BBC plans to shrink corporation - paper

LONDON Feb 26 (Reuters) - Britain's state-owned broadcaster the BBC plans a wide range of cutbacks to its radio, online and television output, as it seeks to appease political concerns about competition by downsizing voluntarily, the Times reported.

In a report to be published next month, state-funded BBC will announce plans to axe digital radio stations 6 Music and Asian network, halve the size of its website and cut its spending on American TV shows, the paper said in its Friday edition.

The broadcaster will also close its teenage brands BBC Switch and Blast and limit the amount it spends on rights for sports events to about 300 million pounds.

The cuts are considered a move to appease both politicians and rival broadcasters, such as ITV (ITV.L) and Channel 4, who have been hit by a slump in advertising revenues.

A government report last year suggested the corporation, which receives a guaranteed 3.6 billion pounds ($5.5 billion) income a year from the licence fee, could share a slice of its funding with weaker rivals.

No one at the BBC, renowned for its news coverage and programmes such as The Office and Doctor Who, could immediately be reached for comment.

The broadcaster's commercial subsidiary, BBC Worldwide will also be forced to get rid of its British magazine arms, which publishes titles such as Top Gear and Gardener's World, and focus instead on its overseas activities, The Times said.

Last year a report by the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee criticised the wider corporation for chasing commercial revenues through Worldwide and questioned why the BBC should produce its own magazines. ($1=.6521 Pound) (Reporting by Caroline Copley; Editing by Lincoln Feast)