The Media Club with Matt Deegan Is The BBC Heading For Disaster?
Nov 7, 2025
In this discussion, journalist Jane Martinson, a Guardian columnist and member of the Scott Trust, teams up with Paul Robinson, a former BBC executive and broadcast consultant. They dive into the BBC's current trajectory and its struggle to connect with younger audiences, suggesting the need for radical change to avoid going down with the Titanic. Jane also tackles recent blunders by The Times, highlighting the pressures and pitfalls faced by newsrooms in a rapidly changing media landscape.
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BBC Is Losing Young Audience Advocacy
- The BBC risks losing younger audiences because they view it as irrelevant and don't see the licence-fee value.
- Paul Robinson argues the BBC must improve distribution and make its third-party platform content win visible to build advocacy.
Rebuild Not Just Trim During Cuts
- Re-engineer services rather than trimming budgets when funding falls.
- Paul Robinson urges the BBC to rethink systems instead of just cutting individual programmes.
Content Volume Vs Packaging Matters
- The BBC still produces huge amounts of content and some shows cross generations despite platform shifts.
- Jane Martinson stresses packaging and rights management matter as much as format innovation.
