BBC Cuts

It doesn't offend me at all..... but the fact you need to comment on it says that I hit a nerve and offended you

Except provide entertainment.


A few years ago, wheit was BBC7 a survey revealed that it was the biggest draw for people getting DAB sets. Not sure if it still is, 6 Music's audience has overtaken it in terms of popularity

I am not sure that offends is the correct word, but it is saddening when somebody attempts to close down an entirely reasonable conversation that they don't like purely because they don't like the direction of it. Moreover, when they choose to misrepresent the conversation that is taking place to suit their need to change the course of the conversation it does, as you say 'hit a nerve'.

Not because I feel personally attacked or targetted in any way - I don't. I simply believe that when I don't feel interested in the direction that a conversation was taking, it's usually better to simply not to join it, rather than to throw stones from the sideline. That said, judging by the posts that followed, nobody took a blind bit of notice to your sniping, and the conversation carried on regardless, so hey-ho.

Anyhow, back on topic...

You are right, R4X does provide entertainment, and the content it delivers is of high quality.

I just wonder if delivering this content using a collection of linear streams on DAB, DVB-T, DVB-S, DVB-C and online to deliver a traditional radio station schedule is not a little bit extravagant when this is the kind of thing that would be much better delivered on demand.

On paper, it does seem to be the 'easy' choice - though, to be fair, a) the savings would be a drop in the ocean and b) I can understand why listeners would be sad to see it go.

Can’t believe it took seven pages for the first major argument to appear in a thread about BBC cuts. Step up your game people!

You're right - close the whole thing down and burn the detector vans!

I really do believe in public service broadcasting and think the BBC is a shining example of a PSB that takes its remit very seriously and produces some stellar output.

That said, I do wonder if it really does need to continue to be 'all things to all people'. There is a (rational) conversation to be had about whether it spreads itself a bit thinly and whether it could do fewer things, but do them better (very W1A).

I wonder if there is scope to do more things (but by no means all) in a Channel 4-esque way? Channel 4 is still a public service broadcaster, is still publicly owned, still editorially independent, and produces content to fulfill a specific and distinct need.

Radio 1 and 1Xtra are things I have cited at being a good fit to be passed over to C4, but there could be new PSB corporations set up with specific remits. This could model could be for a British HBO or Netflix, minority sports exposure, BBC Four-style documentaries or anything else where there is an underserved public need that could be supported by advertising or subscription. It could also work to bring back the regional programming that has been lost over the last decade (Similar to the autonomous region channels in Spain).

Channel 4 won one of the national DAB multiplexes - and then handed it back before it started..
.. So I'm sure, they would be delighted to be lumbered with Radio 1 and 1Extra under your masterplan.

I do agree radio news could come together off peak at least. Radio 1 might need its own bulletin, but that could be prerecorded shortly before TX.

The truth is though there's huge layers of middle management that could go too.

All that said, I feel the whole funding model should come under review. I don't want to privatise the BBC but limited commercial income and subscription based funding I would welcome.

Are you suggesting the same on-air voices present Radio 4 and Radio 1 news bulletins off-peak? Not sure I see that working - and that's effectively salami-slicing, which is unlikely to solve the problem.

Small cuts here aren't going to solve a problem as big as this. It will need to be a service closure or two I fear, or a radical commissioning change.

Newsbeat is the main thing about Radio 1 that makes it distinct from other stations playing similar music.

Watering that down any further would be a dangerous move.

1xtra is a bit precarious with the way that so much of the off peak content is shared with Radio 1, it wouldn't be too big a cut to make it a part time opt out, online only, with its own Breakfast show and the rest of the time simulcast Radio 1.

Radio news is already shared, outside of breakfast the news on radios 2 and 6 is done by the same presenter, I think it's the same on 1 and 1xtra?

Is that from experience or the cliché about the BBC. I'm not saying it's necessarily incorrect but it is something that has been addressed recently with limits on the number of levels from top to bottom. It does to me, as someone who's been in and out of the corporation a few times it does seem a lot slimmer these days.


There's always efficiencies to be made, I know they've recently renewed a lot of their outsourcing and brought some things back in for example aa


Though as the article says its in the top 25% most efficient organisations in the UK.

Close all extraneous buildings and have all services in one location - a centre for television perhaps