The BBC plans to spend £2.1million of BBC licence fee money on fast-tracking ethnic minority talent onto the screen with a new ‘diversity’ committee (Yipee they’ve found another way to waste money).
Director-general Tony Hall said the corporation had ‘to do more’ to increase ethnic minority representation (positive discrimination aka racism) both on and off camera.
He said the ‘diversity creative talent fund’ would help fast-track ‘certain shows’ onto the screen and create a series of development programmes aimed at encouraging future commissioners and executives from ethnic minority backgrounds.
The director-general said he wanted to see ethnic minorities account for 15% of air talent in the next three years and said he would also set ‘local targets’ in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leicester to reflect the population of those cities.
He also said he wanted those from ethnic minority backgrounds to account for 15% of senior staff by 2020 (They expect the BBC TV Licence to be with us then).
He said: ‘I want a new talent led approach that will help set the pace in the media industry.
‘I believe in this and want our record to be beyond reproach.
‘That won’t be achieved overnight, but the package of measures I’ve put in place, alongside the support we’ll get from leading experts, will make a tangible difference.’
Actor Lenny Henry, who has criticised the TV and film industry in the past for not providing a ‘fair and honest reflection of our society’, has signed up to the committee to help advise the corporation on its representation of ethnic minorities (so he got his new job).
The star joins other names including Paralympian Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, former footballer Jason Roberts and TV presenter and Liberal Democrat peer Floella Benjamin.
The BBC said they would ‘advise and support the BBC on diversity’………………………………….so much for best person for the job and why isn’t this being called racist?