More BBC coverage would be unfair competition says editor

Mon, 09 Jan 2012

The editor of Isle of Man Newspapers says he was disturbed by some of the recommendations in a Tynwald report into the TV licence fee.

A Select Committee was set up to look at the service the Island gets from the BBC.

It was decided residents should still be buying a TV licence, but it was felt the BBC could be giving more and should spend an extra £1m a year - either through services or by supporting public broadcasting.

Editor Richard Butt wrote to the committee after reading the findings to say that this would be potentially destabilising for the newspapers and the rest of the Manx commercial media.

Mr Butt says an extra £1m worth of coverage could potentially swamp the Island and would be unfair competition.

Tynwald accepted the report but the Council of Ministers was then tasked with looking at the findings.

The CoMin report will got before Tynwald this month.