Just to update you on The TechCrunch BBC Debate: A Common Platform, I can confirm that a few members of the press are now confirmed to attend, and we have added another great person to the panel: Tom Loosemore is leading Ofcom’s work exploring the proposal for a “public service publisher”, a new online operation that will have a budget of between £50m and £100m per year. He is also a former ‘head of Web 2.0’ at the BBC. His contribution will be invaluable in all this.
The theme for the debate is not the usual media owners’ whinge about BBC.co.uk’s money and freedom of operation but something more subtle about the future of the Corporation’s public service obligations. Steve Bowbrick, who is chairing the debate, and I have subtitled the debate ‘a common platform’ which is a phrase that seems to suggest the potential for the Corporation (and other players like 4ip) to build a shared space for citizens, organisations, institutions and businesses to use.
Unfortunately we have sold out of tickets to the event, but I’ll be blogging live from the event and encouraging others to blog, twitter and video, of course. I suggest we use the tag “TCBBC” for posts, images, etc.
Update: Jon Gisby, Channel 4’s first dedicated new media director and the former managing director of Yahoo in the UK and Ireland, will also be joining the panel.
Update: Steve Bowbrick blogs about the idea of a “common platform” here.