A five-step program to save the BBC

[Commentary] Here is a five-point plan that might persuade the politicians that Britain still needs a vibrant, albeit rather slimmer, BBC. First off, the corporation should show some humility. To secure its future, the BBC needs to stop behaving as if it is trying to crush its competitors. Second, the BBC should reduce the pay and benefits of top managers - and cut the number of those managers. Likewise, the BBC must fess up to the earnings of its talent. Third, the corporation must rebuild the quality of its journalism. It should start by ensuring that programme editors demand accuracy instead of "impact" from the BBC's large pool of talented journalists. Fourth, the BBC should think strategically about the space a publicly funded broadcaster should be occupying 10 years hence. Some of what the BBC does speaks for itself - national and regional news, current affairs, original drama and comedy, talk radio. There is a strong case that these services should be available through the web as well as more traditional broadcasting channels. But the BBC must eschew the desire to be a monopoly supplier. Pluralism helps everyone. Finally, and most importantly, the BBC must rediscover the difference between ends and means. The licence fee is the means by which the BBC can provide the sort of programming beyond the reach of commercial rivals; it is not, repeat not, an excuse for the BBC to justify permanent ratings wars with competitors in the name of something called audience "reach". The BBC's future lies in being distinctive in the range and quality of its output.