[Steve in Pudsey]

To be pedantic Wales has two BBC radio stations, and both of them have opt outs at certain times.

To one up you on the pedantry, Wales has three (R Wales, Cymru and Cymru 2 although granted the latter could be seen as more of an opt out).

While the decision not to put out the Cambridge opt yesterday seems strange I think I'd like more detail before calling it unprofessional. It could well have been a management call based on the mood of the building and the perceived risk of somebody going on air and saying something really unprofessional.

[watchingtv]

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[Steve in Pudsey]

I think that's more of a considered piece than I was thinking of. For the JVS show now to have covered it would have left an elephant in the room, in some respects.

[Moz]

Really can’t believe people are upset that a sub-regional English bulletin is being shelved. Talk about spoilt!

The entire ‘nations’ of Wales and Scotland just get one bulletin. In Wales just one radio station where in England it’s pretty much one per county.

The Welsh and Scottish coverage is totally inadequate, agreed. People are annoyed about this because it is actively losing a service that already exists and serves a community. I live two hours from Norwich, compared to 30 minutes from Cambridge. I will now be getting news focused on the former, when I have only ever known the latter. It's taking away a public service.

Oh so you’re saying it’s ok because you don’t miss what you’ve never had? I live over 3 hours away from BBC Cardiff Today.

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Really can’t believe people are upset that a sub-regional English bulletin is being shelved. Talk about spoilt!

The entire ‘nations’ of Wales and Scotland just get one bulletin. In Wales just one radio station where in England it’s pretty much one per county.

But it is one of the few things England (except London and Manchester) gets though. If you were to look at the total BBC "investment" I'd imagine the couple of hours of TV news and a local radio station (for now) is dwarfed by the size of the operations in Cardiff, Glasgow and Belfast.

The operations may be big, but they’re not at all local. Which is surely the point.

[London Lite]

If you look at Scotland for example, is it really necessary to have Radio nan Gàidheal in the Central Belt for example, where Gaelic speakers are at a minimum? The FM frequencies could be reused for a more local service in English for licence payers instead covering the most populated and English speaking part of the nation.

It could be also said for Radio Cymru in South Wales where Welsh is a second language taught in schools. The commercial sector in Wales has one Welsh language pop station owned by Global which covers Anglesey and Gwynedd where there's a higher percentage of Welsh speakers. Capital Cymru plays a mix of English pop and Welsh contemporary songs.

Obviously the latter won't go down well with Welsh language campaigners, but if money needs to be saved.

[Worzel]

I was surprised it was allowed to happen without much of a fuss, I wonder whether it was more of an emotional response and a decision was made that the crew was not in a position to broadcast that night as opposed to some sort of stand.

Worth noting that I believe Radio Cambridgeshire also operates out of the same building.  They'd also learnt of their radio cuts the same day, which included 2-6pm being a shared programme with Norfolk/Suffolk/3CR.  Additionally, Sally Chidzoy's tweet seems to imply there's staff shortages already, presumably as any staff who've already handed in their notice won't have been replaced.

Interestingly only a few months ago, BBC Radio Cambridgeshire were recruiting for several broadcast journalists. Got to feel sorry for those who took the jobs, and may likely be out of work in a few months time.

[strollfan]

The Welsh and Scottish coverage is totally inadequate, agreed. People are annoyed about this because it is actively losing a service that already exists and serves a community. I live two hours from Norwich, compared to 30 minutes from Cambridge. I will now be getting news focused on the former, when I have only ever known the latter. It's taking away a public service.

Oh so you’re saying it’s ok because you don’t miss what you’ve never had? I live over 3 hours away from BBC Cardiff Today.

I am saying that while I, of course, want expansive local services everywhere, that is not currently on the table. I am resisting cuts to the already inadequate services because if you cut something which is not currently good enough, how do you ever expect local services to improve to the level people deserve?

[London Lite]

Worth noting that I believe Radio Cambridgeshire also operates out of the same building.  They'd also learnt of their radio cuts the same day, which included 2-6pm being a shared programme with Norfolk/Suffolk/3CR.  Additionally, Sally Chidzoy's tweet seems to imply there's staff shortages already, presumably as any staff who've already handed in their notice won't have been replaced.

Interestingly only a few months ago, BBC Radio Cambridgeshire were recruiting for several broadcast journalists. Got to feel sorry for those who took the jobs, and may likely be out of work in a few months time.

I thought local news provision was ringfenced? And in any case, won't they be providing the digital formats the BBC cherish?

[Moz]

It could be also said for Radio Cymru in South Wales where Welsh is a second language taught in schools.

Apologies to go off thread but this needs correcting...

Why the differentiation of South Wales? Welsh is taught either first or second language in all schools across the whole of Wales!

(There is sometimes a weird theory in England that South Wales is more 'Welsh' than North Wales. In fact Welsh is spoken just as much in the North as it is the South, maybe even more in the North.)

[Worzel]

Interestingly only a few months ago, BBC Radio Cambridgeshire were recruiting for several broadcast journalists. Got to feel sorry for those who took the jobs, and may likely be out of work in a few months time.

I thought local news provision was ringfenced?  And in any case, won't they be providing the digital formats the BBC cherish?

But listening to what's been said in various places and on audio clips from the stations doing the rounds, it's being reported all staff are at risk of redundancy and have to reapply for their roles? Hence the current halt on recruitment.