[Stockland Hillman]

The BBC has 30% less money than it did in 2013, according to the Guardian. This licence fee freeze forces them to make cuts of £285mn/yr.

For context, the entire news and current affairs budget in 2022 was £342mn.

So, if the BBC cut its whole news division 3.5 times over in the next 5 years, it still wouldn't save enough money.

They've already cut BBC Parliament, a plethora of language services, and a news channel. They've cut BBC Two to the bone. They plan to cut BBC Four and CBBC.

There has been mismanagement, but is it 3.5x-the-news-budget mismanagement? I doubt it.

 With the best intentions you have, you've still fallen into the trap that has enabled BBC management to decimate some services.

The National audit office report is quite revealing,  as it  uses logical cost allocation of function rather than the BBCs internal allocations

National Audit Office
www.nao.org.uk  › de...PDF
The BBC Group Departmental Overview 2021-22


If links not working search BBC Group Departmental Overview 2021

As you can see vast areas of back office, distribution and general costs dwarf the News budget  - thats perceived as the biggest BBC expenditure unit.

My point is stop looking at where the v
huge BBC management PR operation tell you - who feed tame reporter's at publications with an agenda - and look at the whole picture.

Technology and lower production costs  matched with lower audinces to 'filler shows'  could mean significant savings.  The cost per viewer of a Channel 5 early prime time show  is substantially lower than BBC 2, let alone the bloated BBC 1 cost per content hour. 

Analysts have found IRO £.5 billion by matching programme and management costs to UK and European major broadcaster averages; £110m more on distribution overspend/duplication (all per year)

As an outsider to the BBC, but within the industry, its not hard to independently see for myself - using publicly available commissioning rates - that Analysis is very plausible.

Hence my view: Stop enabling the BBC management's misleading narrative, please.