The BBC needs to accept that there is no need to cut or make massive use of repeats/re-runs or indeed cut the making of programmes.

It also needs to accept that for years it has allowed "stars" to have unnecessarily large overinflated salaries simply because viewers liked them rather than accepting its financial limits and staying within them.

No matter how good someone is they can always be replaced.The BBC Trust itself has set a poor example itself in this respect. The truth is that the money saved from not paying these high salaries can be ploughed into well thought out programme development. Like ITV,the BBC has programmes in its archives which many modern viewers have not seen.

There has been a lot of focus on high definition pictures but no-one, especially TV manufacturers, has focused on high definition sound. If a programme is recorded with sound-effects and background music drowning out speech,there is little the viewer can do about it especially if the viewer is hard of hearing. We need to move into a new era where the viewer can have separate volume controls for speech, sound effects and background music with the option to turn them off if necessary. We also do not need to have programmes where the lighting is so bad the viewer can barely see the action taking place.

The BBC has placed itself in its current situation because it has allowed so much waste. The Jimmy Savile scandal has not helped and viewers will be wondering what steps have been taken to prevent such occurrences in the future.

Cutting staff removes talent and skills, reducing salaries keeps everybody affordable and in work. The BBC has a lot to do to salvage its reputation and if the licence fee does go that job will be a lot harder.

It will be interesting to see if the BBC Trust can rise to the challenge. Only time will tell.

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