Catholic and Anglican bishops are giving the BBC a ticking off for "not investing enough money on religious programmes which are scheduled at unpopular times." Giving their advice in the consultations promoted by BBC’s regulatory body OFCOM, the bishops point out that "a programme like ‘Friday night with Jonathan Ross’ with a weekly audience of about 4 million people obtained a £18 million (some 20 million euros) contract, while the religious programme ‘Songs Of Praise’ on the same channel, with similar audience figures, is regarded as part of an ‘unprofitable genre’." Catholic bishop John Arnold and Anglican bishop of Croydon, Nicholas Baines, who have both signed the document, say the BBC attitude towards religious programmes reveals a ‘striking lack of consistency’. "Religious practice is having a continuing and important influence in all aspects of life and the investment in this strand of programming should recognise their significance," said the bishops. According to the bishops, it is important to guarantee that the BBC is not left the sole provider of public service programmes and that further funding is made available to the private station Channel 4 and to independent broadcasting companies.
