So here are the options we've got so far...
- Give it BBC Worldwide - deprives the BBC of cash of course, but hey, it saves Channel 4. For a bit.
- Give it chunks of the licence fee (aka top slicing) - see above
- Get various benefits through a link up with the BBC - probably not enough cash for Channel 4's liking
- Flog it off to RTL - might raise Five's game up to Channel 4's standards (excuse me whilst I roll about on the floor laughing)
Hmm. Of course there's other options. Channel 4 could be merged into the BBC and be purely licence fee funded (leading the inevitable merger of More4 and BBC Four, E4 and BBC Three, and 4music with, err..., hmm... err... yes)
Or we could ask the very difficult question which no one seems so far to have asked. Whether the amount of public service broadcasting Channel 4 provides, actually makes it worthwhile of a continued existence.
It might sound a very drastic solution, but when you're in a crisis situation, and something has to be done, you have to look at all the options, no matter how bad they sound.
