BBC News and BBC World to merge

[DTV]

If the BBC has to make cuts, why don't they make them in the very nice but less essential parts of their output?

The quality of the BBC's news programming, its arts programming, its children's programming, are the major reasons used to justify the idea of a licence fee in the first place - yet it's the first thing they cut. I've mentioned EastEnders already but why not just save a fortune and cut that - or something LIKE that - instead? Why news, arts and children's first of all? The very things that we so often hear that the BBC does best, the things that the commercial channels would never touch, or could never equal the quality of? Why are those the first to go?

Yes, of course some people do watch the show and would miss it - I'm sure that a buyer could be found, or maybe the BBC could continue it on their own advertising and subscription-funded channels like Dave and W, for example - but even so, if the BBC has to make these "savage" cuts, then why are the high-rating mass-audience programmes seemingly immune?

Has any question ever answered itself more easily than 'why are the high-rating mass audience programmes seemingly immune'? Even if, of course, such programmes have had their budgets reduced over the last decade. The BBC News channel's real-term content budget cut since 2010 has been 8%, BBC One's has been 17% and BBC Two's 44%.

Aside from that, the licence fee and the BBC's legitimacy as a public service rest on producing programming for as many people as is practicable. You can't reasonably ask people to fork out for a broadcasting service that only produces worthy programmes they aren't interested in. Programmes like EastEnders are part of the deal the BBC make with the public - the mass audience gets enough entertainment that can justify the budget to subsidise programmes that aren't for a mass audience (arts, children, etc.). You can say other elements are more public servicey, but ultimately mass appeal programming is just as essential to the survival of the BBC. I'm sick of the elitist opinion that forgets the third part of the Reithian bargain.

BBC News is actually the department that has arguably most favoured axing less popular, 'worthy' content over the past two decades. News output on BBC One and BBC News online have basically been ringfenced as they are the version of the BBC News service that are mass audience.