Whither Auntie?

The role of the BBC is coming under the microscope again after the recent revelations concerning premium rate phone quizzes. I think the BBC lost its way decades ago when it decided that its job was to compete with commercial television for viewer ratings. This was a fundamental mistake. Commercial TV depends on advertising revenue, which in turn means that it depends on maximising the number of people watching it, which in turn means that it has to put on programmes which will achieve this end. The BBC doesn't have to do this, and in my opinion its role should be to provide a positive alternative to what the commercial channels are putting out. In other words, minority interest programming. Of course, this means that it has to be made clear that the BBC is not chasing ratings, and must not be judged on that basis. At present we have what is in effect a commercial channel funded by licence money which can't be right.