and his compatriots inside the BBC imagine they know better about what the public “needs”.

What other group than leftists would imagine they are smarter, more “caring” and “civilized” than are their fellow citizens? What other group feels they are so much better than all they encounter but the elitists of the left that populate the boardrooms of the BEEB?

A spokesman for the BBC also said, “It’s ludicrous to suggest the BBC would dumb down.”

So, there you have it. As far as the BBC is concerned, in order to give taxpayers what they want, they have to “dumb down.” After all, those stupid lower classes just aren’t smart enough to “get” the highbrow programming of the BBC and they just don’t know what is good for them. Right?

Just goes to show that a leftists think they are smarter than the rest of us no matter from what country they hail.

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Warner Todd Huston’s thoughtful commentary, sometimes irreverent often historically based, is featured on many websites such as newsbusters.org, townhall.com, men’snewsdaily.com and americandaily.com among many, many others. Additionally, he has been a guest on several radio programs to discuss his opinion editorials and current events. He has also written for several history magazines and appears in the new book “Americans on Politics, Policy and Pop Culture” which can be purchased on amazon.com. He is also the owner and operator of publiusforum.com. Feel free to contact him with any comments or questions : EMAIL Warner Todd Huston


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