One area that should be looked at is S4C which reaches around 500,000 people a week and the BBC contributes about £75m to its budget.
Much greater integration with BBC Wales through shared resources could yield significant savings but I suspect there's be strong resistance in Wales to this.
One area that should be looked at is S4C which reaches around 500,000 people a week and the BBC contributes about £75m to its budget.
Much greater integration with BBC Wales through shared resources could yield significant savings but I suspect there's be strong resistance in Wales to this.
SC4 has always been a bit of an oddity for me, as it is/was originally as such a 'Channel 4 Wales'. Since it's funding got moved into the BBC as part of the last licence fee settlement I'm half surprised it hasn't been re-branded 'BBC Cymru'. I suspect that like BBC Alba any cuts to it would be relatively limited for political reasons.
One thing that might be in the BBC's interest is to promote the fact that the licence fee is currently already top-sliced by the government. I suspect many assume it goes entirely to the BBC, and don't realise part of the fee has gone towards broadband rollout and funding start-up costs of local TV.
In my opinion if the BBC are now being expected to fund the free licence fees for over 75s (which is a government policy) they shouldn't have the licence fee as top-sliced for other government projects such as the broadband roll-out. I fear unless the BBC gets at least an inflation linked rise in the licence fee and the iPlayer loophole closed then the cuts will be severe. Even if they do get those basics if they are made to fund the free TV licences then there will probably still be significant cuts.
Indeed the licence fee is being used to bankroll BT to provide broadband in rural areas where they can charge a fortune and have little or no competition. Then there is the top slicing for these amateur/local TV stations which are in the most dire.
Oh and if we are coming up with a plan of cuts, just cut the E@@ing Tories then we'll all be much better off.
Everyone keeps bringing up the Tories as if another party were in it would be substantially different. Every government from the last 40 years has used the BBC's funding for political gain. The Blair administration didn't exactly get on with the BBC and nearly every political party has beef with the BBC at the moment for various reasons. Yes this time it is the Tories fault, but if Labour go in a Kendall shaped direction it would be no different.
- BBC to cover cost of free TV licences for over 75s, phased in from 2018-19 with full cost from 2020-21.
- Rules for paying to use catchup/iPlayer to be brought forward
- Licence fee expected to rise in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI)
- De-criminalisation of non-payment of licence fee being considered.
So far no mention as to whether the government plan to continue top-slicing for projects such as broadband roll-out or funding local TV start-up costs.
Everyone keeps bringing up the Tories as if another party were in it would be substantially different. Every government from the last 40 years has used the BBC's funding for political gain. The Blair administration didn't exactly get on with the BBC and nearly every political party has beef with the BBC at the moment for various reasons. Yes this time it is the Tories fault, but if Labour go in a Kendall shaped direction it would be no different.
Indeed. We're getting into Metropol territory here, but I thought this may be a good time to compare what each of the main three parties wrote in their manifestos about the BBC.
Firstly, here is the section on the BBC from the Conservatives' 2015 manifesto (all following links are PDF format):
Conservative manifesto, page 42 posted:
A free media is the bedrock of an open society.
We will deliver a comprehensive review of the BBC Royal Charter, ensuring it delivers value for money for the licence fee payer, while maintaining a world class service and supporting our creative industries.
That is why we froze the BBC licence fee and will keep it frozen, pending Charter renewal. And we will continue to ‘top- slice’ the licence fee for digital infrastructure to support superfast broadband across the country.
Not exactly promising stuff of course, especially the part about 'top-slicing' the licence fee. However, at least we had some idea of what the Conservatives wanted to do with the Beeb before we knew they would remain in government.
Labour, in comparison, were much more vague in their 2015 manifesto:
Labour manifesto, page 68 posted:
Our system of public service broadcasting is one of Britain’s great strengths.
The BBC makes a vital contribution to the richness of our cultural life, and we will ensure that it continues to do so while delivering value for money.
We will also commit to keeping Channel 4 in public ownership, so it continues to produce vital public content.
So, that could mean anything really. We have no clear indication of what Labour might have done if they'd gotten in.
Similarly vague are the Lib Dems. They only promised that the fee won't rise faster than inflation:
Lib Dem manifesto, page 37 posted:
Protect the independence of the BBC while ensuring the Licence Fee does not rise faster than inflation
, maintain Channel 4 in public ownership and protect the funding and editorial independence of Welsh language broadcasters.
Now, obviously, manifestos aren't set in stone and it was presumed that a lot of these policies would change anyway as we headed for an inevitable second coalition government. But from these extracts, I don't think you can definitively state that the BBC would have been automatically safe under a Labour government or a 'rainbow' coalition of the left.
Nick Robinson suggests that the Lib Dems and Civil Service wanted the free licence fee for over 75's scrapped in the last Parliament but Cameron refused and this is the outcome.
- BBC to cover cost of free TV licences for over 75s, phased in from 2018-19 with full cost from 2020-21.
- Rules for paying to use catchup/iPlayer to be brought forward
- Licence fee expected to rise in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI)
- De-criminalisation of non-payment of licence fee being considered.
So far no mention as to whether the government plan to continue top-slicing for projects such as broadband roll-out or funding local TV start-up costs.
Looks like the article has since been updated and now mentions...
"BBC funding of the government's broadband programme will be phased out by 2020-21"
They also now wisely note in the costs breakdown...
"* £271.4m of the total used by the Government to fund S4C, the local TV scheme and broadband rollout."
Looks like Lord Hall is putting a positive spin on it, though saying there will still be some 'tough choices' (aka cuts).
Has George Osborne signed up here with multiple accounts - some brutal ideas here, sadly some of which may have to become reality. The suggestions just highlight how difficult it is - a few mentions of cutting sports rights but that is the one area I'd be protecting and for me just about the biggest justification for the BBC's existence.
IMO the BBC would be better reorganising English Regions to follow the Government Administrative Regions and merging Local Radio Stations - why does nearly every English County get one when the Scotland and Wales only get National Radio Stations?,
The Local Radio network is one of the things they would fine it difficult to change too much. Any closing or merging of stations would be very unpopular politically. Most local MPs aren't going to get any airtime without their local BBC station. They're also the one thing that the BBC does that doesn't have any significant commercial competition in the majority of the country
Seek to merge S4C fully in to the BBC and make efficiencies in Wales.
The big issue with that I can see is that S4C has commercials, and if one part of the BBC can have commercials then there's no reason why they won't creep into the rest.
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Merge BBC Local Radio stations in to regions reflecting those on screen. Preserve local news/traffic output during breakfast and drivetime. Local station studios to close.
Create 3 'new' stations out of Radio 1, 1Xtra, Radio 2, Radio 3 and 6music. 1Xtra can fold back in to Radio 1 quite neatly straight away. Radio 3's output doesn't justify a full time national FM slot, but it should be retained, perhaps as daytime/evening output with some of Radio 2's more mellow output making up a new Radio 3. What's left of Radio 2 and 6music can merge together. It's tempting to do something with Radio 4 Extra but it must be so cheap that it's not really worth it.
All very controversial ideas - local radio is one of the most public service things the BBC does and the cuts that took place the other year were very unpopular.
The same for 6 Music - it's potential closure the other year was not only overturned by popular support it also led to the station getting a massive increase in listenership. Messing around with the nation's most popular radio station just won't happen either, and the ruling classes won't let them touch Radio 3
The point of all this is that the BBC p*** away so much money. Why do we need so many local radio stations?
Because they're not 'local' if there were only a few
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Why are there so many pointless "extra" radio stations?
Why do you think they are pointless?
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What purpose does BBC Alba serve?
The majority of it's funding is from the Scottish Government
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Do we need Radio 1 and Radio 2 when there are commercial equivalents that are just as good?
Have you heard Heart FM?
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Spend spend spend. The BBC has become too big. I'd never say get rid of it, but it needs to be reined in significantly - it can't be run as if it's been handed a blank cheque.
It does sound like yet another 'I don't like it so why should the BBC do it' list