Apologies if this has bee pointed out before

http://www.bbc.co.uk/foi/docs/organisation_and_management/how_the_BBC_is_Run/The...

The use of 0870, 0845, 0800 & premium rate telephone numbers by the BBC



Explanatory Note

                                             

Background



John (later Lord) Reith said in 1924 that “Personally, I think it is worthwhile to deal carefully with programme correspondence … It all tends towards the establishment of some degree of confidence and intimacy between the broadcasting organisation and the public: and we know this to be of the highest importance”. Since then the BBC has welcomed contact with the audience, at first by letter, then telephone and later email and text messages and also face-to-face through tours, live shows and events.



The telephone is the most convenient for most of our audience who last year made around 2.6 million calls to the BBC on a variety of tariffs, mainly on 0870 but also on freephone 0800, 0845 and other numbers including some geographic numbers such as the Belfast, Cardiff and Glasgow and London switchboards. In addition around 19 million calls were made last year to premium rate 090 numbers, set up by BBC Worldwide’s Audiocall, to take part in votelines or competitions which often raise money for good causes.



Why the variety of telephone numbers and charges?



Programme and Audience needs vary and using one number and tariff is not practicable so there are different systems, numbers and tariffs for four different kinds of services:



1. Mass access telephone response systems such as Strictly Come Dancing, generally use a premium rate 090 number which pays for the set-up, running costs and technology that ensures that the audience has an equal chance of getting through. Often premium rate systems are the only practical way to ensure that there is a robust system which can cope with millions of calls, fairly and accurately. Votes and competitions cost 15p or 25p per call. The BBC’s own editorial guidelines and the independent regulator ICSTIS have strict controls over the use of premium rate telephone numbers. The BBC’s guidelines prohibit it from aiming to make a profit from telephony – the BBC is unique amongst broadcasters in this. Therefore the BBC always seeks the lowest price for callers (the lowest tariff was recently raised by BT from 10p to 15p a call). The BBC only sets a higher tariff if the aim is specifically to raise money for charity and then seeks to return the biggest slice of the revenue to good causes. Half of every 25p charged for votes for Strictly Come Dancing went to Children in Need. This has proved an increasingly popular method of audience donation to good causes. 



2. Normal business, where the BBC answers enquiries about programmes or services including booking tickets, or handles audience comments and complaints, The charging policy set by the BBC in1998 when approving the investment proposal in the Capita-run BBC Information service, was that a move from a geographic London number to a ‘national rate’ 0870 numbers would help contain demand and help deter trivial calls. Paying the full cost of the call also meant that the caller was the same situation as a letter writer who has to pay for a stamp. Last year Cable and Wireless reported that 4 out of 5 callers to BBC paid 15p or less and 9 out of 10 less than 21p for their call, cheaper than a stamp. The other advantage of an 0870 number, rather than a geographical number, was that it did not imply the BBC was solely based in London, or any other one location. The BBC does not make any money for itself from audience phone calls or text messages.



3. Text messages e.g. to Radio 1 or 5Live.The BBC does not generate any revenue from text messages to the national radio networks. Messages are charged at network operator rates of 10 or 12p, which is the minimum we are able to charge on a short code, such at 81199. The majority of this goes to the network operator. A small amount (under 1p per message) goes to the third party commercial company responsible for aggregating the messages and supplying the infrastructure enabling

the BBC to receive them. In some cases, premium rate text services may be run in conjunction with charity based competitions e.g. Comic Relief. No money comes back to the BBC, and again we seek to ensure that a majority of the call cost goes to charity. In some cases the mobile operators also donate part of their profits to the charity.



4. Freephone Helplines providing further information or support following a programme that raises difficult or distressing issues such as the Hitting Home series or the organ DoNation project where over 60,000 viewers called and many of whom registered as organ donors. Because the BBC pays the cost, using a freephone 0800 number ensures that the call is confidential and does not appear on the caller’s phone bill. Freephone lines are also provided where the caller is helping other people, such as giving to approved charities on the Radio 4 Appeal or the Lifeline programme.



What does the audience think of these telephone charges?



The BBC has used ‘special telephone numbers’ such as 0870, 0845 and 0800 for about a decade without any significant comment or criticism from the audience. However in the last year there has been a growing lobby against 0870 numbers. Many programmes including You and Yours,

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