The sherpas of DQF at the BBC are heading out west to Caversham again this week, to exchange powerpoints on progress or otherwise towards cuts of 20% over six years. All the leaks are about trimming rather than a full razor cut on No 1. The surreal element is a sort of stand-off between the rather relaxed stance of Mark Thompson and Lord Patten, and those doing the financial calculations, who perceive serious black holes in the books. Thompson's Micawber-ish tendencies have their basis in a series of underspends over recent years; Lord Patten has quietly busted all governance rules to provide £15m or so extra funding for the World Service, and will probably behave in a similar fashion throughout his tenure as Chairman.
Can the money men convince them that this time it's serious ?
.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment