If BBC Worldwide is contemplating a selloff of Radio Times and its other magazines, then the corporation must be well and truly spooked by the what could happen to it if the Conservative party wins the next election.

The Sunday Times reported yesterday that the commercial arm of the BBC is preparing a five year business plan which could include selling its magazine division, which publishes everything from food magazine Olive to Lonely Planet magazine to Doctor Who Adventures. Many of the division's 50 titles were born out of BBC programmes, such as Top Gear and Gardeners' World, but many, including children's title All About Animals, were not.

The report follows an announcement by BBC Trust chairman Sir Michael Lyons in November that BBC Worldwide might stage a sell off of some assets. I quote from a MediaGuardian.co.uk report at the time:

"You wouldn't expect the chair of any commercial company to stand up and talk about anything that might be sold among existing assets," said Lyons. "I will say nothing more on assets. I am not going into detail on what assets and what timetables".
However, he admitted that the rewriting of BBC Worldwide's remit to focus on core BBC intellectual property and public purpose would mean that all parts of the operation would be reviewed.
"[Areas including] magazines and online activities will be no different," he said. "We expect BBC Worldwide to concentrate on things consistent with the BBC's public purposes ... and exploiting BBC intellectual property."

More ... http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/greenslade/2010/jan/25/radio-times-bbc-w...