[The Guardian]

The closure of the BBC3 TV channel is far from certain, one of the corporation's trustee's has warned, stressing that the plans will be heavily scrutinised when they are submitted this summer.

Richard Ayre, speaking at an internal briefing following the publication of a BBC Trust report scrutinising the corporation's news and current affairs output, expressed scepticism that plans to put most BBC3 TV content online would prove effective.

He said that youth-focused news bulletin 60 Seconds had been "remarkably effective" at reaching a big audience. "And it's not just news bulletins – some of the most effective current affairs have been on BBC3," he added.

Ayre said that it was in no way a "foregone conclusion" that the closing the TV channel was the best move in the BBC's strategic mission to engage with younger audiences.

"It will have to be a detailed proposal, I have some searching questions," he said. "Not least will be given the difficulty of reaching young adults with journalism how does the BBC propose to ensure – through [putting BBC3 content] online or that and other online initiatives – the BBC is going to continue to reach those individuals as it does with BBC3 [on TV]. I don't think you should regard it as a foregone conclusion. It is not a foregone conclusion".