The BBC could face a cut in the TV licence fee or have to share it with other broadcasters unless it rebuilds public trust, a Tory minister has said.
Conservative party chairman Grant Shapps told the Sunday Telegraph the broadcaster must be "more transparent" and change its "culture of secrecy".
The current £145.50 annual fee would be "too much" without reform, he said.
A BBC spokesman said transparency and freedom from political pressure were key to the BBC's future.
Mr Shapps' comments come after negative publicity over pay-outs to top executives and the handling of the Jimmy Savile scandal.
The Tory chairman told the newspaper the corporation was in danger of "frittering away" public trust.
"They have ended up working in this culture which is buried in the last century, which is 'we are the BBC, we do what we like, we don't have to be too accountable'.
'Question of credibility'"But they are raising £3.6bn through the licence fee, which is a tax, and, quite rightly, the public wants to have sight of how the money is spent. Things like the pay-offs have really caused concern, as have, obviously, things like Savile and Hall and the culture that goes around that. I think it is one of too much secrecy," he said.
BBC director general Lord Hall should consider opening the corporation's books to full inspection by the National Audit Office (NAO), publishing all expenditure over £500 - including stars' salaries - and opening up to freedom of information requests, he said.
With the current royal charter allowing the BBC's licence fee coming up for renewal at the end of 2016, Mr Shapps also indicated he would consider changing the system which sees the broadcaster receive all of the money raised through the licence fee.
There were "lots of different ways" the money could be used to fund public service broadcasting, he said.
There was also a "question of credibility" for the BBC over whether it applied "fairness" to its reporting of politics, Mr Shapps added.
A BBC spokesman said: "Mr Shapps is right that transparency is key to the future of the BBC. So is its freedom from political pressure.
"The BBC and the BBC Trust actively encourages the public to tell us what it thinks of our services and help us police our own guidelines. On TV and radio they personally hold its executives to account."
'Commitment'He said in 2012, the corporation dealt with more than 1,600 freedom of information requests and volunteered information on hundreds more.
It has appeared in front of 16 parliamentary committees in 2013, and the NAO already has full access to the BBC's operations except its editorial decisions, he added.
In July, the BBC was criticised by the National Audit Office for paying out £25m in severance to 150 senior BBC managers, and risking "public trust".
Earlier this month the BBC's director general Tony Hall promised the corporation would have a closer relationship with its audience in future, treating them as "owners" rather than licence fee payers.
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