BBC may be too powerful for its own good, says Dimbleby

Broadcaster David Dimbleby has said that the BBC needs to “pull back a bit” and should merge two of its television channels.

Speaking to Richard Bacon’s Five Live radio show, the Question Time host said that the corporation needs to “redefine” its role and “examine whether it is too powerful for its own good.”

Dimbleby said that the BBC should consider cutting back a bit on its number of television channels, adding that programmes on BBC Four are being made “on a shoestring” and the channel should be merged with BBC Two.

“Cut out some of the gardening and cookery and all that on BBC Two and turn it back into a quality thing it was meant to be and then you have two big channels, one and two,” he said.

His comments echo those of former BBC news chief Roger Mosey who said earlier this month that the corporation should get a smaller slice of the licence fee to promote competition and give the public wider choice.

Writing in the Times, Mosey said that if more bids from commercial organisations were open to funding from the licence fee, it might “enrich the nation”.

Mosey said the corporation faced widespread competition in network television, but its market share of 70% of all news consumption on both TV and radio was something that “even long-term loyalists find uncomfortable”.

Source: Associated Press