Broadcasting Act 1990

Provision of news programmesU.K.

31 Provision of news on Channels 3 and 5.U.K.

(1)A Channel 3 or Channel 5 licence shall include conditions requiring the licence holder—

(a)to broadcast in the licensed service news programmes of high quality dealing with national and international matters; and

(b)to broadcast such programmes in that service at intervals throughout the period for which the service is provided, and in particular (except in the case of a national Channel 3 licence) at peak viewing times.

(2)[F1For the purpose of securing the nationwide broadcast, by holders of regional channel 3 licenses (taken together), of news programmes which are able to compete effectively with other news programmes broadcast nationwide in the United Kingdom,] regional Channel 3 licence shall, in addition, include conditions requiring the news programmes broadcast by the licence holder in compliance with conditions imposed in pursuance of subsection (1) to be programmes provided by [F2the appointed news provider] which are—

(a)presented live, and

(b)broadcast simultaneously with the broadcasts of news programmes provided by [F3the appointed] news provider which are made by other holders of regional Channel 3 licences in compliance with conditions so imposed.

[F4(3)In subsection (2) “appointed news provider” means, subject to subsection (4), the body corporate for the time being appointed for the purposes of subsection (2), from among the bodies corporate nominated by the Commission under section 32, in accordance with conditions included by virtue of section 31A in regional Channel 3 licences.

(4)A body corporate ceases by virtue of this subsection to be the appointed news provider if its nomination is terminated by the Commission under any provision of section 32.]

[F531A Appointment of news provider by holders of regional Channel 3 licences.U.K.

A regional Channel 3 licence shall include conditions requiring the holder of the licence to do all that he can to ensure—

(a)that arrangements are made between all holders of regional Channel 3 licences (“the relevant licence holders”) for the appointment by them, from among the bodies corporate nominated by the Commission under section 32, and on such terms as the relevant licence holders may agree, of a single body corporate to be the appointed news provider for the purposes of section 31(2), and

(b)that, so long as he provides his licensed service, an appointment for the purposes of section 31(2) is in force.]

32 Nomination of bodies to provide news for regional Channel 3 services.U.K.

[F6(1)With a view to enabling them to nominate bodies corporate as eligible for appointment for the purposes of section 31(2), the Commission shall invite bodies appearing to them to be qualified for nomination to make applications to be so nominated.

(2)Where a body corporate—

(a)applies to the Commission (whether in pursuance of any such invitation or not) to be nominated under this section as a nominated news provider, and

(b)appears to the Commission to be qualified for nomination,

the Commission shall so nominate that body.

(3)Subject to subsection (5), any nomination made by the Commission under this section shall remain in force for a period of ten years, and at the end of that period may be renewed by the Commission for a further period of ten years.

(4)Where the Commission are notified by the holders of licences to provide regional Channel 3 services that the appointment of the appointed news provider is due to expire, or to be renewed or terminated in accordance with the terms of the appointment, the Commission shall review the qualification for nomination of all nominated news providers (including the appointed news provider).

(5)If on any such review it appears to the Commission that a body is no longer qualified for nomination they shall (subject to subsection (6)) by notice terminate that body’s nomination.

(6)The Commission shall not terminate a body’s nomination under subsection (5) unless they have given the body a reasonable opportunity of making representations to them about the proposed termination.]

(7)Before nominating, or terminating the nomination of, any body under this section the Commission shall consult every person who is the holder of a licence to provide a regional Channel 3 service.

(8)Any instrument by which a body is nominated under this section shall include conditions—

(a)imposing limits on the extent to which persons of any specified class or description may be participants in the nominated news provider;

(b)requiring that body to provide the Commission with such information as they may reasonably require for the purpose of determining whether any of those limits has been exceeded; and

(c)enabling the Commission to terminate that body’s nomination if satisfied that any of those limits has been exceeded;

and any such instrument may provide for any of those limits to apply only after the expiry of a specified period.

(9)The limits imposed in pursuance of subsection (8) shall secure—

(a)that no person is a participant with more than a 20 per cent. interest in the nominated news provider; F7. . .

F7(b). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(10)Any limit imposed in accordance with subsection (9)(a) shall have effect in relation to a particular participant as if he and every person connected with him were one person; and for this purpose the following persons shall be treated as connected with a particular participant, namely—

(a)a person who controls the participant;

(b)an associate of the participant or of a person falling within paragraph (a); and

(c)a body which is controlled by the participant or by any associate of the participant.

(11)Subject to the provisions of subsections (9) and (10), the limits imposed in pursuance of subsection (8) shall be such as the Commission may determine.

(12)A body corporate shall be disqualified for being nominated under this section if, by virtue of any provision in Part II of Schedule 2 to this Act, it would be a disqualified person in relation to any description of licence granted by the Commission; and any reference in this section to a body corporate appearing to the Commission to be qualified for nomination is a reference to a body corporate [F8which—

(a)in their opinion is or, if appointed, would be effectively equipped and adequately financed to provide high quality news programmes for broadcasting in regional Channel 3 services; and

(b)appears to them not to be disqualified for being nominated under this section by virtue of this subsection.]

(13)In this section—

(a)references to a nominated news provider are references to a body corporate for the time being nominated under this section; and

(b)references to nomination under this section are references to nomination under this section [F9as eligible for appointment]for the purposes of section 31(2);

(c)references to the appointed news provider are references to the person for the time being appointed for the purposes of section 31(2) under the arrangements referred to in section 31A(a).]

and subsections (8) to (10) shall be construed in accordance with Part I of Schedule 2 to this Act.