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'Smaller' BBC after 2012? | The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has hinted
that there would be a reduction in the scale of its popular website, and also the possible closure of some of its digital channels or radio stations. BBC's director general Mark Thompson said that move has come after claims from politicians
and rivals in commercially funded media that it had grown too big. But Thompson
also made a fierce defence of the independence of the Corporation and claimed
that public service broadcasters around the world were under threat because of
the downturn in the media economy. Thompson, who is leading a strategic review
of the BBC, said the Corporation would be cutting back areas of its output following
the switch-off of the analogue signal in 2012. "Expect to see reductions in some
kinds of programmes and content - look, for example, at the current scope of our
website - and a close examination of the future of our service portfolios once
switch-over has been achieved," the Independent quoted him as saying. He said
the BBC would in future be reducing its expenditure on the acquisition of foreign-made
programmes in favour of increasing the amount of British-made content. Discussing
bbc.co.uk, Britain 's largest website, the director general questioned the scale
of the project and whether "many millions of pages that are up there need to be
there". He said the review would question the value of this content. "Is it sufficiently
up to date, is it relevant? It might be a slightly smaller website. It might be
stronger, making sure we are playing to our strengths," he said. Thompson signalled
that a period of growth for the BBC, when channels were launched and budgets extended
was at an end. "The high-water mark of new channel launches and of content investment
was passed some years ago," he said. "Instead, the focus is on offering convenient
new ways of giving the public access to existing content, rather than representing
expansions into fresh content areas," he stated. He accepted that in the three
years since the BBC last conducted a strategic review, the media landscape had
"changed almost beyond recognition" and "the effect of that, and of the downturn,
on many incumbent media businesses has been devastating". But, speaking at the
Voice of the Listener and Viewer conference in London , Thompson also defended
the BBC's record and suggested that without the Corporation, Britain would be
left with "a big, black cultural hole". He said economic and technological changes
explained why "the assault on public service broadcasting is happening across
the developed world", citing comments made in Germany , Italy and Belgium . In
Britain , Thompson said, the language of the BBC's rivals was "becoming more extreme
and intemperate". He said the BBC "should not respond to, let alone be cowed by,
vindictive or groundless press attacks", including those over issues of taste
and decency, saying the Corporation had a duty to "stand up for creative freedom
and ambition". He also claimed that, in spite of public criticism of BBC management
by both leading parties, "underlying political support for a strong, independent
BBC also remains robust". |
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