The station’s journey follows from the beginning of Margaret Thatcher’s conservative government until Monday ‘s announcement of its privatization.
1982
Channel 4 airs for the first time in November, two years after a parliamentary act paved the way for its launch. The channel was to be publicly owned, but commercially funded through advertising. Richard Whitley, who ran Countdown until 2005, was the first presenter to appear on screen. Brookside Long Soap was also released on its release date.
1989
Margaret Thatcher rejects the idea of privatizing the channel, fearing that it would reduce the quality.
1996
Cabinet members in John Major’s government are holding a landslide vote to consider privatizing him, but then-President Sir Michael Bishop is urging Major to abandon the idea.
2003
The revised “public service” duty for Channel 4 is emphasized in the communications law. He says it should provide a “wide range of high quality and diverse programming”, including the attractive “for the tastes and interests of a culturally diverse society”.
2015
Months after winning the parliamentary majority in the general election, David Cameron tells the Commons that he is open to the idea of ”private investment” in the television station.
2016
In response to speculation that the canal could be privatized by the government, a House of Lords committee found that the disadvantages of privatization outweighed the potential benefits. Her report says the news, current affairs and cinema will be in jeopardy. “We are concerned that… an individual may seek to reduce C4C’s public service mission in the future in order to maximize profit,” the report added.
2019
Channel 4 has been cleared of bias by Ofcom after replacing Boris Johnson with a piece of ice melting during a general election debate over leadership on climate change. During the election, a campaign source told the Guardian that the party would reconsider its license amid accusations of Conservative bias.
2020
Conservative Media Minister John Whittingdale said at a party conference on the sidelines that the government was considering “whether there is still a need for a second public service broadcaster”.
May 2021
Culture Minister Oliver Dowden says Channel 4 could be sold before 2024 to offer a “sustainable future” for the broadcaster.
July 2021
The Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sports is launching a consultation on the future of Channel 4, with the government supporting its privatization. He says this is because the landscape of broadcasting has “unquestionably changed” since 1982.
September 2021
A report finds that up to 60 TV companies could shut down if Channel 4 was privatized.
November 2021
The secretary of culture, Nadine Dorries, does not seem to know how the broadcaster is funded during a select committee appearance, saying she “receives public money” despite being based on advertising and commercial revenue.
February 2022
Senior Conservative lawmakers, including former Culture Minister Karen Bradley, are urging ministers to halt plans to privatize the station, saying it would hurt the government’s leveling plans and run counter to Thatcher’s founding vision.
April 2022
The station’s managing director, Alex Mahon, emailed the staff saying they had been informed that the government would announce the privatization proposal for Channel 4.
