We need more money. David Attenborough wins! This is the BBC’s standard response to the question of the license fee.
And so it was last week when Director General Tim Davie was interviewed in that very independent of places – the Radio 4 Today studio – about the Government’s proposals to freeze the fee for the next two years before abolishing it in 2027.
It was, claimed Mr Davie, tantamount to a real-terms cut of £285 million a year, adding up to close to £2 billion for the remaining six years of the agreement.
When Director General Tim Davie (pictured in 2020) was interviewed about the Government’s proposals to freeze the fee for the next two years before abolishing it in 2027 last week it was, he claimed, tantamount to a real-terms cut of £285 million a year
He said that the BBC already had made significant savings and could not expect to make more without cutting to its frontline programs.
In other words, there might be no more David Attenborough tramping through the jungle looking at wonderful plants and animals – although why the Corporation would dump one of its most successful programmes rather than, say, little-watched comedians spewing out Left-wing propaganda on late-night shows is puzzling.
The BBC, as with any organization, could cut costs if they really needed to.
In fact, there is an easy way to cut £285 m from its budget: just carry on doing what it did last year when Covid stopped or delayed the making of some series.
The BBC ended up with a £290 m surplus. The difference will not be noticed by many viewers.
Here, though, is a list of ways of cutting £285 m for discussion at the next BBC board meeting:
Executive pay: £1.5m
Mr Davie in September 2021. Boris Johnson is paid £157,372 a year – small beer compared with Mr Davie’s basic salary of £429,000 last year
David Cameron, then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, told public sector workers who were highly paid that they needed a very good reason to pay more when he began to tackle large amounts of public debt.
However, the BBC didn’t appear to be able to convey the message and continued paying extravagant salaries.
Boris Johnson is paid £157,372 a year – small beer compared with Mr Davie’s basic salary of £429,000 last year. With pension payments and other benefits, he ended up with £471,000.
If the BBC trimmed the basic salaries of its ten most senior executives to that of the PM, it could save serious money: £1.51 m, in fact.
Presenters’ pay: £7.9m
The BBC has been shamed into trimming some of its most excessive presenter salaries since it was obliged to make public any salaries over £150,000.
Yet Gary Lineker is still paid £1.36 m a year to present Match of the Day. Zoe Ball is paid £1.13 m for her show on Radio 2.
In news and current affairs, 32 presenters were paid more than the PM last year, with Huw Edwards (£425,000) and Fiona Bruce (£405,000) the highest paid.
Gary Lineker, pictured, is still paid £1.36 m a year to present Match of the Day
If these salaries were all trimmed back to the £157,000 earned by Mr Johnson, it would save £2.5 m a year.
The list doesn’t end here. The PM is not the only radio host who receives more money than any other presenter. After Zoe Ball, Steve Wright was the next highest paid, receiving £465,000. Cutting these salaries accordingly could save £2.92 m.
There are a further 14 miscellaneous presenters – or ‘on-air’ talent as the BBC calls them – who received more than the PM, including Stephen Nolan (£405,000) and Vanessa Feltz (£390,000).
Slashing these back could save a further £2.51 m – making £7.93 m in total savings.
Don’t bring back BBC3: £40m
BBC3, which was supposed to offer content for people aged 16-30, was shut down in 2016. The BBC claimed that younger viewers were more likely to watch on-demand television, rendering a TV station redundant.
Instead of putting its programs on television, BBC placed them online. Some, such as Fleabag, Normal People were successful.
Why, then, now spend £80 m – twice what is currently being spent on BBC3’s online shows – relaunching a channel which the BBC closed only six years ago? Leaving things as they are would save £40 m a year.
Get rid of BBC4: £29m
BBC4 was established in 2002 and had a mandate to create at least 100 original documentaries per year.
But last year the Corporation announced that all new programmes would be aired on BBC2 instead, and BBC4 would become a ‘showcase’ for its ‘rich archive’ – in other words, repeats.
Given that it no longer has much of a purpose, the £29m spent on BBC4 last year could be saved.
Close down Radio 1 xtra: £8m
In the 70s the BBC had two channels of television and four stations on the radio. They were designed to play pop, classical and factual music.
Now, there is a plethora of extra stations as the BBC tries to cater for various sections of the population – and tramples on the toes of commercial radio in the process.
According to BBC-speak, Radio 1 Xtra is a ‘digital urban contemporary’ channel – which, to the rest of us, means it pumps out nothing but rap, already well catered for on Radio 1. According to the BBC’s latest annual report, it cost £8 m last year.
Do away with Radio 4 Extra: £3m
Like the TV channel BBC4, Radio 4 Extra is a depository for repeats – broadcasting stuff pretty indistinguishable from what is being broadcast simultaneously on Radio 4.
You can find a lot of this material online. The world could easily live without it – saving the BBC £3 m a year
Cut Radio 6 Music: £12m
Radio 6, whose mandate is to play music from 1965 to today, really duplicates Radio 2’s output.
It is obvious that the BBC’s budget could be cut. It is better for the Corporation to focus on just a few channels than trying to reach everyone.
Scrap CBBC: £58m
CBBC’s Blue Peter presenter Mwaksy Mudenda. CBBC for viewers aged seven-12 is the most costly BBC channel, in terms per viewer.
There is only one children’s channel that you need, and it must be CBeebies. This channel is available for children aged 6-12.
CBBC is, however, the most costly BBC channel in terms of per-viewer cost. Scrapping it would save £58 m.
CBeebies has been a success so it might be able to take over some of the more challenging projects for older children.
Stop wasting so much on taxis and hotels: £5m
One employee who wrote in Ariel used the BBC’s taxi booking system and was quoted £87 for a trip from Tonbridge to Gatwick Airport – compared with £45 charged by local taxi firms
In 2020, it was revealed the BBC had wasted £350,000 in one year on train fares for journeys which were never made, hotel rooms never occupied and taxis never used.
In the three years to 2014, according to a piece in the BBC’s now-defunct staff magazine Ariel, the BBC spent £34 m on taxi fares.
Even when the taxis have been booked, the BBC will often pay more for them.
One employee who wrote in Ariel used the BBC’s taxi booking system and was quoted £87 for a trip from Tonbridge to Gatwick Airport – compared with £45 charged by local taxi firms.
Let’s use this as a guide and estimate that the BBC could save around half of its taxi bill – saving around £5 m a year.
Trim local radio and TV: £17m
In 2018-19, the BBC spent £118 m on local radio channels in England, £28 m in Wales and £26 m in Scotland.
However, only 12.7% listen to BBC stations local radio and much of their output overlaps.
Each local TV news bulletin contains a local forecast. It is shown just seconds after the national one.
It is bizarre to have separate forecasts for London and the South East – it is impossible to give a weather forecast for the South East region without inadvertently also giving one for London.
It is especially costly to operate regional language stations. BBC Alba, the Gaelic language TV station, cost £7.9 million last year – 14.3p for every hour someone watched it.
There is also a Gaelic radio station, Radio nan Gaidheal, which cost £4 m – 20.8p per hour.
In Wales, Radio Cymru cost £13.5 m – working out at 16.9p per minute that anyone watched it.
Radio 1 was listened to at 6.2p and Radio 4 cost just 4.9p. Let’s trim 10 per cent of the local radio and TV budget and save £17 m.
Stop wasting money on fancy buildings: £90m
BBC studios, offices and headquarters at MediaCityUK Salford Quays. The latest NAO report said the BBC spent £273 m a year running its portfolio of 154 buildings
In 2015, the National Audit Office (NAO) looked at Broadcasting House and revealed the building was costing £89 m a year to run.
This was despite the fact that it had moved some operations to Salford.
The latest NAO report said the BBC spent £273 m a year running its portfolio of 154 buildings.
It was not only paying higher than the other organizations for comparable buildings; 12.7 percent of its property was also vacant.
With more people now working from home, let’s assume the BBC could stop using a third of its portfolio of buildings and save around £90 m a year.
Save money on sets: £14m
An EastEnders set as filming begins on the soap last week. The average EastEnders viewership per episode was 21.1 million in its heyday, 1987. It dropped to 6.68 million by 2017.
In 1987’s EastEnders heyday, the average viewer watched every episode at 21.1 million. By 2017, that number was only 6.68 million.
However, the BBC is still spending money to buy a new set. It was supposed to cost £57 m but according to the NAO, it will end up costing £86.7 m – enough to build 1,000 real social homes rather than a few facades for Albert Square.
Let’s assume the BBC could this year avoid wasting just half the money it overspent on rebuilding Albert Square – and save £14 m.
TOTAL SAVED: £285.4m
MPs warn BBC boss to “take bias serious” Director General Tim Davie has been accused of not taking anti-Tory slant seriously in warning about budget cuts
Tory MPs accuse the BBC Director General of trying to downplay their concerns over the Corporation’s impartiality.
Tim Davie, a BBC Radio 4 interviewer, denied anti-Conservative bias. He said: “I believe I am led by data and public reaction. Overall, the numbers surrounding impartiality for the BBC are strong.”
“I think we could keep doing better. But it’s not party politics or politicalized agendas. It’s more about wider views.
Senior Tories however accused Davie of “changing his tune” after he had previously admitted that it was an issue to ensure impartiality at BBC.
Julian Knight, chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, said, “It seems that Herr Davie does change his tone depending on whom he is talking to,”
“When he appeared before the Select Committee, he acknowledged that there were some issues…The BBC should take a hard look in the mirror as it is clear that not everything is perfect.”
Fellow Tory MP Andrew Bridgen said: ‘Anyone with an interest in politics – or any interest – will be concerned by the obvious anti-Conservative bias shown by the BBC. Admitting that you have a problem can be the first step in solving it.
According to the BBC, the Today interviewer Mr. Davie referred too was based on data from multiple sources. This includes a late-last year report by Ofcom.
However, numerically, more people think the BBC impartial than any other broadcaster. The Ofcom report states that 55% of viewers gave BBC TV News a high rating for impartiality. More than one fifth (21%) gave it an average score.
BBC radio, and its online services score better than ITV News.
Ofcom’s study raised concerns about BBC bias. It stated that although audiences still rate BBC news high for accuracy and trust, unlike previous years, they are less positive about impartiality.
It also shows that Ofcom has received almost three times as many complaints regarding BBC impartiality over the past four year period, going from 586 in 2017-18 down to 1,530 in 2020-2021.
Ofcom reported that 0.6% were not upheld. It stated: ‘Due impartiality is a concern to audiences. Impartiality complaints are a large percentage of complaints received regarding the BBC.
With persistent allegations that the Corporation pursues an anti-Tory agenda and a growing hostility between BBC and Conservatives, relations have been increasingly fractured.
Last weekend, the MoS reported that Nadine Dorries (Culture Secretary) had frozen the Corporation’s licence fees for two years
BBC spokesperson defends its records, saying: ‘The Ofcom Report is Clear: More people consider BBC impartial than any other broadcaster. IPSOS Mori polling for our annual report also shows that BBC continues to be viewed as the most impartial news source.
“We are aware of the value of impartiality for our audiences and have developed a new ten-point strategy to increase standards.”
Sir Iain Duncan Smith stated: “It is ironic that BBC fact-checkers chase everybody but don’t bother with the BBC when it comes down to the BBC.”