Regulatory Bodies

A regulatory body is an independant body set up to control different sectors of the creative media industry. They control things such as the press, films, television, and radio, and if any of their regulations are not adhered to, they will punish the person or business responsible, often with a fine. Below are the main regulatory bodies.

Press Complaints Commission (PCC)

The Press Complaints Commission are a voluntary regulatory body set up in 1995 who deal with regulating the press. They give newspapers, magazines, etc. a set of rules that they must follow, and there are consequences if they do not. They mostly set ethical guidelines (as explained in an earlier post) including the "Editor's Code" and rules about harrassment.

PRS for Music

The Performing Rights Society was set up originally in 1914 when it collected fees for live performances from sheet music. In 1997 The Performing Rights Society formed with the Mechanical Copyright Protection Society to form the PRS-MCPS Alliance and then in 2009, they adopeted the name PRS for Music. They collect money to pay artists when their songs are played on a TV show or on the radio, for example. They charge people for a licence when they play music to a large audience which changes depending on the size of the building or company.

British Board of Film Classification (BBFC)

The BBFC has regulated films in the UK since 1985. Before a film can be released (either through cinema or disc) they BBFC must approve it and give it an appropriate age rating to ensure that it will not be harmful to audiences. Its ratings go anywhere from a U to an R18. If your film has not been classified before release, the BBFC will charge you up to £5000 with a possible 6 months in prison.

Advertising Standards Authority (ASA)

The ASA are a regulatory body set up to monitor advertisements in the UK officially set up in 1962. Since then, they have made sure that advertisements are suitable for the audience. They deal with everything from billboards to online advertisements and if they find anything unacceptable, the advertisement will be banned.

Ofcom

The Office of Communications is commonly known as Ofcom. It was set up in 2003 to oversee the many different sectors of the media industry including television and radio. It is the largest regulatory body as it controls so much, and has replaced several other regualtory bodies. It protects the public from harmful and offensive material in the media through its rules and regulations.