It’s just not been a good few months for the BBC, has it? Cookiegate and Crowngate have diverted attention for a while, but this has simply served to paper over the cavernous cracks of a much bigger problem – the fact that the licence fee has been settled at a rate below inflation. The Director General, Mark Thompson, has had some tough decisions to make, and, unsurprisingly, there are winners and losers. Well, more losers to be honest.

There are two sets of people that will be affected by the changes – the employees and the viewers. Let’s start with the former. The biggest job losses are likely to come in BBC News, as news across all platforms and channels – radio, terrestrial bulletins, News 24 and the internet – will soon come from just one department. It’s thought that around 500 people will lose their jobs as a result.

Overall, it is thought that around 3000 BBC employees will have to go, although 1000 jobs will also be created. Still, a net loss of 2000 is incredibly significant.

So what does this mean for us, the humble viewer? Well, apparently it means a hell of a lot more repeats – so the people who said they shouldn’t have to pay a licence fee because the Beeb shows so many repeats can start eating their words now. Fewer hours of original content can’t be a good thing, but it does mean that BBC Three and Four will remain. Here at TVScoop, we’ve been championing the fabulously diverse work done by BBC Four, but it had to be said that BBC Three has much to prove.

Thompson’s plans are being presented to the BBC Trust (who represent us) as I type, and will be revealed to BBC workers in full on Wednesday – and it’s unlikely they’ll be taking the news lying down. [via MediaGuardian]