The government is expected to announce that, after months of wrangling, it will privatise Channel 4, four decades after it aired its first programme; a staple for the broadcaster – Countdown.
Here’s the station’s journey from launch by Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government to Monday’s announcement about its privatisation.
1982
Channel 4 airs for the first time in November, two years after an act of parliament paved the way for its launch. The channel was to be publicly owned but commercially funded through advertising. Richard Whiteley, who hosted Countdown until 2005, was the first presenter to appear on screen. The long-running soap Brookside was also broadcast on its launch date.
1989
Margaret Thatcher rejects the idea of privatising the channel, fearing it would reduce quality.
1996
Cabinet members in John Major’s government pass an indicative vote to look at its privatisation, but its then chairman, Sir Michael Bishop, persuades Major to drop the idea.
2003
A revised “public service” duty for Channel 4 is emphasised in the Communications Act. It says that it should provide a “broad range of high quality and diverse programming”, including appealing “to the tastes and interests of a culturally diverse society”.
2015
Months after winning a parliamentary majority in the general election, David Cameron tells the Commons that he is open to the idea of “private investment” in the broadcaster.
2016
In response to speculation about the government potentially privatising the channel, a House of Lords committee finds that the drawbacks of privatisation outweigh any potential benefits.
Its report says that news, current affairs and film would be at risk. “We are concerned that … a private owner may seek to dilute C4C’s public service remit in future, in order to maximise profit,” the report added.
2019
Channel 4 is cleared of bias by Ofcom after replacing Boris Johnson with a melting block of ice during a general election leadership debate on climate change. During the election a campaign source tells the Guardian that the party will review its licence, amid accusations of bias from Conservatives.
2020
The Conservative media minister John Whittingdale tells a party conference fringe event that the government is considering “whether there is still a need for a second publicly owned public service broadcaster”.
May 2021
Oliver Dowden, the culture secretary, says that Channel 4 could be sold before 2024 to provide a “sustainable future” for the broadcaster.
July 2021
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport launches a consultation on the future of Channel 4, with the government supporting its privatisation. It says that this is because of the broadcasting landscape having “changed beyond recognition” since 1982.
September 2021
A report finds that up to 60 TV production companies could go out of business if Channel 4 is privatised.
November 2021
The culture secretary, Nadine Dorries, seems unaware of how the broadcaster is funded during a select committee appearance, saying it is “in receipt of public money”, despite it relying on advertising and commercial revenue.
February 2022
Senior Conservative MPs, including the former culture secretary Karen Bradley, call for ministers to halt plans to privatise the station, saying it would harm the government’s levelling up plans and be contrary to Thatcher’s founding vision.
April 2022
The broadcaster’s chief executive, Alex Mahon, emails staff saying that she has been informed that the government will announce the proposal to privatise Channel 4.
