Janet Street-Porter has criticised the BBC over its latest cuts, claiming the corporation is set to “betray pensioners” with a move towards online-only broadcasting. Writing in a column for The i paper, the Loose Women panellist said the decision to invest more money in BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sounds app rather than programming budgets is “making life harder” for its “core audience”.
Concerns Over Channel Closures
Street-Porter complained that several shows, including Celebrity Mastermind and Live at the Apollo, have been “culled”, with “many more” expected to follow. She argued the BBC is letting down its “core, loyal audience” as it plans to transition to online-only broadcasting over the next decade.
The BBC and other broadcasters are shifting from aerial broadcasts to streaming, a change Street-Porter said will affect those with “limited digital skills”.
Reaction to Digital-First Strategy
Street-Porter said: “The BBC seems reluctant to admit that their most loyal fans – their core consumers – are mostly over 60. However smooth it might try to make the experience, going online simply isn’t as easy as flicking on the TV or radio. It is eating away at what the BBC does best too.”
She added: “I love classical music and already find BBC Sounds very irritating – too much material is repackaged as if I am stupid and can’t listen to a concert in its entirety. News and classical music is being hacked into bite-sized chunks as if I haven’t got the concentration to consume the original output unedited.”
Street-Porter also criticised the BBC’s “endless self-promotion” and programmes “interspersed with advertising and branding”.
Core Audience 'Old and Unfashionable'
She argued that the BBC’s expansion of digital offerings will be “aimed at people half a century younger than me”, which she called “pointless”. Street-Porter added: “The BBC must accept that its core audience are old, unfashionable, set in their ways and not particularly tech-savvy. But they are loyal in a way that the 20-year-olds of today will never be.”
This week, the BBC announced it will close three linear broadcast channels – BBC Three, BBC Scotland and Radio 4 Extra – all of which will become digital-only. Express.co.uk has contacted the BBC for comment.
