Hostile politicians, cuts and controversy: why the BBC has never been so vulnerable

After a shocking week for the broadcaster, what are the issues it must tackle to keep its place in the nation’s cultural landscape?

In his eye-catching pitch for his new job as chair of the powerful parliamentary group that monitors the BBC, Julian Knight, MP for Solihull, promised, among other things, to run the culture, media and sport select committee, as an “unofficial ‘Royal Commission’ on the future of the corporation”.

Last Thursday, a victorious Knight swiftly underlined his plan to “ask difficult questions about the BBC’s future funding model”. He also applauded a suggestion from fellow MP James Cartlidge that a more commercial BBC could become “a top export service”. These words sent a renewed January chill down the corridors of New Broadcasting House.

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from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2UguOjL

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