Reluctant Europeans – the BBC and European media policymaking 1992-1997

ABSTRACT

The BBC is often seen as an institution that represents and helps define ‘Britishness’. It has also been taken as a model for public service reform in the UK. In the early 1990s, the BBC shifted strategically to become more engaged in the making of European Union media policy as it sought to expand its international and commercial services. This article looks at the micro-history of the development of the BBC’s active European engagement, with specific reference to its role within the Brussels policy environment, drawing on contemporary documentary materials and discussions with key players within and outside the BBC. The article contributes to our understanding of the making of media policy within the European Union, and the role of media organisations, and the discourse coalitions to which they belong, within that process, and adds to the developing literature on the argumentative turn in public policy.

KEYWORDS:

• Britishness
• BBC
• Europe
• public sphere
• public service broadcasting
• policy

Acknowledgments

The author wishes to record his thanks to former BBC Controller of International Relations, David Barlow; former BBC Head of European Affairs, Matteo Maggiore; former BBC Deputy Head of European Affairs, Patricia Galvin; and former MEP, Carole Tongue, all of whom consented to comment on and assist with this article at different stages; and also to participants in the Media Policy and Digitalization Workshop at the 2017 Nordic Political Studies Association Congress in Odense where a paper on these themes was presented; and to the two independent reviewers whose comments helped sharpen the structure and argument.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Leighton Andrews

Leighton Andrews is Professor of Practice in Public Service Leadership at Cardiff University. He is a former Labour Minister in the Welsh Governments from 2007-16. He was the BBC’s Head of Public Affairs from 1993-96. His most recent book is Facebook, the Media and Democracy (2019). His publications include work on the BBC, devolution, Englishness, ministerial ethics, political communication and social media regulation. He is chair of the Cardiff City Football Club Community Foundation.