I’m delighted to have been asked to become the Chair of the APPG for Media at a time when the role of media, media’s consumption and business models for media companies are changing at rapid pace. It would however be remiss of me not to take this opportunity to thank Rosie Cooper MP for her service to the group, I’m delighted she has agreed to remain as a Vice Chair of the Group.

Prior to joining the House of Commons I’ve spent much of my career working in media. My background is in Radio, starting off as a journalist in my early 20s working at various stations around the country. During the late 1990s, I worked on many successful applications to the regulator to launch and run new commercial radio licenses in towns and cities across the UK. In 2001 I joined the Guardian Media Group, initially as the Programming Director of their radio business in Leeds. I was then appointed Managing Director (MD) of their Welsh radio interests in 2003 and spent 5 years working in Cardiff. I also played a key role in the launch of Smooth Radio around the UK, based at Media City in Salford, working with teams across the UK and in 2010 became their Group MD.

Today, more than ever, the media plays a critical role in our lives, as families, businesses and organisations navigate their way through the coronavirus epidemic. As the majority of people are now spending their time indoors, media usage online, radio listening, television viewing has soared, meaning the industry has a crucial role in messaging factual content to allow people to hear the latest health guidance and as a means to scrutinise the decisions taken.

That’s just as important at a local level. Strong local democracy benefits from vibrant local media, they hold key decision-makers to account, share vital news and information and set an agenda for growth and optimism. We need trusted news more than ever and local media recruit, train and develop journalists who play a critical role in our society. Newspapers, radio and news sites are also important platforms for businesses to connect with their customers, so my plea to advertisers is please continue to support the media – remind your customers about the role you’re playing so that they know about your efforts when we return to better times.

I’m very mindful that business models for traditional media are being challenged as never before, some are cyclical, and some are structural issues. The Advertising Association and WARC report that UK advertisement spending is going to fall by just under 17% in 2020, which equates to around £4.23bn less than pre-COVID-19 projections. That reduction will impact on jobs, creativity and innovation and wealth generation. The media sector is one of our great exporters, British brands are recognised across the globe, how do we capitalise on a new trade opportunity presented by Brexit?

Another topic which I am looking forward to discussing on a wider basis and one which features regularly in my email inbox is the future of the BBC licence fee. Love it or hate it, the BBC is a British institution and most people of a certain age were brought up on a healthy diet of wholesome BBC kids TV. We’ve reached a position where the Reithian principles of Educate, Entertain and Inform are again being debated and more importantly how we pay for the swathes of content on TV, radio and online that the beavering producers at Broadcasting House or Media City create. Should everyone who wants to watch live TV still be compelled to buy a TV licence and if you don’t buy one, should you be at risk of a criminal record and a prison sentence?

In the midst of a pandemic that has taken too many lives, we have also witnessed a sharp rise in deliberate misinformation campaigns on social media, which have occurred in parallel with attempts to hack international organisations at the forefront of the coronavirus response.

The support given to the Humanitarian-to-Humanitarian (H2H) network from the Department for International Development is most welcome and will challenge misinformation in South East Asia and Africa, which is then spreading worldwide and harmful to us all. As an industry we need to look at how false claims and conspiracy theories have spread so rapidly on social media, touting ‘cures’ like drinking bleach or rubbing mustard and garlic into your skin. These pose a serious risk to health and damage the good communications work put in by Government and external bodies.

As parliamentarians, we need to work closely with the industry to look at these issues and engage with one of the fastest changing sectors in the world. In my role as Chair I want to not only make sure appropriate regulation is in place but to also make sure the UK remains a world beacon of media excellence.

Whilst the country and parliament are operating virtually at the moment, I look forward to the day in which we can run out our programme of events, site visits and debates to tackle these very issues.

Andy Carter MP