The Prime Minister intends to abolish the BBC TV licence fee, according to reports in the Sunday newspapers.
An unnamed (naturally) senior Downing Street source has told the Sunday Times that the Government intends a radical overhaul of the ailing national broadcaster, which will see dozens of TV and radio channels axed and the BBC's online presence drastically reduced.
"We are not bluffing on the licence fee. We are having a consolation and we will whack it. It has to be a subscription model", the Downing Street insider said.
"They've got hundreds of radio stations, they've got all these TV stations and a massive website. The whole things needs massive pruning back.
"They should have a few TV stations, a couple of radio stations and massively curtailed online presence and put more money into the World Service, which is part of its core job."
It is no secret that the incumbent Government has justifiable concerns about the way the BBC is managed.
Under current arrangements the BBC is funded exclusively by the TV licence fee, which rakes in around £3.8 bn a year. That annual cash injection is guaranteed irrespective of how woeful the BBC's content, sordid its scandal or nauseating its profligacy.
The legislation requires that every property where equipment is used to receive TV programmes, or BBC on-demand programmes, is covered by a valid TV licence, which currently costs £154.50 per year. The legislation - an anachronism of a bygone era when the BBC was the only broadcaster - applies to receiving TV programmes on any channel, which means non-BBC viewers are forced to line its coffers regardless. Anyone caught receiving TV programmes without a valid TV licence can be prosecuted by the BBC in the criminal courts.
The Prime Minister is currently jockeying his troops to give the BBC an almighty slapping, with the recent installation of ministers Oliver Dowden and John Whittingdale at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
Less than a fortnight ago the Government launched a second consultation in less than five years on the future method of funding of the BBC. In particular, the review is seeking to gauge public opinion on the decriminalisation of TV licence evasion and invites alternative suggestions for methods of enforcement. The Government could, if so minded, remove criminal sanctions by 2022.
Here at the TV Licensing Blog we fully favour the BBC being funded by a subscription model. If the BBC is as good as it pretends to be, then it should have nothing to fear as consumers will be queuing around the block to pay for its content. The increased competition will also force the BBC to increase the quality of its output and decrease its vast amounts of internal waste. If the BBC can't step up the the plate and live on its own commercial merits, then it deserves to die in the same manner as any other twenty-first century broadcaster - slowly and painfully.
Make no mistake that the Government is wanting to hold the BBC to account more than ever before. The BBC is undoubtedly squirming at the prospect of having to up its game and work for a living.
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