VLV’s Spring Conference 2026 brought together broadcasters, regulators, journalists and digital inclusion experts to examine how public service media can continue to reach and serve audiences in an increasingly fragmented and fast-changing media landscape.
Held at The Geological Society in London on 30 April, the conference focused on the future of trusted news, digital transition, regulation and audience access.
To play back each individual session, please click on the relevant image
The day opened with a keynote from Jonathan Munro, BBC News Global Director and Interim CEO of BBC News and Current Affairs, in conversation with Jane Martinson, Marjorie Deane Professor of Financial Journalism at City, University of London. The discussion explored the growing pressures facing news organisations, including misinformation, changing audience habits and the importance of maintaining trust in impartial journalism.
In our second session, we turned to the challenges facing public service broadcasting, with Magnus Brooke, Director of Policy and Regulatory Affairs at ITV, Iain Bundred, Director of Policy and Public Affairs at the BBC, and Claire Enders CBE, Founder of Enders Analysis, discussing the pressures facing broadcasters in an increasingly competitive and fragmented media environment. The session was chaired by Professor Steven Barnett, Professor of Communications at the University of Westminster.
Digital inclusion and the future of television distribution formed a major theme in the first of our afternoon sessions. Jonathan Thompson, Chief Executive Officer of Everyone TV/Freely, Natalie Ceeney CBE, Chair of the Connection Project, and Elizabeth Anderson, Chief Executive of the Digital Poverty Alliance, discussed the risks of audiences being left behind during the transition to internet-delivered television services. The session was chaired by Stewart Purvis CBE.
The final session examined the question: “Poisoned chalice? What awaits the new Chair of Ofcom?” Professor Stewart Purvis CBE, former Editor in Chief and Chief Executive of ITN and former content regulator at Ofcom, Chris Banatvala, former Channel 4 News journalist and Ofcom’s founding Director of Standards, and Professor Lee Edwards, Professor of Strategic Communications and Public Engagement at the London School of Economics, reflected on the growing complexity of media regulation in a world shaped by global technology platforms, political pressures and changing public expectations. The session was chaired by Roger Bolton.
Thank you to all of those who attended and took part, particularly our speakers, chairs and awards presenters.
Our next event will be our Annual Autumn Conference 2026. A confirmed date, further information and a registration link to book your place will be available nearer the time.
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