Save the Beeb
Speaking to Richard Bacon on BBC Radio 5 Live, Wogan, who retired his position as Radio 2 breakfast host at the end of 2008 in favour of a Sunday morning slot, said that constant expansion of the Corporation was not necessarily helping the BBC become a better broadcaster.
‘The problem with the BBC frankly is it’s got too big’ said Sir Terry.
‘It’s got a bit unwieldy, there are far too many people employed to keep this big machine going. It might be better if there was a bit of slimming down.’ The 72-year-old added.
Wogan cited the building, redevelopment and renovation of BBC properties as one of the ways in which the Corporation had lost focus.
‘If you look at the money that has been spent on buildings, for instance the building work that’s going on at the top of Regent Street and the work that’s going on in Salford.
‘I don’t know if it’s a mistake or not. It seems as if it’s the British Building Corporation rather than broadcasting. It is the greatest broadcaster the world has ever seen, it cannot lose sight of the fact it’s supposed to be making programmes, and that’s where the money should go.’
Wogan also criticised the number of stations that the BBC now offer across digital networks, noting: ‘If you expand into innumerable wavelengths and networks you must have people who service them,’
However, for a man who’s spent much of his professional life working for Auntie, Sir Terry’s message ended with an impassioned plea to keep the BBC great, and to concentrate on what it does best.
‘For me the BBC has slightly outgrown its strength. Not slightly, it has outgrown its strength. I don’t ever want this country to abandon the principle of the BBC, of a licence fee, because as Michael Grade said years ago, it’s the BBC that keeps everybody else straight.’
’If the BBC ever abandons the idea of the BBC it’ll be a very sad day. It would be terrible. I do want the BBC as the greatest broadcaster of its time to continue. I wouldn’t like to see it being dismantled or take away part of the licence fee to support some other broadcaster. Let’s try and keep the BBC.’
