No surrender

摘要

On March 2nd the bbc did something unprecedented: it volunteered to cut itself down to size. The broadcaster wants to abolish two digital radio stations, shrink its website and spend less on imported shows and sport. Mark Thompson, the director-general, says he will abandon the goal of churning out more and more programmes to suit every taste. Commercial media firms, which have been complaining for years about the bbc's heft, did not know what to make of it. Is the world's first, and mightiest, national public broadcaster turning modest?