The BBC is a beacon for other broadcasters.

This letter appears in "The Guardian" 'Comment is Free' column:-

"It has been said the BBC is the mother of all public service broadcasting. In many respects, the company is still a point of reference for all public media companies in Europe and elsewhere. We, the director generals of the Nordic public service media companies, hope the BBC will be able to continue to play this valuable role..............

.......It is of course up to the British public to decide what kind of BBC you want to have in the future. But when you make your decision, we hope you will take into account the BBC’s international role. It is something to be proud of. The quality of the BBC inspires us all to do better, to better serve the needs of our democratic societies."

The letter is signed by the following:-

Maria Rørbye Rønn          Director General, DR, Denmark
Thor Gjermund Eriksen    Director general, NRK, Norway
Magnús Geir Þórðarson    Director general, RÚV, Iceland
Cilla Benkö                     Director General, SR, Sweden
Hanna Stjärne                Director general, SVT, Sweden
Christel Tholse Willers     Director general, UR, Sweden
Lauri Kivinen                  Director General, YLE, Finland