The BBC’s announcement today of its streamlining and focusing of its web strategy, 25 per cent budget cuts, the loss of 360 jobs, cannot have been a surprise to anyone, least of all its most ardent competitors. The out of control growth of the BBC’s websites has often been posited as a commercial ‘market impact’ problem for commercial rivals, but it is more of an editorial challenge than a regulatory one. After all, it is not clear exactly what the ‘market’ is for it to ‘impact’. Delivering a constantly evolving web strategy is not something Mark Thompson is alone in having to deliver. He’s just unique that he’s compelled to do it in public. Read the rest of this entry »
Archives for posts with tag: BBC
With so much type, pixels, order papers, human energy and advisers’ time expended on the subject of ‘public service content’, I though it would be interesting (if only for myself) to try and blog the best of web public service content – whatever that might be.
It’s a good day to bury psb content I see as the BBC is going to have its wingspan clipped by David Cameron:
David Cameron provoked a row with the BBC yesterday by calling for it to “lead by example” in the economic downturn and freeze the licence fee for a year. The Tory leader said that in the current climate all taxpayer-funded institutions had to show that they could “live within their means”. But the BBC Trust said: “Unplanned reductions in the licence fee could put services at risk, which would not be in the interests of licence fee payers.” Cameron was also criticised by EU commission president José Manuel Barroso for his decision to leave a key centre-right group in the EU parliament. (Guardian 17th March 2009)
Emily Bell(wether) 