News
New criticism of the BBC
Repeated plugs for the Lonely Planet brand on the BBC's website and television channels have prompted fresh accusations that the licence fee is being used to promote the corporation's commercial activities, reports the Daily Telegraph
John Whittingdale, the chair of Parliament's influential Culture, Media and Sport Committee, has raised concerns about the links to the Lonely Planet website on bbc.co.uk and the regular appearance of its travel editor on air.
In July, "Working Lunch", the BBC2 consumer affairs programme, invited Lonely Planet travel editor Tom Hall on to the show to give holiday advice.
The BBC did not mention its commercial interest in the company either on air or online. Hall has not only appeared on "Working Lunch", but is a regular contributor to "BBC Breakfast", the "Today Programme" and "Excess Baggage" on Radio 4, and radio Five Live.
Comments on this article
By Angela Wilkinson
Lonely Planet has been a constant source of information for independent travellers for over 30 years, which makes us an authority on travel. Tom Hall represents this authority and has been a regular commentator on travel news and events in the media for over 5 years. His regular appearances on BBC programmes predate the acquisition deal with BBCW and are independent of our relationship with them. The Working Lunch interview which was highlighted is an example of the run of the mill requests which come through to our Press Office daily. We do just as many interviews, if not more, with other broadcasters on similar topics. These include Sky, IRN and Channel 4, to name a few. Richard Samson Acting CEO - EMEA Lonely Planet04 Sep 08 17:30
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