Hmm.
- Cancel BBC2 daytime programming and rebroadcast the BBC News channel during those hours.
- Essentially close down BBC Local Radio in England with just local breakfast and drivetime shows.
- Stop broadcasting Wimbledon and F1.
What do they all have in common? They’re surely not ideas that are being “flown” to see what the reaction is? I’ve no doubt that some executives have been told to think the unthinkable to save substantial cash.
What other ideas can we look forward to hearing floated in coming days? Close down Radio 3? Shutdown the iPlayer? Suspend the move to Salford? Close BBC3 and BBC4? Turn Radio 4 into a news only station? Cancel Eastenders? Abandon nature documentaries and lay-off Sir David?
Given that all of these have emerged within a week, there is obviously an ongoing process. I’m not convinced that any or all of these may happen. But that’s not to say that elements of some or all of them might not take place. Fewer daytime antiques shows, more networking within regions of BBC Local Radio, and even Wimbledon rights being shared with Sky (frankly I’m not bothered about F1 since it’s overarching ethos feels flawed to me).
But in meantime, what else is going to emerge.
Incidentally, I’m certainly not hoping for that above list to come true. Radio 3 is an indellible part of UK culture, and the iPlayer has bcome one. BBC 4 is perhaps my favourite TV channel, although BBC 3 could be closed down without much pain. Radio 4 as an all news channel would be unconscienable, and Eastenders is viewed by too many people to be cancelled. And those nature documentaries? Well unless the BBC is doing something horribly wrong, they should be profit centres and not costs with international sales, DVDs and books.
Comments
5 responses to “What Will The Beeb Suggest Shutting Down or Cancelling Next?”
BBC Three needs to be refined and improved quality wise. Axing all of the rubbish to improve the content, even if it increases repeats, would be better.
I wouldn’t be surprised if they reduce the hours to improve the quality of programming. They want to increase CBBC, so increase that to 9pm and start BBC Three from then.
Also, perhaps move some of the Red Button content onto BBC Three.
BBC2 being a rebroadcast channel? What a silly idea.
Thank god for ITV4, which is better than BBC2.
However, wouldn’t mind if the BBC bought the full back catalog of American Dad, Family Guy and Mad Men to show in primetime.
ITV4 better than BBC2? Not remotely. I’ll give ITV4 an awful lot of credit for showing the Tour de France, and there’s a fair bit of other sport on the channel too.
But otherwise it’s just endless repeats of Police, Camera, Action, Ultimate Force, Minder, and action films that even Blockbuster no longer stocks.
The BBC will never show all those shows you talked about in prime time because they can exist quite easily in the commercial realm. Sky Atlantic, of course, has already bought Mad Men.
BBC 2 in prime time is pretty damn good. One fewer cookery show wouldn’t go amiss, and a little more challenging drama would be great, but otherwise I have no complaints. I guess that you and I have different tastes Craig.
As for BBC 3. I think that a little more consideration into what it could become might be in order.
In regard to ITV4, it does tend to have a PSB remit with its emergency services it shows it shows (which the BBC has a lack of – the emergency genre, that is.)
If the BBC got hold of Family Guy, and the full seasons of Mad Men, wouldn’t that be good? This being all seasons, of it, however. I suppose it’s another one to add to the re-runs list.
Not sure Sky Atlantic needs Mad Men, though, more suited to BBC where it wouldn’t get the “edited-for-syndication” treatment.
But showing Family Guy in daytime instead of a cookery show or simulcast of the 24-hour news channel? Slightly better though, at least for the demographic watching at that time.
Craig – it’s probably worth pointing out that the BBC already has Family Guy. It’s run endlessly on BBC Three. But it’s also shown on FX. Either way, I don’t see it ever running pre-watershed…
Sky basically created Sky Atlantic to drag in those customers onto its platform that enjoy the “boxset” dramas. It did a big deal with HBO that essentially gives it access to most of its output, and it went out and outbid the BBC for Mad Men (from AMC). Sky won’t cut the shows – although Atlantic does run ads.
The BBC has been told to cut back on overseas acquisitions. So filling daytime with sitcom repeats just isn’t an option. In any case channels like E4 do plenty of that.