BBC Trust approves online cuts but backs saving 6 Music

The BBC Trust has approved a proposed 25 per cent cut in the corporation's budget for online.

The trust said it will need to approve any editorial changes made because of the cuts, which were initially proposed by the BBC executive in March as part of plans to save £100 million by reducing the scope of bbc.co.uk and cutting digital stations 6 Music and the Asian Network.

"In line with the Executive’s proposals, the BBC should sharpen online’s focus so that it is truly distinctive and has clearer editorial vision and control," says the trust in its initial conclusions from a consultation on the executive's strategy review.

The website needs "more active" editorial, strategic and financial management, says the trust, which will seek more detail from the executive on how reducing scope of bbc.co.uk will be achieved.

"[I]t must not be reduced to the provision of background material in support of other service (...) We will also want to see greater clarity as to the correct balance between audio-visual and text-based content," says the trust.

Saving 6 Music and the Asian Network's future
The trust will publish its final conclusions in the autumn, but said today that it was not convinced by the executive's plans to close 6 Music, saying that the station's current performance is comparable with that of other digital services.

"The trust does not agree that there is a consistent strategic rationale for closure on grounds either of promoting digital development or market impact. Nonetheless, the proposal has been helpful in highlighting the need for a further review of the BBC’s digital strategy," it says.

"If, as part of that review, the Executive wants to put together a different proposal for the overall shape of its music radio stations that they think could further increase the distinctiveness of the output, we would consider it. However, we would not expect to see a further proposal to make changes to 6 Music unless the Executive could provide: a clear link between a new future strategy for music radio and the strategy for digital development; evidence that the changes we have already requested to Radio 1 and Radio 2 are under way; an explanation of how the distinctiveness of those stations could be further increased as part of a new music radio strategy; [and] reassurance that there would be long-term protection for the type of distinctive content currently available uniquely on 6 Music."

But the trust says it would consider a formal proposal from the BBC to close the Asian Network, because of poor audience figures, but says it would need to be convinced "that any alternative proposed would be a clear improvement in terms of overall public value for British Asian audiences".

Local radio and safeguarding journalism
The BBC has tasked the executive with building a proposal for sharing regional content between stations at non-peak hours to fund improvements in local political coverage and speech programming at peak times.

"We would use the outcome of that trial as the starting point for further regulatory testing," says the trust.

The body will also seek "further assurance" from the BBC executive of plans to safeguard high-quality investigative journalism and analytical current affairs journalism: "Changes in the global political and economic environments have important implications for the BBC’s current affairs output as well, particularly given reductions in current affairs elsewhere. We therefore look to the Executive to provide us with further assurance that it has robust plans to deliver sufficiently prominent and high-quality investigative and analytical current affairs to meet these changing circumstances."

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