BBC hard to defend

Whilst the BBC is indeed a "hugely important cultural institution", it, as your editorial stated, is "far from perfect" (The BBC is a force for good. We must keep it that way, 09.02.20). "Not doing well enough on diversity", and lack of transparency about "the way it deals with complaints" are the failings mentioned, but, sadly, there are many more, and all of them should have been dealt with years ago.

     Funded by licence fees, the ever profligate BBC has brought criticism on itself with over-generous payments to presenters, pundits and managers, and a pay policy with massive gender gaps. A recent rugby international had no less than nine people paid to comment on it, whilst another three were doing the same on the BBC`s 5 Live.

      Then there is the worrying tendency to be involved with tax avoidance issues, which the Observer brought to the nation`s attention back in 2012 ( BBC told by MPs to make presenters pay fair share of tax, 05.10.12), and which still sees high-profile stars  being paid through outside companies. The preference of the public, especially young people, for output on demand rather than multiple channels has been obvious for many years, and moves now  to take on this challenge are another case of "too little, too late"!

       The most immediate threat is, of course, political, but had successive directors-general of the BBC been alert enough to see the danger coming, and taken the necessary action to stop critics deriding it as the British Boys` Club, more of the public would be jumping to its defence.