| MUMBAI:
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is targeting a five per cent net reduction
in programme prices each year for the next five years, prompting a tightening
of the belt to tide over the harsh economic climate. Across
the BBC, the plan is to make savings of £1.9 billion in this Licence Fee
period. BBC
DG Mark Thompson revealed the plans while speaking on 'Accountability In A
Time Of Change' at the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy
Annual Conference in Manchester. "This
is an environment where pay restraint at every level must make sense. In this
year's pay round, the people with us earning below £60,000 got a flat rate
increase of £450 and those earning £60,000 will not have any general
increase at all. We have suspended all bonuses across the organisation." Thompson
reiterated that the UK pubcaster will protect programmes and services over the
next few difficult years. "As far as we can, we will also protect jobs and
so also our investment in independent production. We can only do those things
because we began the difficult process of reform nearly five years ago. And even
so, the economics are tight." Thompson
pointed out that all broadcasters including relatively well-funded parts of the
public sector like the BBC face "some difficult years." The wider downturn
and the level of public indebtedness will inevitably colour the entire climate
for public spending decisions, he added. | 
