Speaking today about their submissions, the Rt Rev Nigel McCulloch, Bishop of Manchester, and the Rt Rev John Arnold, Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster said: "There is a real risk that the flood of information from a proliferation of digital channels could be confusing and bewildering creating a modern Tower of Babel rather than being enlightening.
"Public service broadcasting can be a comprehensive, authoritative and trustworthy guide in this environment. Therefore the full range of public service content needs to be made available across all platforms - internet, mobile and digital."
Ofcom's research shows that audiences recognise the value of all types of existing public service content in helping them to understand the world. The bishops' submissions suggest that, given the extent to which faith shapes many decisions and actions, public service content that fails to adequately reflect the complex realities of faith in the modern world will fall short of its purpose to help people understand themselves and their communities.
The submissions also welcome Ofcom's research finding that the social value of religious content is recognised and that religious content fares roughly the same on this count as many other kinds of public service programming.
Noting the relatively low 'personal preference' score given to religious programmes by those surveyed, the bishops call on Ofcom to recognise the breadth of programmes that should fit under this umbrella which gain bigger audiences and show remarkably high levels of appreciation, such as the BBC's Helen House and The Boys from Baghdad High.
The submission continued: "The nature of broadcasting in the UK and the experience of viewers will be fundamentally changed ... without the capacity to maintain social cohesion through public service content".
They warned that it could suffer "without new funding, fresh commitment and access to multiple channels, internet and mobile platforms which will bring public service content to new audiences"
The bishops said that broadcasting needed to retain its comprehensive character and broad appeal to all tastes through a variety of types of programmes, including programmes about faith and the lives of believers.
