1. Why is the BBC doing these
reviews?
Mark Thompson announced that the BBC would conduct four Reviews
when he joined in June this year, and whilst Building Public Value
(BPV) is the expression of our vision for the next Charter, the
reviews are a key element for the BBC to realise this vision for
the digital future. Implicit in this vision are Mark's statement
that the BBC is to stand for excellence and originality, and to
'set the bar for quality and originality very high'.
The genesis for these Reviews is rooted in two issues: that
the world is changing fast and we have to continue to innovate to
remain relevant, plus the internal and external criticism of the
BBC - that we are too big, that we're not efficient, that we're too
commercial and that we're not wholly reflecting all walks of life
in the UK. The BBC's manifesto for the future has been laid out in
BPV and by reshaping ourselves (through the recommendations from
the reviews) we will be able to deliver the vision set out in BPV.
The Reviews will provide recommendations that radically
affect the way the BBC is now run, and will set up a future BBC
that can deliver all the public commitments in BPV plus self help
initiatives so that we can deliver the creativity and innovation
that is our keystone.
The context for the changes that the Reviews will bring lie in
Mark Thompson's definition that the BBC should be the catalyst of
democracy, education, social cohesion and collective cultural life,
and that in order to realise this vision in a digital world, the
BBC has to change. He is also very clear that the centre piece must
always remain in creative leadership and that by listening to the
thousands of brilliant people both inside the BBC as well as views
externally; the BBC will have more creative energy to set the
editorial agenda for the next chapter in the BBC's
history.
Whilst our focus is serving our UK audiences - the one that
pays for us - our strategy is global and reflects a BBC that
delivers extraordinary reporting on a global scale, for all our
delivery channels, everywhere. The recommendations for the review
will have a global impact, and it is important that we are open to
influences, opportunities and partnerships across our world, not
just in the UK.
2. When
will we hear the outcome of the Reviews?
The Reviews aim to report back to the Executive Committee and the
Board of Governors during November and it is expected that a BBC
announcement will be made during December, as to the
recommendations from each Review.
3. What
is the expected outcome for the BBC?
These Reviews will collectively bring a spirit of change to the BBC
that is unprecedented, but will define our sense of purpose for the
next decade and the intrinsic reason for this process is to build a
better organisation for the audience we serve, an even more
creative working environment, and a BBC that the UK can be even
more proud of that delivers excellent
programmes. 4. When will I know about my job/my
division?
We are hoping to announce high level recommendations from the
Reviews in December though how jobs/divisions are affected may not
be clear by this date. The detail of the impact of the
recommendations of the Reviews will be worked through in the New
Year.
5. What
is Shape our Future and what will happen to Making it
Happen?
"Shape our Future" is a series of BBC-wide sessions that were held
throughout September in the UK and across the globe. They had
a dual purpose: to give staff a chance to generate ideas for the
Reviews and to help them better understand the challenges we face
in the future, and why we need to change. The sessions were designed by the Making it Happen team, and
ran by MiH leaders in the divisions, and the ideas generated were
collected, collated and fed into the Reviews by the Organisational
Development team.
6. Who
is the BBC consulting with?
Internally, through Shape Our Future, staff were able to find out
more about the Reviews and be able to feedback ideas for the future
of the BBC. The ideas were collated and fed into the reviews for
feedback into the process. Externally, the BBC is meeting a wide range of individuals and
industry bodies in government, the Unions, the broadcasting
industry and the commercial marketplace (banks, venture capitalists
etc) both in the UK and globally.
7. Has the Executive already made up
their minds?
No, not at all. Although Mark and the Executive has a very clear
vision for the BBC's future with editorial leadership at its core,
the recommendations for the Reviews will be presented to him, and
the Executive once all the discussions, research and input has been
collated and debated.
8. Why, after an apparently successful DG
(Greg Dyke) do we need to make such dramatic change, especially
around value for money? Did Greg get it
wrong?
The VfM Review was in fact initiated by Greg Dyke Paul Kirby
(heading up VFM) was hired by Greg. Greg had therefore recognised
the need to look again at how we spend our money, and that the
Charter dictated we 'self help'. With the arrival of Mark Thompson
and Michael Grade the Building Public Value vision has developed
and it's become increasingly clear that to fund our aspirations we
would have to be even more radical than first thought. 9. Do the Reviews have to be completed so
quickly?
Yes because the Charter dictates it, and because we have lost
almost a year of work because of Hutton. We are now on the front
foot and have to be leading the debate, rather than reacting to it.
We must stay ahead and ensure we have a hand in our own
future.
10. Now the Exec is smaller, will some
divisional directors be out of the loop?
All divisional heads sit across one of the four executive bodies
(Creative Board, Journalism Board, Commercial Board, Executive
Board). These bodies will all consider the recommendations of the
reviews in some form before they are decided upon. 
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