Image: Flickr/ Amro
Let's not beat around the bush here, this is war. Despite standing as one of the cornerstones of British society, the relentless march of technology combined with ideologically driven attacks on the very nature of the BBC have put the corporation in its most tenuous position since it was founded. We stand in a world where the Culture Secretary believes that the public service broadcaster should no longer cater to the tastes of everyone who funds it. Something for everyone is apparently a bad thing.
It is into this challenging environment that the current Director General of the BBC Tony Hall must step, join battle and fight the good fight to maintain the BBC as the premier public service broadcaster. He has started on the back foot. Forced to accept the cost of providing free TV licenses to over 75s, an effective cut in annual revenue of £600 million and rising, before the official review process had even begun (and already under additional financial burdens from previous government interventions) the language of the conversation has already turned to loss of services and narrowing appeal. The BBC is making the argument for its existence and it is getting it spectacularly wrong.
