±±¾©Èü³µpk10

The IPA has made clear its views in its submission to the Electoral Commission, the body that supervises elections. What the IPA is not suggesting, however, is simply converting the current party political broadcasts into free advertisements for political parties on the commercial TV networks.

Instead, the IPA is recommending the compromise of maintaining free party political broadcasts on the BBC, with paid-for advertising taking place on the commercial stations.

Last year, the head of the Electoral Commission backed the idea of turning party political broadcasts into 30-second slots like commercials. Sam Younger, the chairman of the Electoral Commission, believes that scrapping the traditional five- or 10-minute films shown during general election campaigns could help to boost the declining turnout at the polls.

The IPA argues that the party political broadcasts are a largely outdated hangover from the 1950s and long overdue for reform. Working together, the two formats of party political broadcasts and advertising could, says the IPA, help create a better informed -- and hopefully motivated -- electorate.

According to IPA president Bruce Haines: "The IPA has felt for some time that the format of traditional party political broadcasts should change. They are a 1950s invention, from a time when people were in awe of television, and fail to understand television as it is today."

He added: "However, we also recognise that if a 30-second ad is capable of delivering a single message with outstanding clarity, there is a role for expanding arguments in a longer format. By mixing party political broadcasts on the BBC with paid-for ads in the commercial sector, we should be able to achieve both goals within formats that are more in sympathy with the programming in which they are found."

Looking back on the last general election in May 2001, the IPA estimates that the cost for the big three political parties of running a heavyweight 30-second advertising campaign across all commercial TV, at 600 television rating points each, would have been approximately £2m per party. It also believes that impact of such activity would have pushed up overall TV costs by approximately 3%.

The IPA submission is part of a review by the Electoral Commission to examine a range of electoral matters following its report on the 2001 general election. The commission has identified as a priority the need to review the role of party election broadcasts in providing voters with information, including the criteria governing their allocation.

The review will take account of the increasing diversification of broadcast channels, including those satellite and cable channels not bound to provide broadcasts.

If you have an opinion on this or any other issue raised on Brand Republic, join the debate in the .