The BBC has become rich, fat and arrogant over the last ten years. Its time to cut them back to size. Given their increasing tendency towards bias and to crusade for pet causes they have lost the right to be taken as a national treasure or institution. Realistically the BBC should fund itself commercial on all but one tv channel and one or two radio stations. Spending money on extra digital channels without earning something is a pointless waste. Frankly, it would be best if the BBC was broken into several pieces and made it compete most other media outlooks.

James, Epsom, Surrey

BBC news has been going down hill for some time: cut the lot.

roger, london,

Lots of overseas contributors here passing judgement - are they paying a licence fee?

Anyway.....

The real question is whether they will cut the dross and keep the quality.

Ideally they will cut the 'correspondents' and 'editors' who present their own opinion (in the guise of explaining to the masses) at the expense of reporting, questioning and interviewing. Cheap and easy, self-promotion or political propaganda? I'm never sure.

MarkS, Leeds,

Tonights 6:00pm news on BBC 1 had twelve reporters/news-casters in fifteen minuets to tell us about the governments financial review. That was over manned.

Muska, Derby, Derbyshire

There are too many 'celebrities' reading the news already.
Abolish the ridiculous double anchor bulletins as well.
Why am I paying two people to do a job that could be easily done by one?
This is long overdue.

edwina rigby, blackburn, England

Does this refer to television news or the real news on Radio 4?

Edmund Burke, Kingston upon Thames, England

I dont see what the fuss about losing the 1 o'clock news is. Surely the 1, 6 and 10pm national news programmes should all go as they overlap with News24 output? Isn't that the whole point of a rolling 24 hour news channel?

Besides, this would be a precursor to when Freeview is fully operational and analogue signals are turned off. Why have news programmes at 1, 6 and 10, when News24 will be on all day and everyone will be able to receive it? Its duplication and additional cost that isnt needed.

Jeff, Reading,

My contacts 20 years ago within the BBC at major management courses, suggested that the Corporation was overstaffed then by about 25%. I anticipate that to be raised significantly by now (and we know that they pay themselves far, far too much ). In addition they appear to have global ambitions ( just look at the Lonely Planet extravaganza). The BBC needs a financially-based management team who are focussed on their core purpose and a Board more representative of their audience. Cut the licence fee now for starters and then let's look more closely at their activities outside their core remit.

Terry, Aquitaine, France

It makes rational sense to simulcast the 1pm news broadcast between BBC News 24 and BBC One - In fact in an ideal world the corporation could simulcast all of the main bulletins and the morning news programme - But please let them find some spare cash to first improve their rolling news channel. It is possibility the least professioal channel on TV. In fact, even the nastiest home shopping channels have sleeker production and on screen graphics.

Chris, London,

I wouldn't miss their version of news. Maybe they could just keep the journalists who try to be fair and accurate reporters..

Bob, Brussels, Belgium

So let them have their strike, compared to the imminent (and disgraceful) Post Office action it will have neglible affect on the nation. It's only TV for pity's sake!

J Marshall, Guisborough, Cleveland

I would shed no tears if Ross was axed to save money.

Keith Fletcher, Chesham, Bucks

The BBC could save a great deal of money and do us all a favour by scrapping the large number of local radio stations. They offer no entertainment value nor any useful information to local people and their boring phone chats and top 40 chart music are inane.

Craig, Huntingdon,

In the financial markets, the BBC would be classified as a very confusing conglomerate that apparently fails to recognise the core parts of the business and the real customers (the British license payers)

Surely excellent news, documentaries and current affairs are part of the core business - but BBC3 and a many other peripheral services are not. Everyone has to reduce costs these days - and that includes the BBC

So, can we please hear from the BBC Trust as to what they believe are the core businesses or insist that Mr Thompson does so?

Stuart Hamilton, Taunton,

So, performers such as Ross on £6M a year are worth more than 150 news staff on £40K.

M Davis, East Preston,

BBC had it coming to them. First , BBC is rapidly deteriorating, secondly. it has a huge list of people whose high salaries do not measure up with their capabilities. BBC needs a complete reorganization from top to botton.

George, New York, USA