The BBC is set to axe its arts and culture channel BBC4 and invest in YouTube and TikTok in a move described by furious insiders as a betrayal of traditional viewers who still pay the licence fee.
The BBC is set to axe its arts and culture channel BBC 4 and invest in YouTube and TikTok in a move described by furious insiders as a betrayal of traditional viewers who still pay the licence fee.
The BBC is scrambling to make savings after discovering a £500million hole in its budget and has announced a bloodbath of cuts, axing 2,000 jobs along with established Radio 4 shows such as The World Tonight and Midnight News. The cuts will go much further and include whole channels such as BBC3 and BBC4, with fears that the BBC Scotland channel will also be axed.
The BBC's budget has lost £1.3billion over the past decade and is under pressure as growing numbers of viewers refuse to pay the £180 licence fee. The BBC's new director-general, Matt Brittin, has responded by promising to protect content on digital channels and platforms 'as audiences move online'.
Senior insiders say this punishes established viewers who still pay the licence fee, with some fearing that BBC arts and culture programmes and other 'niche content' will eventually be relegated to YouTube or elsewhere on the internet. The BBC's huge budget shortfall was only discovered when a new head of finance, Bérangère Michel, was hired earlier this year. The BBC is also facing a testing time with its government charter due for renewal at the end of next year.
The corporation's new director-general, Matt Brittin, seemed to give up the fight to retain the licence fee last week when he described it as a 'busted flush' to the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee. The BBC's plans to axe free-to-air television in 2034 have also been met with criticism.
Former BBC executive James Purnell is due to take over as Andy Burnham's Chief of Staff and will have to make a decision on whether to switch off free-to-air television in 2034. Purnell was the CEO of Flint Global, a lobbying firm which has been central in an effort to persuade the Government to switch off multi-channel terrestrial TV.
Ministers are consulting on whether to move all TV viewing online after 2034, removing access to over 70 channels unless viewers have a broadband connection. This could affect the elderly and those on low incomes or in rural areas. Former BBC Radio 4 host John Humphrys has also criticised the flagship Today programme for being too 'gushing'.
Humphrys branded Radio 4's flagship Today programme 'irritating' and said he increasingly found himself 'shouting at the radio' because of the on-air antics of some its presenters. He wrote that relationships between some interviewers and their interviewees were now too cosy and that there was a 'gushing contest between host and guest'.
He also criticised some presenters' tendency of congratulating each other for their contributions and the use of 'y'know' and 'I mean' mid-sentence, which can leave the listener 'grinding their teeth'. The BBC's decision to axe BBC4 and invest in YouTube and TikTok has been met with criticism from traditional viewers who still pay the licence fee.
The BBC's plans to axe free-to-air television in 2034 have also been met with criticism, with concerns that it could affect the elderly and those on low incomes or in rural areas
Please follow us on Google to support usBBC BBC4 Youtube Tiktok Licence Fee Matt Brittin Bérangère Michel James Purnell John Humphrys Radio 4 Today Programme
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