Bloated BBC’s austerity test

Whether it was the pay for its top stars and executives, the endless tiers of middle managers or the overstaffing of some departments, the BBC rarely displayed “value for money” – that most crucial of commodities.

This has been caused, in part, by the over-ambitious rapid expansion to make the most of digital technology. For years, the organisation enjoyed a global reputation for high quality programmes. Yet digital channels saw standards slip, probably because too much emphasis shifted onto the quantity of output.

Occasional successes should not mask overall poor performance. BBC3 was the launchpad for the highly acclaimed Gavin and Stacey sitcom. However, it has come under fire for bizarre programmes like 34-Stone Teenager Revisited and Me and My Man-Breasts.

BBC Four has an annual budget of £50m and yet it has a schedule dominated by repeats, and is only required by its licence to broadcast 100 hours of new arts and music programmes each year.

More recently, viewers and listeners were treated to legions of BBC presenters and journalists scrambling to interview key politicians at the three party conferences. It was difficult to justify this duplication of manpower when ITN and Channel Four provided more compelling output with fewer staff.

Now director General Mark Thompson has said his plan is for a “smaller BBC, but a BBC which uses its resources more effectively”, many will question why it took so long for the penny to drop.

Where the axe will fall is still to be revealed. Due to the BBC’s standing as a cherished public institution, cuts are often met by celebrity-backed campaigns to protect “niche” stations – such as the fight to keep 6 Music, where more people appeared to be trying to save the radio station than tuning in to listen to its programmes.

Mr Thompson will need to stand strong in the face of such ire – his job is to make decisions for the greater good, and a bloated BBC is unsustainable.