BBC royal wedding coverage protected from budget cuts
BBC Vision director says licence fee freeze may delay some major series, but royal wedding will be given 'due prominence'
BBC coverage of Prince William's marriage to Kate Middleton will not fall victim to funding cuts required by the freezing of the annual licence fee at £145.50, according to a senior corporation executive.
Jana Bennett, BBC Vision director, warned of "potential delays" to planned series or events because of budget cuts, but said the royal wedding on 29 April will be given "due prominence ... this will be a big-scale event".
She said that BBC1 will carry the main responsibility of bringing "everybody together" for the Westminster Abbey ceremony and accompanying celebrations.
But she added that other BBC channels could also play a part, looking at details such as the wedding dress. "I could see BBC3 doing something like that though they've already got Don't Tell the Bride," she said.
A meeting of broadcasters about covering the event will take place next week and Bennett predicted the wedding could boost the sales of high-definition TV sets in the same way the Queen's coronations enticed people to buy their first television in 1953.
Bennett admitted BBC TV series and events planned for 2012 onwards could be delayed as a result of the licence fee freeze.
She said the corporation will protect the "scale" of its London 2012 Olympics coverage but other major TV events are likely to suffer.
The BBC is facing a 16% funding cut in real terms over six years from next April, as the licence fee is frozen at the annual current level of £145.50, following the hastily negotiated and controversial deal with the government. The licence fee brings in £3.6bn a year for the BBC.
The new settlement was announced by the chancellor, George Osborne, on 20 October as part of the government's comprehensive spending review. The BBC Trust announced in September that it would sacrifice an agreed 2% licence fee rise and freeze it at £145.50 for the financial year from 1 April.
Budgets for BBC TV channels for the year from 1 April will be set by around next February and will take into account the reduction in funding, Bennett said. She added that the BBC is looking at its finances across the board due to the impending funding cuts.
Speaking at a Broadcasting Press Guild lunch in London yesterday, Bennett said the freeze amounted to a loss of around £144m, and comes on top of the deficit created by the projected £1.5bn pension black hole.
She added that the BBC is aiming for a "zero balance sheet" by the end off its charter period in 2017, and executives are looking to see how this could be achieved.
More money could come from BBC Worldwide as it has had a good year and is looking to sell off a stake in its magazines business. "There's a question of how much they are going to contribute," Bennett said.
But she was coy on speculation that she might be joining BBC Worldwide, saying "people talk to me from time to time about jobs. There's absolutely nothing I can tell you now."
She also denied she has come under political pressure over Panorama's forthcoming investigation into bids for the World Cup in 2018.
Bennett said The One Show is "in very good health" in spite of presenter Jason Manford's high-profile and sudden resignation, but no replacement is imminent. "People will be interested [in applying] because it's a great show," she added.
She said that despite Manford departing under a cloud after tweeting explicit messages: "Tweeting isn't banned. The problem is it feels private but it's public.
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