A ‘smaller and radically reshaped BBC’

The BBC is set to cut almost 2,000 jobs in a bid to save £670 million a year by 2016/17.

The changes will see more repeats on BBC2, fewer entertainment shows, less money spent on sports rights and a smaller BBC3 and BBC4.

BBC3 will be moved to Salford and there will be wide-ranging cuts to the BBC radio, with the exception of Radio 4. The BBC said today’s announcement would lead to a “smaller and radically reshaped BBC”.

BBC director general Mark Thompson said the changes would mean “stretching efficiencies and significant job losses. It’s my judgment that this is the last time the BBC will be able to make this level of savings without a substantial loss of services or quality or both”.

BBC2’s existing daytime schedule will be scrapped, replaced by international news and current affairs at lunchtime and repeats in the afternoon. BBC3 and BBC4 will now play a “supporting role” to BBC One and BBC Two respectively. The changes also mean fewer entertainment programmes and overseas acquisitions.

Children’s programmes such as Blue Peter will be dropped from BBC One, airing exclusively on dedicated digital channels CBBC and CBeebies.

Radio will share news bulletins, with Radio 5 Live focusing on a core output of news and sport. Local radio will also be hit by the cuts.

“This is a plan which puts quality and creativity first,” Thompson said. “It’s a plan for a smaller BBC, but a BBC which uses its resources more effectively and collaboratively to deliver a full range of services to the public. The plan meets the savings target we agreed in last year’s licence-fee settlement, but also identifies nearly £150 million per year to invest in high quality output and in the platforms and services of the future.”

Read the full Guardian article here.