Snapshots

                                  Nikki Bedi

As for how the BBC has covered George Osborne's plans for the BBC to pay for the free licence fees of over-75-year olds (today's lead story in The Sunday Times)...

...well, all I can offer are certain snapshots from watching last night's paper review on the BBC News Channel and this morning's Andrew Marr Show and from listening to Loose Ends, Broadcasting House and Mark Mardell's The World This Weekend on Radio 4.

The first snapshot, concerning last night's The Papers on the BBC News Channel (presented by that nice Gavin Grey), found the journalist from the (left-leaning) Sunday People disapproving and saying that the Chancellor's numbers didn't add up while the (Lib Dem) political commentator Jo Phillips admired the Chancellor's political cunning. 

The second snapshot, from earlier in the day, heard (multi-channel) BBC presenter Nikki Bedi, hosting Loose Ends and interviewing the BBC's Nick Robinson about his new book. She demanded, in all seriousness, that Nick should have a word with the PM to stop the cuts at the BBC. Nick replied that this would be an abuse of his position. 

[She also questioned his use of "our troops" to described our troops in Afghanistan and made somewhat heavy weather of the fact that he used to run the Young Conservatives. Many years ago, replied Nick].

The third snapshot comes from this morning's press review on the Andrew Marr Show, where Andy raised fears that much-loved BBC channels might disappear, Nick Robinson (reappearing) kept his counsel and the Sunday Times editor Sarah Baxter admired the Chancellor's political cunning.

The fourth snapshot comes from this morning's Broadcasting House press review, where Baroness Helena Kennedy (Labour) went off on a political rant about the Chancellor's moves against the BBC and sang a paean of praise to the much-loved national institution, echoed (more mildly) by BBC sports commentator Barry Davies, while (non-BBC) journalist/presenter Julia Hartley Brewer expressed a more favourable take on the Chancellor's move - and, to be fair, so (trying to be impartial) did Paddy O'Connell.

The fifth snapshot comes from this lunchtime's The World This Weekend, where Mark Mardell interviewed former BBC supremo Sir Christopher Bland. Sir Christopher (like Baroness Kennedy) launched into a diatribe against George Osborne and a defence of the BBC (without much challenge from Mark Mardell).

From all of which I draw the conclusion that BBC types are none-too-happy, that left-wing types are none-too-happy and that establishment types are are none-too-happy either, but that rival broadcasters/journalists are actually rather enjoying the BBC's discomfort.