BBC says there is a “a smarter way of making savings” than cutting channels
BBC director general Mark Thompson is reported to have said that cutting channels will not be the first choice for the corporation, but it will not be ruled out altogether.
In an email to staff, Thompson is reported to have said that the corporation was close to a package that would fully meet the 20% savings challenge.
He admitted that there would be job cuts, but said that they would not be near the figures suggested in the press.
The proposals are to be put forward to the BBC Trust in September, and put to the staff following this.
Thompson said: “We haven't ruled out service closures yet but the work so far suggests there's a smarter way of making savings without taking entire services away from the public. Why? Because every single service is strongly valued by its audience.
“I'd also like to reassure you about some of the things that we won't be proposing, but about which there has been speculation. We won't be closing any local radio stations or television regions. There will be no full or partial merger of local radio and Radio 5 Live. We will not be removing BBC Parliament from Freeview.”