Cost-cutting BBC plans to axe radio stations

THE BBC plans to axe two radio stations, cut spending on imported shows and halve the number of its web pages, it was claimed last night.

The measures are part of a plan, due to be made public next month, to shrink the corporation's overall services and focus more on quality over quantity.

A spokeswoman for the BBC refused to comment on "speculation" over the cuts last night.

But the widely anticipated cuts will mark a reversal of the expansion that the corporation went through in recent years.

Mark Thompson, the director-general of the BBC, is expected to tell staff that the broadcaster has become too large and must downsize its operations to give greater opportunities to its commercial rivals.

Among the services facing the axe will be the digital radio stations 6 Music and Asian Network.

Mr Thompson will also announce the closure of BBC Switch and Blast!, which are targeted towards the teenage market.

If approved, the proposals will see 600 million in savings being redirected to higher quality programming.

BBC Trust sources also claimed that the director-general is also being pushed to slash the budget for imported shows such as Mad Men and Heroes by a third.