Something I wrote for Press Gazette:

Ever seen the balloon dance? It goes like this. Unattractive naked man has three balloons that move from one extremity to the other to cover his embarrassment. BBC One is a bit like that. The balloons are news bulletins. What would happen if you popped them?

Now the deal is done and the licence fee is in place, we are about to find out. BBC News is targeted for cuts. At Newsnight reporters are already reapplying for their jobs.

The government is blamed. But the BBC’s pre-eminence as the world’s biggest broadcast newsgatherer is being chipped away at to subsidise the salaries of high-profile entertainers. Sacrificing newsgathering and production jobs whilst paying ‘market’ rates to presenters makes a mockery of the charter the government has just agreed.

Elsewhere in the performing arts, we’re used to seeing high-profile stars set aside their fees to give their services to public theatre. We’re also used to repertoires that actually deliver material you wouldn’t find in say, commercial theatre.

It’s time for a couple of high-profile calls for sacrifice. Perhaps a few deals reduced from seven to six figures? The BBC last year boasted at replacing the expensive Trinny and Susannah (lured for more cash to commercial TV) with new unknown presenters who upped the ratings. Even in news and current affairs, Jeremy Paxman is taking home considerably more than Director General Mark Thompson. Is it really worth giving Jeremy Vine more cash to record promos and bumpers for Panorama?

If the BBC is going to remain in public service then unfortunately it will need to bring its remuneration system into line with that ideal. The most revealing example we have of its negotiating skills comes the minutes of Greg Dyke’s dismissal. Mark Byford, asked to act up as DG is given an instant pay rise that splits the difference between his salary and Dyke’s. Is that how the BBC does business?

Instead of reviewing the lowliest jobs, let Thompson start from the top, with an independent committee (who might be persuaded to give their time for expenses only) tasked with reducing the talent bill along the lines suggested by the BBC charter. In the meantime, let Newsnight hang on to its reporters. The more the BBC feels like a public service, the more people from all walks of life will feel like serving it.