Portal:BBC/BBC news archive 2008

This page is an archive of previous news stories from the Portal:BBC/BBC news page that appeared in 2008.

A "limited number" of phone-in competitions are returning to the BBC five months after they were suspended by the corporation because of fakery incidents.

The corporation has announced some competitions will start returning in a phased manner from January 2008, beginning with 'Goal Of The Month' on Match Of The Day and 'Pop Master' on the Ken Bruce show on Radio 2.

The BBC has tightened up the rules on competitions after an audit revealed "serious breaches of editorial standards" on certain programmes. This includes a cap of 15p on the cost of premium-rate calls, excluding only charity programmes such as Children in Need. This does not allow programmes such as Strictly Come Dancing to charge extra even if this money would go to charity, and the corporation is investigating other ways of raising money for charity.

The new rules say competitions must have "very senior level prior approval" and be strictly supervised and planned.

A new code of conduct is also in place while thousands of production staff are taking a Safeguarding Trust training course.

Director General Mark Thompson said: "Trust in our integrity, our determination to deal fairly and honestly with our audiences, is the most precious thing the BBC possesses." Competitions to return to BBC

2007 Phone-in Scandals