Amid the flurry of knee jerk reactions that have emanated from the sixth floor of Television Centre, since the licence fee was frozen for six years last October, has come the suggestion that BBC Local Radio could be reduced to producing its own breakfast and drivetime shows, and would retransmit Radio 5Live during the rest of the day. In a classic BBC bloomer, this is apparently merely a suggestion, made when staff were asked for ideas on how to save money. A BBC spokeswoman then added: "No decisions have been made so it would be wrong to speculate." Someone should have gone to Speculation-Savers.
Conjecture or not, the BBC would do well to prepare itself for an onslaught of protestations, the type of which met the potential closures of 6Music and the Asian Network, (also speculative) both of which have not only earned a reprieve, but have seen audiences rise since their proposed deletion.
It’s clear that someone has been eyeing up trends in Independent Local Radio. Last year Heart’s owners, Global Radio, reduced their 33 stations to 18 losing around 200 broadcast staff in the process. The remaining stations now create their own breakfast and drivetime output, but rebroadcast shows from London during the rest of the day with presenters such as Toby Anstis, Simon Beale and Emma Bunton (former Spice Girl).
So case closed and no further speculation needed – sorry I mean suggestions. However there’s an enormous elephantine difference in play here. BBC Local Radio generates news stories and output as well as providing an excellent training ground for staff. ILR has no responsibility to feed other parts of their network – all they need to do is keep the needle moving and haul in the advertisers. The forty stations that make up BBC Local Radio function on the lowest level of funding, yet are the most valuable asset that the Corporation has.
As usual Auntie has looked at the balance sheet and done the calculation on the back of a beer mat. Local Radio costs around £105 million per annum to run – and 5Live a mere £72 million. Simples! But BBC newsrooms up and down the country generate hundreds of stories every week that feed the national networks. They train and educate hundreds of staff. Ask any of the current on-air personalities from Network Radio and you’ll find they cut their teeth behind their local microphones.
So here’s the plan Mr Thompson. Halve the number of stations to 25, but fund those that remain properly and make them capable of giving decent coverage to the areas they represent. That means adding at least 10 more news staff to each station – and training them in TV and Radio. Invest in your assets so that every person on that station can broadcast at Network level and standards. In this way, the next time that BBC Breakfast or the Today programme need a story covered from on-site, the local reporter on the ground is fully capable of delivering. No need to send the truck out and fund transport and overnights for Huw Edwards or Justin Webb to speak from the scene – which makes little difference to the consumer anyhow. Get the reporter who knows the area to bring you the facts. It pays for itself. As you’ve always known – you have to speculate to accumulate – and that is the sort of speculation the BBC should be indulging in right now.
It’s clear that someone has been eyeing up trends in Independent Local Radio. Last year Heart’s owners, Global Radio, reduced their 33 stations to 18 losing around 200 broadcast staff in the process. The remaining stations now create their own breakfast and drivetime output, but rebroadcast shows from London during the rest of the day with presenters such as Toby Anstis, Simon Beale and Emma Bunton (former Spice Girl).
So case closed and no further speculation needed – sorry I mean suggestions. However there’s an enormous elephantine difference in play here. BBC Local Radio generates news stories and output as well as providing an excellent training ground for staff. ILR has no responsibility to feed other parts of their network – all they need to do is keep the needle moving and haul in the advertisers. The forty stations that make up BBC Local Radio function on the lowest level of funding, yet are the most valuable asset that the Corporation has.
As usual Auntie has looked at the balance sheet and done the calculation on the back of a beer mat. Local Radio costs around £105 million per annum to run – and 5Live a mere £72 million. Simples! But BBC newsrooms up and down the country generate hundreds of stories every week that feed the national networks. They train and educate hundreds of staff. Ask any of the current on-air personalities from Network Radio and you’ll find they cut their teeth behind their local microphones.
So here’s the plan Mr Thompson. Halve the number of stations to 25, but fund those that remain properly and make them capable of giving decent coverage to the areas they represent. That means adding at least 10 more news staff to each station – and training them in TV and Radio. Invest in your assets so that every person on that station can broadcast at Network level and standards. In this way, the next time that BBC Breakfast or the Today programme need a story covered from on-site, the local reporter on the ground is fully capable of delivering. No need to send the truck out and fund transport and overnights for Huw Edwards or Justin Webb to speak from the scene – which makes little difference to the consumer anyhow. Get the reporter who knows the area to bring you the facts. It pays for itself. As you’ve always known – you have to speculate to accumulate – and that is the sort of speculation the BBC should be indulging in right now.
