BBC Local Radio - Printable Version

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+--- Thread: BBC Local Radio (/showthread.php?tid=218)

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BBC Local Radio - Omnipresent - 30-10-2022

Media Guardian is reporting that the BBC is set to announce sweeping cuts to local radio in England with an increase in networked programming:

I recall one proposal many years ago was to merge local radio with Five Live.

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/oct/30/bbc-local-radio-stations-face-big-cuts-to-content-made-for-their-area 

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RE: BBC Local Radio - Matrix - 30-10-2022

Essentially, from what I can gather, the proposal would reduce the *original* programming from each existing station to two programmes, Breakfast and Mid-morning.

I’m a sense, it’s devastating. Colleagues in Local Radio have been the backbone of the BBC, particularly during Covid, and to see it gutted like this is just truly a damning statement of where things have got to.

That said, the even more depressing part, in a sense, is realising that the proposals would essentially reduce programmes by half. We’re already in a situation where most evening programming is pooled and the daytime schedule exists (in the main) in four blocks (Breakfast, Mid Morn, Afternoon, and Drivetime).

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RE: BBC Local Radio - Toby brown - 30-10-2022

Sad but not surprising the bbc has to save a lot of money its not their fault. Im against daytime networking usually But surely if you had to do it, it would make more sense to network 10 till 2 rather than 2 till 6 when people want local information on their way home from work

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Newshound47 - Newshound47 - 30-10-2022

(30-10-2022, 11:29 PM)Toby brown Wrote:  Sad but not surprising the bbc has to save a lot of money its not their fault. Im against daytime networking usually But surely if you had to do it, it would make more sense to network 10 till 2 rather than 2 till 6 when people want local information on their way home from work

Cost wise it’s most likely cheaper to have local studios occupied for continuous hours rather than two separate blocks.

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Andrew - Andrew - 30-10-2022

(30-10-2022, 11:00 PM)Matrix Wrote:  Essentially, from what I can gather, the proposal would reduce the *original* programming from each existing station to two programmes, Breakfast and Mid-morning.

I’m a sense, it’s devastating. Colleagues in Local Radio have been the backbone of the BBC, particularly during Covid, and to see it gutted like this is just truly a damning statement of where things have got to.

That said, the even more depressing part, in a sense, is realising that the proposals would essentially reduce programmes by half. We’re already in a situation where most evening programming is pooled and the daytime schedule exists (in the main) in four blocks (Breakfast, Mid Morn, Afternoon, and Drivetime).

Didn’t they go from 4 programmes to 3 during COVID and never went back

So it’s now 6-10, 10-2 and 2-6

Plus the regional early breakfast was axed at some stage as well

I hope they stay at least regional rather than pan-England. They did that before and nobody listened  to it, because it didn’t serve any purpose at all. Who would want to listen to a cheap pan-England show when there is already much better resourced national shows on national radio.

To be honest BBC Local Radio seemed to die when the 1st lockdown started and has never recovered. Rather than proper local speech content from local personalities, it’s all generic basic stuff with national topics, all very obvious stuff reheated endlessly, far too much music, which is also the most basic playlist as if it’s been cobbled together in five minutes and all done in a national straight jacket of three four hour shows per day.

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RE: BBC Local Radio - Ash101 - 31-10-2022

I do wonder if the 5 Live idea is a workable one. It would allow them a national speech backbone, with the option to have local shows at certain times daily (and at any time if the area needs it for weather/events reasons). Plus 5 Live need to make cuts/changes so it's a double cost saving idea.

As has been noted, the schedule now runs in the same blocks across the lot - apart from BBC Radio London, and i'm not quite sure how they've escaped it. But I always thought this was a stepping stone to networking certain slots.... you can link up a certain show across Solent/Sussex/Kent etc without too much schedule upheaval.

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RE: BBC Local Radio - Ash101 - 31-10-2022

Also, does this change allow certain stations to co-exist, even if they’re broadcasting to separate locations? Surely some of the biggest cost saving comes from not maintaining so many buildings/spaces?

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RE: BBC Local Radio - London Lite - 31-10-2022

It looks like what they're going to propose is to operate LR with a national spine, so you still get local news, travel news and sports programming, but with only breakfast and mid-mornings (10-2) being produced locally with networked programming for the rest of the time.

Since the changes to LR a year or so back which has seen longer music sweeps of more recent pop music with less speech elements, this will make it easier for the BBC to implement these changes.

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RE: BBC Local Radio - Keith - 31-10-2022

I imagine if accurate these local radio changes may not go down too well with politicians, many of whom I imagine quite enjoy the platform it gives them to speak to their constituents. Ultimately though the need to save money and make additional cuts comes from the licence fee freeze, which has been made worse with inflation at +10%.

If there is to be more shared programmes I'd prefer it was combining counties roughly in line with regional news, rather than being across the entire England. (e.g. BBC Radio Cambridgeshire having a shared programme with just Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Three Counties.)

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RE: BBC Local Radio - Andrew - 31-10-2022

(31-10-2022, 10:44 AM)Keith Wrote:  I imagine if accurate these local radio changes may not go down too well with politicians, many of whom I imagine quite enjoy the platform it gives them to speak to their constituents.  Ultimately though the need to save money and make additional cuts comes from the licence fee freeze, which has been made worse with inflation at +10%. 

If there is to be more shared programmes I'd prefer it was combining counties roughly in line with regional news, rather than being across the entire England. (e.g. BBC Radio Cambridgeshire having a shared programme with just Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Three Counties.)

I’d agree, for example in Yorkshire, a programme airing across the whole Look North region would still be fairly local, and still have that northern feel. I imagine it’d be the same in other parts of the country

But an England show being like a sub-par version of Radio 2/4/5 wouldn’t serve any purpose, and simulcasting 5 Live would have been a good idea in the days when it was only on MW, but I’d imagine the vast majority of people have DAB now so it’s available in full quality already.

Will they also still be able to resource ‘emergency programmes’ like when there has been floods and bad weather. Not if there is nobody left except a newsreader from 2pm onwards

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