REGULATORY AND PROFESSIONAL BODIES WITHIN THE CREATIVE MEDIA SECTOR

CHLOE KYRIACOU

Task 3 Understand the Regulation of the Media Sector

The British Board of Film Classification are a non governmental organization that are responsible for the national classification and censorship of all movies in the UK. They are funded by the film industry and are required to classify both video and DVD’s. It was first set up by members of the film industry as they would rather manage there own censorship than have the government do it for them. They follow the ‘The cimetorgaph Act 1909’- this is a legal act that states all cinemas must have a license from the local authority.

The BBFC website states that there mission is too ‘ protect the public, and especially children, from content that may raise harm or risk’.

BRITISH BOARD OF FILM CLASSIFICATION (BBFC)

http://www.bbfc.co.uk/

PEGI

PEGI short for Pan European Game Information is a video game content rating system. They ensure that all media related products such as films, music videos, DVD’s and games are clearly labeled with right age rating age and that it is clearly visible to all European consumers. They also help customers make informed decisions about buying computer games with logos on game’s boxes. They follow a code of conduct which all publishers using the PEGI system is required to do by law. The age rating is used to advise consumers on the suitability of the content rather than the difficulty.

IN 2012 they became the sole age classifiers of games in the United Kingdom meaning it is no long up to the BBFC to rate games.

http://www.pegi.info/en/index/

FILM DISTRIBUTORS ASSOCIATION

The Film Distribution Association are the company that release films for UK cinema audiences. They liaise and work with a wide range of individuals, organizations and companies in the film industry. First established in London in 1915, there job is too try and prevent piracy and theft and act as generic marketing body.

The three major roles the film distributors are in charge of is finance, promotion and business.

•Finance: selection of films and financing of prints and advertising.•Promotion: choosing when the film will be released, selecting who will be in charge of advertising and choosing which bit’s pf the film can be used for trailer purposes. •Business: selecting which cinemas will air the film.

http://www.launchingfilms.com/

VIDEO STANDARDS COUNCIL (VSC)

The video standards council or VSC for short is made up of a board of directors, representatives of the game industry and members of the family and child welfare sector. The are a not for profit company set up in the 80’s as a response to the governments concerns about the gaming industry. They have an established code of practice which aims to promote high standards within the video and games industry. The code incorporates a mixture of ‘the law, proper business practices and common sense.’ The VSC are the ‘statutory body responsible for the age rating of video in the UK using the PEGI system.’ They aim to protect both children, young people-and the rest of the public- from harmful or unsuitable material and content.

http://www.videostandards.org.uk/VSC/what.html

• Ofcom or Office of Communications is a government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting, postal and telecommunication industries in the United kingdom. They regulate:

• Radio• Telephone• Broadband• Postal Services • TV

They are also responsible for the management and regulation of spectrum licensing and protection. Ofcom have a wide range of powers across all the platforms. They have a duty to represent the public by promoting competition and to protect us from harmful or offensive material. Ofcom regulates a lot of "areas" but they prioritize some over others- these include any issues concerning:

• Complaints• Research• Codes and Policies• Competitions• Protecting the radio spectrum from abuse • Licencing

OFFICE FOR COMMUNICATION (OFCOM)

They represent trading standards professionals both in the UK and overseas. They make sure that what we consume whether it be entertainment wise, produce or environmentally is up to top standards. They work with local authorities, business’s, consumer sectors and within the government.

TRADING STANDARDS INSTITUTE

http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/

PRESS COMPLAINTS COMMISSION (PCC)

The press complaints commission or PCC for short are an independent body which deal with complaints made against magazines, newspapers and journalists within terms of the ‘Editors Code of Practice’ . They deal with complaints against editorial content, both visually and audio-visually in print and on paper and with the conduct of journalists. There aim is to ‘strive to protects the rights of individuals, while at the same time preserving appropriate freedom of expression for the press.’ The commission is made up of seventeen members, ten of which are general members of the public and have no relation to the magazine or newspaper industry and seven which are serving editors. The ‘Editor Code of Practice’ agreed upon by both the magazine and newspaper industry covers legal issues such as the accuracy and privacy in reporting and the manner in which journalist collect there material. http://www.pcc.org.uk/AboutthePCC/WhatisthePCC.html

ADVERTISING STANDARDS AUTHORITY(ASA)The advertising standards authority or ASA is the only independent regulator of all advertisements across all media platforms in the UK. There Job is too act on complaints made by the public or other companies and to continuously  regulate the media to make sure no 'misleading, harmful or offensive advertisements' are made. According to their website, their mission is to 'ensure that advertising in all media is legal, decent, honest and truthful, to the benefit of consumers, business and society.' ASA will investigate:

Printed Media•Broadcast Media•Direct Marketing•Internet Marketing •Sales Promotions•They will typically not take in to account complaints made on an advertisement that has been around for more than 3 months- there are a few exceptions for this rule. 

They apply the 'advertising codes', these are a set of rules and guidelines written by the 'committee of advertising practice' that must be followed. The codes specify that 'before distributing or submitting a marketing communication for publication, marketers must hold documentary evidence to prove all claims, whether direct or implied, that are capable of objective substantiation.'

If a complaint is made about an advertisement they will investigate to see if it meets there 'advertising standards codes.' ASA will then contact the advertisers to get there views on the advertisement, both the advertiser and complainant will be asked to give a written statement which will then be submitted to the 'Independent Advertising Standards Authority Council.' The complaint will be in there hands and they will vote on whether they should uphold the complaint or not.

ASA has investigated cases that involve a lot of well known brands and companies such as L'Oreal, Asda and Ryanair. Apple have have been involved in two major rulings by ASA in 2004 and then again in 2008 over claims they made about two of there products which they were not able to prove.

http://www.asa.org.uk/

On the 18th of October 2008 during a live air on BBC 6 Music Radio, Russell brand and host Jonathan Ross made a series of phone calls to Andrew Sachs leaving inappropriate voicemails about his granddaughter. The mail on Sunday were first to break the story after numerous complaints were made to Ofcom.

The BBC suspended both presenters, however Russell Brand decided to resign from his co-host position.

Since so many complaints were made to Ofcom, they had an act of duty to do something about it. It was finalised that the BBC would be fined and had to pay up a total of £150,000 for airing the calls and not cutting the broadcast short.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/3274807/Transcript-Russell-Brand-and-Jonathan-Ross-prank-call-to-Andrew-Sachs.html

HTTP://WWW.BBFC.CO.UK/

HTTP://WWW.PARENTPORT.ORG.UK/FIND-OUT-MORE/BBFC

HTTP://WWW.PEGI.INFO/EN/INDEX/

HTTP://WWW.PEGI.INFO/EN/INDEX/ID/28/

HTTP://UK.IGN.COM/WIKIS/CONTENT-RATINGS/PEGI

HTTP://WWW.FIAD.EU/#!WHAT-DOES-A-FILM-DISTRIBUTOR-DO/C9L2

HTTP://WWW.LAUNCHINGFILMS.COM/ABOUT-US

HTTP://WWW.VIDEOSTANDARDS.ORG.UK/VSC/WHAT.HTML

HTTP://WWW.OFCOM.ORG.UK/

HTTP://EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/WIKI/TRADING_STANDARDS_INSTITUTE