BBC boss says he is still undecided on plans to beef up local websites

BBC director-general Mark Thompson said today he was "open minded" on whether the Corporation should push ahead with plans to beef up its local websites by increasing video content. He said it was a matter of weighing up the benefits to the public against the potential damage it would cause to other media.
Thompson was speaking at a debate on "Public Service Broadcasting and the Ofcom Review," organised by the NUJ, Writers' Guild, Equity and the broadcasting unions at the House of Commons. He said: "Given the state of the UK media I am pretty open minded on whether the advantage to the British public [of upping video content on local BBC websites] outweighs the potential adverse impact on other players."
Regional newspapers have angrily claimed that any expansion of BBC local websites would create unfair competition at a time when they are under pressure from falling circulations to develop their own digital services.
NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear accused ITV companies of already cutting back on local news and programmes before full consultation had taken place. He said surveys showed that 97 per cent of viewers want the same or more local news and programmes. He said there was a danger "ITV will shut the stable door after the valuable horses have bolted." Stewart Purvis, for Ofcom, said if ITV did not want to produce local news it may be possible for others, for example local newspapers or community groups, to "come to the party" and provide it.