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BBC News Channel/BBC World News Merger
#1

Some interesting commentary on Twitter this evening by presenter Martine Croxall regarding the merger plans, in response to various tweets, including some from Clean Feed.

There's no doubt the formal announcement from the BBC put a positive spin on the plan. That was always going to be the case.

The new merged channel will serve a world audience - but with UK opt-outs in daytime, including for breaking UK stories, where required.

Detail about the extent of UK-specific coverage is somewhat lacking. But we have been told that some radio content - such as Nicky Campbell's show on Radio 5 Live - will be shown on the UK version of the channel (and BBC Two).

The merger plan will result in the loss of many journalist and technical posts. Though there are plans to increase staffing in the US.

So what has Martine been saying this evening:

- "The replacement channel will be commercial and aimed at an overseas audience. The UK licence payer will not recognise it."

- We suggested to Martine the BBC plan may have been more of a negotiating position, than a final plan of action.  Martine: "The unions have been presented with the thinnest of plans and no reason to believe they are not genuine."

- "There will be lots of ad breaks to fill for UK viewers."

- "It will cede UK breaking news to our competitors."

- Re a tweet on The Papers segment - Martine: "I think the papers will be a casualty of what the managers are planning with one single channel."

- "I make my feelings known loud and clear. We are told that the audience has not made a fuss about what's planned."

Martine is merely voicing concerns felt by many colleagues across News.

It'll certainly be worth keeping an eye out for any official reaction from the unions. Could be a bumpy road between now and next April.

And of course, against this backdrop of BBC cuts, we see ITV News embarking on a second significant recruitment drive in recent months - this time for an on-demand news service.  Almost as if they're taking advantage of an impending BBC own goal.


EDIT: some further tweets from Martine, shortly after our original post above:

"There won’t be a separate UK channel at all. This is what people are not realising. You’ll get what the world audience gets. With Nicky Campbell’s phone in on the TV 9-11 weekdays. The BBC1 bulletins and Newsnight which you can see anyway. No bespoke UK content as standard apart from during advert breaks. And breaking news when an editor decides it’s worth cranking up a tiny studio. The unions are trying to stop the worst of it."

"Managers admit they have low ambitions for UK output esp breaking news. It’s all about the commercial market overseas."
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#2

In the interests of transparency, it's worth clarifying (for those who may be unaware) that Martine is an NUJ rep.

It's probably pretty safe to say that both sides (i.e., unions v BBC management) are currently engaged in tactical exchanges and that the initial plan published by the BBC was a negotiating position rather than a final plan.

It's our understanding that the NUJ is pushing to preserve a standalone UK channel, and naturally, protect jobs.

It certainly feels as though there's a better compromise to be had than the current plan on the table, which feels very much like BBC World News being delivered to a UK audience.
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#3

That's fault of BBC top management not consult the merger plan to NUJ or other representative unions. If they still insist the linear channel merger plan as part of cuts, they should instead shifting the BBC News-World News merger plan into CBBC and CBeebies linear channels, as both channels were part of single service before 2002. Merger of both channels instead of UK News and World News channels will not hurt BBC's long-term strategy for the audience in the future as long as their respective channel's content remain available online If CBBC and CBeebies linear services are merged.
#4

(14-08-2022, 01:08 PM)Asxer544 Wrote:  That's fault of BBC top management not consult the merger plan to NUJ or other representative unions. If they still insist the linear channel merger plan as part of cuts, they should instead shifting the BBC News-World News merger plan into CBBC and CBeebies linear channels, as both channels were part of single service before 2002. Merger of both channels instead of UK News and World News channels will not hurt BBC's long-term strategy for the audience in the future as long as their respective channel's content remain available online If CBBC and CBeebies linear services are merged.
Merging CBBC and Cbeebies would be highly unlikely to give the same level of savings required. Also the BBC have previously announced closing the CBBC linear channel, along with BBC Four.

I suspect the current proposals for merging the news channels may in part be for political reasons. It may give them leverage for future licence fee funding/increases with the government. Were the BBC to get a bit of additional funding then potentially a few more UK only bulletins could be retained.

Formerly 'Charlie Wells' of TV Forum.
#5

Can I ask why everybody is so obsessed with merging CBBC and Cbeebies? I don't get this
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#6

Let's avoid CBBC/CBeebies merger conversation in this thread. Thanks.
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#7

Ironic that the channel we are about to lose - the BBC News Channel - used to be double headed, but the BBC seem to have enough money to make loads of shows on BBC Radio 1 double headed now!

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#8

(14-08-2022, 06:06 PM)Superman1986 Wrote:  All regional news is double headed now. It was better double headed

Nope, no regional BBC News programme is double-headed anymore.
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#9

I miss double headed regional news. You had great partnerships like Justin Leigh & Victoria Graham on Spotlight and Dominic Heale & Anne Davies on East Midlands today. now not anymore
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#10

I'm not sure whether the resulting service is one that I would want to watch for a home-based news source - it feels it'd be no better than CNN International would be for Americans accustomed to watching CNN at home in the US.

It has been bad enough that there has been plenty of simulcasting across One, Two and the News Channel, but to hear that one of the replacement segments will be a televised radio talk show is surely scraping the barrel.

Maybe it would be better to close the service in the UK completely?

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