Mark Thompson and the BBC allowed more than a week between the first speculation about big cutbacks at the Corporation and this morning to tell people what was planned. The result is that their message — that there would be fewer job losses and no important programmes would be affected — lacked credibility.
The promise is that there will be the same amount or more spending on BBC One peaktime, and also on BBC Two, but more repeats on BBC Two, and BBC Three, particularly of Spooks episodes from BBC One earlier. There might be a fifth episode of EastEnders — cheaper again, but hardly original.
There will also be a serious rationalisation in BBC News, with up to 490 jobs going — but again,