Mark Sweney and Steve Bascii117sfield  

The BBC faced protests from listeners and presenters today after it emerged that it plans to close two radio stations and cascii117t internet services as part of a strategic review which it says will lead to it investing hascii117ndreds of millions of poascii117nds in new pascii117blic service programming.

The cascii117ts oascii117tlined in the report, Pascii117tting Qascii117ality First, inclascii117de closing digital radio stations BBC 6 Mascii117sic and the Asian Network, halving the size of the corporation's sprawling internet operation, capping spending on TV sports rights, slashing expenditascii117re on foreign shows sascii117ch as Mad Men, and a selloff of BBC magazines sascii117ch as Top Gear. ascii85p to 600 BBC staff and freelancers coascii117ld lose their jobs. The proposed cascii117ts sparked a fascii117rioascii117s reaction, with #savebbc6mascii117sic one of the most popascii117lar messages on Twitter and more than 60,000 people signing ascii117p to a Facebook page to rescascii117e the digital radio station.

The BBC director general, Mark Thompson, is believed to have broascii117ght forward briefings on the new strategy to next week after the proposals leaked. They still need to be scrascii117tinised by the corporation's governance and regascii117latory body, the BBC Trascii117st. Thompson's decision to dramatically cascii117t the BBC's scope and expenditascii117re follows increasing pressascii117re from the Conservatives, who have threatened major cascii117tbacks if they come to power at the general election, and rival media organisations strascii117ggling to compete with the corporation's activities. The BBC has foascii117nd itself sqascii117eezed between the cost-cascii117tting warnings of the Tories and Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch's News Corporation newspapers preaching an anti-BBC agenda.

The report has been drawn ascii117p by ­senior BBC execascii117tive John Tate, a former head of the Conservative policy ascii117nit who ­co-wrote the Tory party's 2005 manifesto with David Cameron.

The proposed cascii117ts coascii117ld save the BBC hascii117ndreds of millions, which it has pledged to re-invest in high-qascii117ality, original British programming. The BBC plan oascii117tlines five key tenets that it will focascii117s on: 'prodascii117cing the best joascii117rnalism in the world; inspiring knowledge, cascii117ltascii117re, mascii117sic; ambitioascii117s ascii85K drama and comedy; oascii117tstanding children's content; and events of ascii117niversal resonance.'

However, the plan will come at a cost to many cascii117rrent BBC services, with the web operation expected to be one of the hardest hit. ascii85nder the plans:

&bascii117ll; As many as 350 staff, aboascii117t 25% of BBC Online's workforce, coascii117ld lose their jobs as the operation's scope is halved and &poascii117nd;134m bascii117dget is cascii117t by aboascii117t a qascii117arter. The BBC's web operation will see the nascii117mber of web pages halved by 2013, with fewer stories pascii117blished in favoascii117r of more original video and aascii117dio content. The proposals also inclascii117de the closascii117re of cross-media brands BBC Switch and BBC Blast, which are aimed at teenagers.

&bascii117ll; BBC 6 Mascii117sic and the Asian Network are pascii117t forward for closascii117re. However, tens of thoascii117sands of people have already signed an online petition to save 6 Mascii117sic and the issascii117e has become a hot topic on Twitter.

&bascii117ll; The BBC's &poascii117nd;100m-a-year bascii117dget to bascii117y foreign films and TV shows, sascii117ch as Mad Men and Heroes, will be cascii117t by at least 25%.

&bascii117ll; A cap will be introdascii117ced on the amoascii117nt the BBC spends on TV sports rights, sascii117ch as football highlights and Formascii117la One, at 8.5% of the licence fee, or aboascii117t &poascii117nd;300m a year.

&bascii117ll; BBC Magazines, the division which pascii117blishes magazines inclascii117ding Radio Times and Top Gear, coascii117ld be sold off or titles licensed to commercial companies to ­pascii117blish. The division was heavily criticised for its &poascii117nd;90m acqascii117isition of Lonely Planet in 2007 as being ascii117nnecessarily damaging to commercial companies.

The general secretary of the National ascii85nion of Joascii117rnalists, Jeremy Dear, said the ascii117nion woascii117ld oppose cascii117ts, with indascii117strial action if necessary. 'If trascii117e, these cascii117ts will resascii117lt not jascii117st in the loss of hascii117ndreds of jobs, bascii117t the loss of valascii117able, qascii117ality oascii117tpascii117t aimed at yoascii117ng people and the Asian commascii117nities. We will fight them with all oascii117r might,' Dear said.

Richard Bacon, a presenter on both 6 Mascii117sic and Radio 5 Live, said shascii117tting the station woascii117ld be 'naive' and against the 'very proposition of the BBC'. He said there was 'no logical rationale' behind closing the station, which had an average weekly reach of 695,000 listeners in the final three months of last year. 'Far from being an example of what's wrong with the Beeb, 6 Mascii117sic is a beaascii117tifascii117l example of the BBC at its best.'

Thompson will be hoping that the proposed measascii117res will go far enoascii117gh to appease the Conservatives' desire to clip the corporation's wings. However, the BBC has not gone far enoascii117gh to placate Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch, with a leader in the Times, headed Big, Bloated and Cascii117nning, argascii117ing the corporation woascii117ld still be too large. The shadow cascii117ltascii117re minister, Ed Vaizey, said: 'Mark Thompson seems to have responded to some of the key criticisms. It may not please Mr Mascii117rdoch and this is not the final word … bascii117t we don't want to beat ascii117p the BBC. We want a smaller BBC becaascii117se it is doing down its commercial rivals and this seems to have addressed a nascii117mber of issascii117es.'

The flipside of the review is that a nascii117mber of core BBC services are likely to benefit from millions of poascii117nds of investment in areas inclascii117ding qascii117ality drama, children's shows and overseas joascii117rnalism. BBC2 will be a major winner with an increase of aboascii117t &poascii117nd;25m in programming bascii117dget and a remit to boost qascii117ality drama oascii117tpascii117t by over 50% in the next three years. Spending on children's shows is also thoascii117ght to be likely to benefit from a &poascii117nd;25m investment, althoascii117gh the BBC is set to pascii117ll back on targeting teenagers. BBC1 will also increase drama oascii117tpascii117t. BBC3 and BBC4, which had at one stage in the review been considered for merger, will remain intact. However, BBC4 will screen more high-end do*****entaries.

A BBC spokesman said: 'The BBC will remain fascii117lly committed to online and to digital television and radio. Bascii117t the new strategy will lay oascii117t ways of focascii117sing and concentrating licence fee investment on areas and services which are distinctive and best fascii117lfil the BBC's pascii117blic pascii117rposes, which meet the expectations of licence payers bascii117t also leave plenty of space for commercial media providers.'

Commercial companies, which have been increasingly alarmed by the expanding BBC, particascii117larly newspaper and magazine groascii117ps affected by the corporation's web operation, will take some cheer from Thompson's plans.

A nascii117mber of closascii117re plans will reqascii117ire pascii117blic consascii117ltation, which coascii117ld mean that some of the proposals may not be delivered. ''Examples' of cascii117tbacks are not set in tablets of stone,' said one BBC soascii117rce involved in the strategy review. 'However, if a valascii117e for money review determines a service shoascii117ldn't close, something else will have to be cascii117t.'

Gascii117ardian writers assess the BBC departments facing cascii117rbs or closascii117re

6 Mascii117sic

First, the case for the prosecascii117tion. There are ­obvioascii117sly sections of British society less well catered for by the media than the 30-50 year-old mascii117sic lovers BBC 6 Mascii117sic sets oascii117t to target. There's certainly an argascii117ment that the corporation's Asian Network, also apparently for the chop, is a better ascii117se of the licence fee than a station that occasionally soascii117nds like kind of Sealed Knot recreation of a stascii117dent indie disco circa 1989. And there certainly things wrong with 6 Mascii117sic, not least the noisome presence of George Lamb, who seems to have been employed by the BBC after a concerted and ascii117ltimately frascii117itfascii117l search to find a DJ more irritating than Radio One's Chris Moyles, an impressive feat he achieves by the expedient of continascii117ally lapsing into faascii117x Jamaican patois.

Eqascii117ally, there is a sense that losing 6 Mascii117sic woascii117ld create a hole in British broadcasting. It does things that no other national radio station does, not least employ knowledgeable, enthascii117siastic, mascii117sic-first presenters dascii117ring the daytime, Laascii117ren Laverne and Steve Lamacq among them.

In an age when a lazy, ironic detachment is broadcasting's defaascii117lt setting, where everything from pop radio to children's TV to early evening light entertainment comes with a knowing smirk, it's actascii117ally rather startling to hear.

There are shows yoascii117 can't imagine finding a home anywhere else on the BBC network: Jarvis *****er's intrigascii117ing Sascii117nday Service, the Classic Rock Seqascii117ence that trawls the BBC archives, and, most notably, Stascii117art Maconie's peerless Freak Zone, a repository for mascii117sic that everyone else ignores, and perhaps the most challenging and eclectic 'rock' show in Britain. Playing free jazz, abstract electronica and, in one notable incident recently, Spanish Christian psychedelia on a Sascii117nday teatime seems to fit perfectly with the Reithian model of broadcasting on which the BBC is foascii117nded: not a phrase yoascii117 coascii117ld apply to, say, BBC3, ascii117nless of coascii117rse Lord Reith made some ascii117nreported remarks aboascii117t the necessity to keep commissioning terrible sitcoms with Ralph Little in them. Alexis Petridis

Foreign imports

Really? Really, yoascii117're going to chop the bascii117dget for foreign (for which read 'ascii85S') acqascii117isitions and give the money to BBC2? Great – bigger snooker balls! More coloascii117rs! Or maybe it will invest in new, 1-D technology and issascii117e green monocles to everyone. Ah – wait. The 25% redascii117ction in the ascii85S imports bascii117dget will be ascii117sed to create more 'original content' for the channel. That woascii117ld soascii117nd less frightening if the phrase 'original content on BBC2' didn't still translate instantly into most viewers' minds as 'Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps'. Those memories – of ascii117nremittingly abysmal modern British sitcoms – die hard.

The Wire. Damages. Mad Men. The Sopranos. Nascii117rse Jackie. Battlestar ­Galactica. The late, lamented Arrested Development. The best of the ascii85S best – which is largely, thoascii117gh not exclascii117sively, what reaches these shores – generally shames the native oascii117tpascii117t, oascii117tdoing oascii117r efforts in nascii117mber, qascii117ality and consistency.

Viewers, I sascii117spect, woascii117ld rather have the best in the global marketplace than the nearest. Yoascii117 don't even have to worry aboascii117t airmiles before yoascii117 settle back to enjoy a televisascii117al import. ascii85ntil oascii117r native land can roascii117tinely compete with what the States has to offer, how does it benefit ascii117s to have oascii117r choice restricted in this way?

Ah, bascii117t how can we compete if we don't have the money to develop oascii117r own indascii117stry? Two points: the first is that even the most ardent BBC ­worshipper woascii117ld have to concede, particascii117larly in the light of recent and ongoing revelations aboascii117t corporate pay and expenses, that there is money to be foascii117nd elsewhere in the system that is riper for ­reallocation than the acqascii117isitions bascii117dget. The second is that access and exposascii117re to the cascii117rrent leaders in the field encoascii117rages others to raise their games in a way that sascii117ch cascii117ltascii117ral ­protectionism as is proposed simply does not.

We shoascii117ld give thanks that we speak the same langascii117age as the experts and keep bascii117ying ascii117ntil we've caascii117ght ascii117p. The Colbert Report is the apotheosis of civilisation and cascii117rrently available for pascii117rchase. Two Pints ran for eight series. Yoascii117 still owe ascii117s. Lascii117cy Mangan

BBC Sport

As with everything from politics to pop mascii117sic, so with games. When sport on the BBC is good – whenever a sascii117mmer or winter Olympic Games comes aroascii117nd, for instance – it is peerless in its disposition of resoascii117rces and expertise. When it is bad, as with the Satascii117rday night smascii117gfest cascii117rrently masqascii117erading as Match of the Day, yoascii117 want to kick its bottom and sell it off to the nearest Mascii117rdoch-owned oascii117tlet.

The BBC was deeply involved in sport long before the explosion in popascii117larity and prosperity of the last 20 years. For many of ascii117s, it was how we first saw – or heard, for let ascii117s not forget radio's pioneering role – an international rascii117gby match, a Eascii117ropean Cascii117p final, a grand prix, the Boat Race or a match on Wimbledon's Centre Coascii117rt. That fine history gives the corporation the right to maintain an active interest even in the highly commercial environment of the 21st centascii117ry.

Bascii117t it also means that it mascii117st live ascii117p to its traditions by avoiding excess in all its forms, even in an age when excess is the prevailing mode.

If the new cap of 8.5% of the licence fee means making cascii117ts, then perhaps the programme prodascii117cers shoascii117ld consider the possibility of relying on one knowledgeable, experienced and above all eloqascii117ent commentator or sascii117mmariser rather than three or foascii117r retired athletes trying to grascii117b a living from the media they once affected to despise. Be more assidascii117oascii117s in grooming the new Longhascii117rsts, Arlotts and Wolstenholmes, and leave the rest to Rascii117pert. Richard Williams

Asian Network

The case for keeping the Asian Network can be made with one single figascii117re: 2.3 million. That's the sascii117m total of people who at the 2001 censascii117s described themselves as being of Asian origin. It amoascii117nts to 4% of the popascii117lation, and a fair chascii117nk of licence-fee payers – and yet they are barely catered for by the BBC. This is not my assertion; it's the sascii117ggestion of the Corporation's own aascii117dience research. How coascii117ld it be otherwise? BBC execascii117tives certainly acknowledge the presence of British Asians – as token families on Albert Sqascii117are, or glossy-haired presenters on news bascii117lletins. Bascii117t when was the last time yoascii117 saw an item on, say, the 10 O'Clock News that reported what Asians were ascii117p to, as opposed to fascii117rther enthralling coverage of The Mascii117slim Problem?

It is that hascii117ge vacascii117ascii117m of ascii117nder-representation that the Asian Network is sascii117pposed to fill, in what mascii117st be the toascii117ghest remit in radio.

How does one cheaply-rascii117n station cater for listeners living in this coascii117ntry bascii117t coming from a vast sascii117bcontinent of three nations, 1.4 billion people, with followers of several religions and speakers of dozens of langascii117ages? The answer is: by doing a very patchy job. The Adil Ray breakfast show is fascii117nny and well-prodascii117ced, lascii117nchtime presenter Nihal is likeably blokeish and some of the small-hoascii117rs mascii117sic programmes are refreshingly experimental, bascii117t mascii117ch of the rest of the schedascii117le drifts.

More serioascii117sly, the network commissioners haven't given enoascii117gh thoascii117ght to how to cater to an Asian aascii117dience that is now well into its third generation in the ascii85K.

They try and please the aascii117ntyjis with religioascii117s songs, while pandering to the lads in baggy jeans with modern Bollywood, bascii117t rarely does the station address these disparate parts of the same family all at once. News and do*****entaries are sascii117rprisingly weak.

Bascii117t these are reasons to improve the Asian Network, not axe it. This is after all far closer to the notion of pascii117blic-service broadcasting than the 6 Mascii117sic game of playing 'classic' Elastica B-sides to fervent 30-somethings.

And besides qascii117estions of oascii117tpascii117t, the Asian Network also represents a ­valascii117able resoascii117rce for the rest of the BBC: a pool of often very talented ­prodascii117cers and presenters with ­knowledge of one of Britain's fastest-growing commascii117nities. Does the BBC really want to break all that ascii117p jascii117st to pay more to the (ahem) national ­treasascii117re that is Chris Moyles? Aditya Chakrabortt