BBC has revealed its plans of unplugging a link of sites and services including BBC which hosted more than 11,000 recipes. The decision initiated a huge public criticism and is part of the broadcaster's vow to establish its programming, apps and news coverage more "distinctive". Closing the sites will be a savings of £15 million for the broadcasting company.
According to the company, its popular recipe site will be "archived or mothballed" in the coming year, in a way which is almost the same as other old BBC sites. The recipes however will still be available - just make sure of the exact URL. As the BBC Food Homepage stops existing, together with any new updates, the old database of step-by-step instructions will continue to exist, as reported by Engadget.
When the Food website is removed, it will be much more difficult for people to find new recipes. For the moment, a search box can be used on the homepage to find what kind of recipes you are looking for. What's confusing right now is how the shutting down will affect the checking of recipes through Google. Many British find the recipes they are looking for by simply entering their favorite meal into a search engine.
The corporation acknowledged that instead of deleting the recipes it will only be archived and should be readily available for people to search for. The Director of BBC News and Current Affairs, James Harding was the one who carried out the review into the company's internet scheme stating that in future its web offering will be more in line with its central mission, reports the Independent news.
"With the BBC recipes, you know they work. I can tell you that loads of recipes out there don't work, will fail. The BBC ones work," he told BBC Radio 4's Today.
TV programs recipes will stay online for 30 days but the plan to totally close BBC's Food website earned a massive outcry. A petition to save the recipes was made online drawing more than 30,000 supporters.
Several other services of BBC will be closed subject to approval including iWonder service, closing of Travel site and the development of its app to name a few.
