BBC Admits Mistakes Regarding U2 Promotion

The promotion, which included a concert on the roof of the BBC’s London headquarters known as the Broadcasting House as well as tweaking the network’s logo to read U2=BBC, was criticized by the Beeb’s own editorial complaints unit for coverage that resulted in “undue prominence for commercial products or organizations,” according to The Guardian newspaper.

Why the uproar over the promotion? The BBC is funded through licensing fees paid by television set owners, and critics claimed the broadcasting company’s U2 promotion amounted to millions of pounds of free publicity on license-holders’ dimes.

Bono’s appearance on a BBC Radio 1 show where the U2 frontman referred to the BBC as being “part of launching this new album,” didn’t go down too well with critics either.

Conservative MP Nigel Evans described the promotion as “the sort of publicity money can’t buy,” and asked, “Why should license fee-payers shoulder the cost of U2’s publicity?”

While coverage of new artistic works is nothing new for the BBC, apparently the network crossed a line from reporting on a product’s promotion to actually promoting the product.

Or, as the complaints unit said:

“In addition, the Radio 1 leadership team have reminded executive producers and presenters (hosts) about the issues to be considered in relation to judgments about undue prominence, and the distinction between the reporting of new artist work and commercial promotion.”

The Beeb’s involvement with U2 wasn’t only music-related coverage that recently resulted in a wrist-slap for the BBC.

The complaints unit also reprimanded the BBC for a Coldplay promotion when the “Radio 1 Presents Coldplay” Web site linked to ticket agency Web sites, saying it was “not in keeping with the BBC’s guidelines on links to external Web sites.”

Click here to read the complete article in The Guardian.