BBCs new look may never reach our screens

By Neil Midgley, Television and Radio Editor Published: 8:33AM GMT 03 March 2010

Previous of Images Next To outlay twenty per cent less on American imports such as Heroes BBC"s Radio 6 and Asian Network are to close Strictly Come Dancing Photo: PA

In Jan of last year, the BBC director-general, Mark Thompson, voiced with most pushing a "series of new partnerships" which, the house said, could broach �120 million of benefits annually to open use inform over the walls.

But it additionally pronounced that the date by that that figure competence be reached was… 2014. As of today, what benefits have these due partnerships delivered to ITV, struggling with the cost of the informal headlines output? And to Channel 4, that outlayed most of last year in frustrating corner try discussions with BBC Worldwide?

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Zero.

So when Mystic Auntie looks in to her clear round and predicts her finance management in years hence, seasoned BBC watchers lift a distrustful eyebrow. Its easy to get a title with a confidant announcement. Its most harder to broach as the months hurl by and the vested interests of BBC bureaucrats and unions unclothed their claws.

Yesterdays 75-page BBC plan document, Putting Quality First, contains most in advance intentions, most of them to be encouraged.

To close the digital air wave stations 6 Music and Asian Network (by someday subsequent year, possibly).

To route spending from derivative daytime skill shows in to ground-breaking humerous entertainment (by 2013).

To outlay twenty-five per cent less on the competition-crushing BBC website (by 2013).

To outlay twenty per cent less on American imports such as Heroes (by 2013).

To revoke BBC overheads by a entertain (by 2016).

Some quite the closure of 6 Music have sparked a extreme backlash. But integrate of people would disagree that the BBC should do some-more Homes Under the Hammer and fewer severe dramas such as Occupation. Or outlay some-more on American teenager imports and less on turning point documentaries such as Obamas America.

Broadly, a BBC reshaped along the lines Mr Thompson referred to yesterday would be a unequivocally great thing: formulating programmes that are unequivocally value saying or listening to, withdrawal imports to Sky, enchanting some-more sincerely with the online and internal competitors.

The inform revisited last years partnership agenda. The BBC, it said, is "still a little approach from being the preferred partner" and no discuss right away of that likely �120 million.

Itll be an additional integrate of years prior to any incoming Tory supervision has to think severely about a cut in the looseness fee. At that point, it will be exegetic to see how Mr Thompson is you do with 2010s instruct list.