Mark Thompson, the BBC's director general, is expected to announce on Thursday that the BBC will quit its entire west London home -- possibly selling the land to Chelsea football club -- as part of main plans that will see more staff moved out of the capital to Salford and elsewhere. The move is at the heart of the BBC's long-awaiting cost-cutting strategy which will see nearly 2,000 more jobs going at the public broadcaster, and some original programming,such as daytime shows on BBC2, _ to save money. Several thousand people are employed at the west London sites,including Thompson himself and the bosses of all the BBC's television channels.The employees are expected to be relocated to Broadcasting House in central London, Salford, or elsewhere. The BBC has been broadcasting at various locations in the Shepherd's Bush area since moving into Lime Grove in 1949.It then switched to the Television Centre in 1960,and more modern offices at nearby White City.But it is now open to selling the site, and the broadcaster has had talks about attracting Premier League clubs Chelsea or Queen's Park Rangers as buyers.Both clubs are looking for new homes. Earlier leaks suggest that the BBC will seek to cut spending on sports where the corporation has already decided to share coverage of Formula 1 with Sky TV -- and imports,such as Mad Men and The Killing.BBC4 is expected to focus on "arts and archive ", but Thompson has long ruled out closing any channels or radio stations.BBC1 and Radio 4 will be protected,but there are expected to be some cuts to local radio programs, which will see stations share shows outside breakfast and drive-time hours. The corporation is already committed to remove TV Centre by 2015, but because parts of the building are listed, the football clubs have expressed an interest in the BBC's White City offices instead,which could be knocked down. The White City building is where Thompson and the broadcaster's commercial division, BBC Worldwide, are based. BBC sources say the 2,500 job losses being proposed include the 650 cuts to the World Service already announced, with up to l,000 coming from BBC News.It is understood that some staff who have only just made the move to Salford could see their jobs at risk. Salford is now home to Radio5 Live, children's programs such as Blue Peter, and sports output including Match of the Day. Why is the BBC planning to quit its west London home?
The BBC wants to earn more money. The BBC would like to support British football sport. The BBC is planning to save money for new programs. The BBC has to cut down its cost.