This is taken from The Guardian:

BBC braced for major shakeup
by Leigh Holmwood
Friday June 23, 2006

The BBC director general, Mark Thompson, is planning more major changes to the structure of the corporation, which could finally lead to the end of the controversial broadcast/production split.

High-level sources say Mr Thompson is considering a range of proposals that would help "streamline" the BBC, following on from his Creative Future strategy in April.

These include more "vertical integration" that would see the dumping of the remaining parts of the broadcast/production split brought in by former director general John Birt in 1996.

This sees the management of BBC television channels and their commissioning and scheduling of programmes separated from the two main production departments, factual and learning, and drama, entertainment and children's.

It is thought television and production will be brought together - although commissioning would remain independent, as the BBC now gets so many of its programmes from outside producers.

As part of the shakeup, F&L, led by John Willis, and DEC, headed by the creative director, Alan Yentob, would also be merged under just one head, leaving a question mark over the future roles of the two executives.

Another major change is the possible axing of the standalone new media division, headed by Ashley Highfield, in a bid to allow more "360-degree commissioning" and further integration of web and television content.

One source said: "There are lots of thoughts off the back of Creative Future about streamlining the BBC. It will be the same organisation, but with more vertical integration. It's about going back to what was there before the broadcast/production split."

It is understood discussions are at an advanced stage, with final decisions expected as early as the autumn.

"They are really moving quite fast," another source said.

The BBC said at the time of Creative Future - which laid out, in broad terms, the editorial blueprint for the BBC over the next six years - that a "different approach to commissioning and integrating key output areas" would be needed.

However, sources say that what is being proposed is far bigger than originally thought - to the dismay of many staff who are fed up with constant change.

"You just get to the point where all the talk is about restructuring and not about programming and it just ties you up in knots," one said.

Other staff are said to be frustrated that the changes could see the BBC become more centralised.

Insiders said different divisions are involved in a power struggle to protect their interests.

"I think there are an awful lot of people doing a lot of chess playing at the moment, but the game is far from over," one said.

Another added: "There is a lot of tension. Things are completely fraught."

A BBC spokesman confirmed discussions were ongoing about the corporation's future structure, but said no final decisions had yet been made

However, he added that in any final structure commissioning would remain independent.

"It is extremely important to us that, in any changes, commissioning remains separate to production as people have got to have faith that the system is fair and independent," he said.

The BBC is still feeling the effects of Mr Thompson's last major upheaval, which will see 3,000 redundancies in production to help create the "window of creative competition" policy, which will result in more programmes being made by independent production companies.

Cuts of 15% have also been made in budgets across the board.

The BBC has a long history of restructures. Following the introduction of Mr Birt's broadcast/production split, former director general Greg Dyke rolled much of it back in his "One BBC" reforms introduced in 2002.