‘Radically Reshaped’ BBC to Include Fewer Jobs and More Reruns

Gerald · 10-07-11, 08:45 AM

LONDON — The British Broadcasting Corporation announced Thursday that it would eliminate 2,000 jobs, cut its sports budget, show more reruns, and broadcast fewer talk and game shows. Mark Thompson, the broadcaster’s director general, told his staff that the changes — which amount to cuts of about $1.03 billion a year, or a 20 percent reduction in spending over five years — would lead to a “smaller, radically reshaped BBC.” He said that no television or radio stations would be closed down and that some money would be reinvested in new programming and services. The BBC is financed mostly through a government-approved license fee, paid every year by every household in Britain that owns a television set. The fee brings in about $5.5 billion a year. In the early part of the century, spending increased annually, allowing the broadcaster to expand its services and introduce channels. But after a series of embarrassing episodes, including the disclosure of the huge salaries paid to bureaucrats in the organization, the BBC was forced to curtail spending. Last year, confronted with a Conservative-led government skeptical of its financing model, the BBC agreed to freeze the license fee at its current rate of £145.60, or about $224, a year until 2017.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/07/wo...html?ref=world

Note: October 6, 2011

Herr-Berbunch · 10-07-11, 08:55 AM

I'll happily watch reruns of Blackadder, Little Britain, Faulty Towers, The Two Ronnies, Red Dwarf, Dad's Army, The Young Ones, and current favourite - Outnumbered.

Whereas if it's just going to be repeats of Eastenders then they can go take a flying...!

...jump!

BossMark · 10-07-11, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Herr-Berbunch

I'll happily watch reruns of Blackadder, Little Britain, Faulty Towers, The Two Ronnies, Red Dwarf, Dad's Army, The Young Ones, and current favourite - Outnumbered.

Whereas if it's just going to be repeats of Eastenders then they can go take a flying...!

...jump!

Agreed on this

Penguin · 10-07-11, 09:33 AM

Nearly 10% of the personnel fired? Damn, that's bad!

Quote:

In addition, 1,000 workers will be relocated from London to Salford, near Manchester, where the BBC has moved a portion of its operations.

This is also a drawback for the affected workers, as the BBC has two different paygrades, one for London, one for the Rest of Britain; the wage difference is about 10-15%.

The same crap as anywhere, poor planning by the management leads to kicking the grunts out.

10-07-11, 09:41 AM

Quote:

This is also a drawback for the affected workers, as the BBC has two different paygrades, one for London, one for the Rest of Britain

No drawback at all, the BBC like any other company which does London weighing pays it strictly because London is that much more expensive to live in. If they move to Salford the employees won't be paying London prices so have no need for the additional London pay rates.

Penguin · 10-07-11, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tribesman

No drawback at all, the BBC like any other company which does London weighing pays it strictly because London is that much more expensive to live in. If they move to Salford the employees won't be paying London prices so have no need for the additional London pay rates.

The reason behind this is clear to me, however if you had a cheap housing, you still have less money in the pocket. It also affects your "credit rating" (is this the right word for it?) when you earn less. Same with your pension level.

Not to be talking about the fuzz people have where the partner/kids are bound to the city.

August · 10-07-11, 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Herr-Berbunch

I'll happily watch reruns of Blackadder, Little Britain, Faulty Towers, The Two Ronnies, Red Dwarf, Dad's Army, The Young Ones, and current favourite - Outnumbered.

Whereas if it's just going to be repeats of Eastenders then they can go take a flying...!

...jump!

Except for "Outnumbered" (which I don't like but the wife loves) we don't see any of that when they broadcast BBC stuff on PBS.

It's always Vicar of Dibley, Keeping up Appearances, As Time Goes By, To the Manor Born and Last of the Summer Wine ad nauseum.

Egan · 10-07-11, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by August

Except for "Outnumbered" (which I don't like but the wife loves) we don't see any of that when they broadcast BBC stuff on PBS.

They don't broadcast any of that on the BBC here either. They franchised the rights to GOLD and DAVE for lots of money. To be honest I've seen then all so often I couldn't watched any of them any more even if I was forced to at gunpoint. Plenty of decent - and new - comedy coming through the BBC.

To be honest, some of the stuff outwith the usual prime time guff has been fantastic on the BBC over the last couple of years. It'll be a shame if the same drama unit that has recently given us State of Play, The Shadow Line, Sherlock and Page 8 is going to be badly affected.

BBC Alba is pretty much ring fenced as - just like STV - the beeb get a grant for indigenous language stuff be it Welsh or one of the Gaelic languages. Now, they can get rid of BBC 3. Any channel that gave Two Pints of Lager to the world deserves to be axed.

Whole thing smacks of punishing everyone to prove a point. Never mind, sooner or later Murdoch will slither back into the Tory good books and they'll close it down for him as a 'welcome back!' present.

danlisa · 10-07-11, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Herr-Berbunch

I'll happily watch reruns of Blackadder, Little Britain, Faulty Towers, The Two Ronnies, Red Dwarf, Dad's Army, The Young Ones....

Forget about Blackadder, Faulty Towers, Red Dwarf and The Young Ones the rights to those have all been sold to other broadcasters.

Funny how this 'shake up' of the BBC, coupled with the threat of repeats coincides with the new 'global subscription' model. Charge the world for unique programming and then churn out the old stuff. Clever.

I expect a reduction in my TV license soon, especially since the cash generated can no longer be earmarked to new and unique programming.

Jimbuna · 10-07-11, 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Herr-Berbunch

I'll happily watch reruns of Blackadder, Little Britain, Faulty Towers, The Two Ronnies, Red Dwarf, Dad's Army, The Young Ones, and current favourite - Outnumbered.

Whereas if it's just going to be repeats of Eastenders then they can go take a flying...!

...jump!

I find myself going back increasingly to the Gold channel these days.

JU_88 · 10-07-11, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Herr-Berbunch

I'll happily watch reruns of Blackadder, Little Britain, Faulty Towers, The Two Ronnies, Red Dwarf, Dad's Army, The Young Ones, and current favourite - Outnumbered.

Whereas if it's just going to be repeats of Eastenders then they can go take a flying...!

...jump!

^^This +1

mapuc · 10-07-11, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Herr-Berbunch

I'll happily watch reruns of Blackadder, Little Britain, Faulty Towers, The Two Ronnies, Red Dwarf, Dad's Army, The Young Ones, and current favourite - Outnumbered.

Whereas if it's just going to be repeats of Eastenders then they can go take a flying...!

...jump!

I agree on that too

Markus

Torplexed · 10-07-11, 08:28 PM

For twenty years on Saturday nights, the local PBS station in the Tacoma area has been running the original 1963-1989 run of Doctor Who in sequence, over and over again. Local aficionados keep sending them the money to keep it on the air somehow.

I imagine those Tardis key chains they get as a token gift must be piling pretty high in the drawers and cabinets.

That being said I wish they'd spring for some of the newer episodes.

Sailor Steve · 10-07-11, 09:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Torplexed

For twenty years on Saturday nights, the local PBS station in the Tacoma area has been running the original 1963-1989 run of Doctor Who in sequence, over and over again. Local aficionados keep sending them the money to keep it on the air somehow.

I'm a useless slug. I taped all those when PBS was airing them in the 80s. I own digital copies of them all now, including reconstructed versions of the "missing" episodes.

Quote:

That being said I wish they'd spring for some of the newer episodes.

I'm watching them all on Amazon right now.

Torplexed · 10-07-11, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

I'm a useless slug. I taped all those when PBS was airing them in the 80s. I own digital copies of them all now, including reconstructed versions of the "missing" episodes.

Awww. No Tardis key chain, Dalek clock radio or Doctor Who tote bag for you.

Consider yerself lucky.

This PBS affiliate used to follow up the Doctor Who episode with some other classic British sci fi like Blake's Seven or Red Dwarf, but lately it's been back to endless repeats of Are You Being Served?, and As Time Goes By.

10-07-11, 08:45 AM	#1
Gerald SUBSIM Newsman Join Date: May 2008 Location: Close to sea Posts: 24,254 Downloads: 553 Uploads: 0	‘Radically Reshaped’ BBC to Include Fewer Jobs and More Reruns LONDON — The British Broadcasting Corporation announced Thursday that it would eliminate 2,000 jobs, cut its sports budget, show more reruns, and broadcast fewer talk and game shows. Mark Thompson, the broadcaster’s director general, told his staff that the changes — which amount to cuts of about $1.03 billion a year, or a 20 percent reduction in spending over five years — would lead to a “smaller, radically reshaped BBC.” He said that no television or radio stations would be closed down and that some money would be reinvested in new programming and services. The BBC is financed mostly through a government-approved license fee, paid every year by every household in Britain that owns a television set. The fee brings in about $5.5 billion a year. In the early part of the century, spending increased annually, allowing the broadcaster to expand its services and introduce channels. But after a series of embarrassing episodes, including the disclosure of the huge salaries paid to bureaucrats in the organization, the BBC was forced to curtail spending. Last year, confronted with a Conservative-led government skeptical of its financing model, the BBC agreed to freeze the license fee at its current rate of £145.60, or about $224, a year until 2017. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/07/wo...html?ref=world Note: October 6, 2011 __________________ Nothing in life is to be feard,it is only to be understood. Marie Curie

10-07-11, 08:55 AM	#2
Herr-Berbunch Kaiser Bill's batman Join Date: May 2010 Location: AN72 Posts: 13,203 Downloads: 76 Uploads: 0	I'll happily watch reruns of Blackadder, Little Britain, Faulty Towers, The Two Ronnies, Red Dwarf, Dad's Army, The Young Ones, and current favourite - Outnumbered. Whereas if it's just going to be repeats of Eastenders then they can go take a flying...! ...jump! __________________

10-07-11, 08:28 PM	#13
Torplexed Let's Sink Sumptin' ! Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 5,823 Downloads: 43 Uploads: 0	For twenty years on Saturday nights, the local PBS station in the Tacoma area has been running the original 1963-1989 run of Doctor Who in sequence, over and over again. Local aficionados keep sending them the money to keep it on the air somehow. I imagine those Tardis key chains they get as a token gift must be piling pretty high in the drawers and cabinets. That being said I wish they'd spring for some of the newer episodes. __________________ --Mobilis in Mobili-- Last edited by Torplexed; 10-07-11 at 08:42 PM.