This is via "The Guardian".

25th January 2012.

Mark Thompson's email to staff on the BBC's Delivering Quality First plans

Dear all,

This afternoon the chairman of the BBC Trust, Lord Patten, will set out the Trust's interim findings on our DQF plans. The chairman's speech and the findings are embargoed until 2.20pm but I wanted to let you know the main themes now.

I'm pleased to say that at this stage the trust has endorsed the great majority of our proposals. They support the way we have set about balancing the financial challenge we face with an unwavering commitment to quality programming. They agree that we were right to focus our resources around protecting the five editorial priorities and maintaining investment in those parts of the BBC that bring the greatest value to the greatest number of people – peak programming on our flagship television and radio channels.

There are a small number of areas where they have asked us to look again at our plans and see if we can make changes. These areas are:

1. Local radio

• the extent to which local stations share their afternoon content with their neighbours – whilst recognising that in some areas this might still be the best option.

• staffing levels in local radio newsrooms.

• the ability of local radio stations to protect some of their more specialist off peak content.

2. The plans for merging regional current affairs programmes in England in to a fewer number of regions.

3 The plan to decommission the weekly current affairs programme on 5 Live.

These changes are likely to cost up to £10m pa and the trust has asked us to find this money from further efficiencies and non-content budgets. Whilst this will be challenging we will investigate options for cost reduction from across the BBC.

Whilst we progress this work the trust will continue to work on its final conclusions, which are due to be published in the spring. We will continue to keep you updated on this and the changes already announced as part of DQF as they happen.

Lord Patten's speech this afternoon will describe the BBC as a force for optimism and excellence in uncertain times. He will say that we should be hugely confident about the BBC's unique and trusted position in public life, but that if we are to maintain that position we need to keep bringing bold new ideas to mainstream audiences.

Best wishes

Mark Thompson

director general