BBC cuts, local radio and World Service

Today's stories about MPs asking the BBC Trust to reconsider proposals that will see local radio programmes during off peak times broadcast on a regional, rather than local, basis. Headcount in some instances is expected to be reduced by a disproportionately large number, with some stations facing job cuts of 20% of current staff. 

With the cuts already announced for the World Service it seems to me that the BBC is choosing to cut the soft targets, the ones that are less likely to answer back.  The cuts in the World Service will undoubtably affect our standing and the BBCs respect across the world for providing impartial news to areas of the world that wouldn't otherwise get any reliable news.

The cuts in local radio will go along way to taking the BBC out of the community at a local level with a combination of regional link up and the possible rebroadcasting of 5 Live. 

I appreciate that saving need to be made, that isn't at issue here but for my money I would do something with BBC3 and/or BBC4 to make the savings and like local radio and the World Service to do what only a public service broadcaster can do. 

At the local level there was a time in the 80s when commercial radio was deeply routed in the community, I spent nearly 10 years at Piccadilly Radio and Key 103 so I have first hand experience of this and the way commercial radio has migrated to a jukebox radio format over the last decade or s to remain economically viable. 

So the only way of having viable local radio is to provide it through the public service remit.  Equally no one else is going to provide a world wide impartial news service that the BBC World Service supplies so again this should be protected. Surely the areas that commercial services can't offer should be protected like they have done with Radio 4.

Thoughts from the Radio Production in the North Conference

This event goes into my diary as the "must go to" event of the year. Why you ask? For one it is hear in the North West, secondly it is all about radio, and thirdly it is aimed at a growing part of my customer base - the independent radio production sector.  This year the organisers continued their strategy to make it a national conference rather than a regional one and that is great as long as it stays in the region. They also took that expansion and for the second half of the day presented the international view and opportunites for our sector to expand beyond our shores.

We started with a great batch of examples of radio produced by indies in the North and 3 of these examples had been across my hands. Cheque Book & Pen for Woolyback Productions, Merry Christmas Morris Minor for Pennine Productions and I Heart Milton Glazer for the now defunct All Out Productions.

With the conference becoming firmy planted on the national map, the BBC were there in strength with new things to say. We heard from several commisioners Piers Bradford from Radio 1 and 1Xtra, Jonathan Wall from 5 Live, Jeremy Skeet from World Service all outline a much more approachable flexible accessible commisioning system which is long overdue.


We heard from Chris Burns the BBC Audio & Vision Group Manager offering us access to the BBC Innovation Fund, understood to be worth around £500,000. It is designed to pay for ambitious projects which would not form part of the broadcaster’s usual commissioning rounds. She is keen to see more of the fund spent with radio indies. The push follows the extension of her role as the BBC bids to increase its transparency.

The keynote speech came from Time Davie whose is the BBC's Drector of Audio & Music announce a new BBC radio wide streamlined commisioning process.

The plan includes:

• Replacing genre specific preferred supplier list with the introduction of Open Indie Criteria - available to all independent production companies across all of BBC radio
• Launch of a less complex budgeting process
• Confirmation of a simpler system of commissioning rounds
• Introduction of 10 percent Window of Creative Competition (WoCC) across BBC Audio and Music
• Appointment of Chris Burns, Audio and Music Group Manager as ‘Indie Champion’.

Chris's network-wide role will involve liasing with the stations, in-house production and external suppliers to act as a point of contact to “ensure fairness” and adopt best practices. Chris also plans to hold quarterly reviews with industry, with the first taking place in May following Radio 3’s commissioning round to gain feedback how the process can be improved.

We heard from Jane McCloskey BBC's Head of External Supply as part of a session on What Radio Can Do For Telly with Richard Horwood from Channel 6. He made an appeal to the our sector to come and collaborate and get involved in local TV but I remain to be convinced that they aren't just looking for ideas on the cheap. Jane identfied what is good about indies and asked us to come up with big ideas. This is a big ask, because as long as we are a cottage industry it is very difficult to spend the time developing big ideas that might not get taken up. We need a bigger slice of the cake than even the new Window of Creative Competition will offer. Jane also suggested having live web chats with commisioners and channel controllers as a way of improving access for those of us who don't live and work in the South East.

We heard from Steve England and Simon Prentice from S2Blue whose normal time of business is station jingles and making adverts for commerical radio, who told us about how they have done a 12 month deal with Manx Radio  for a 'soap' sponsored the Isle of Man Creamery and called Glen Castle. It became apparent that they are using actors form 'am dram' socities and writing it themselves to make the project affordable which generated a lively debate at the end of the session about not paying people in a 'profit making' making venture.

We had an interesting presentaion from Diane Lees who is Director General of the Imperial War Musem talking about their incredible sound archive and how is is being used. Now I have made some great audio CD projects using this archive that went into books with subjects like Women in War and 2nd World War. It is indeed an excellent resource and they use it in their own presentations too. If you have ever been to the Imperial War Museum North you will know what I mean.

On the international side we heard from Sally-Ann Wilson from the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association outline how they facilitate collaboration internationally but I couldn't help thinking this is fine for the 'state broadcasters' but how can we as small indies make a living in this area. Then is was Lorelei Harris's turn from RTE to outline their new commsioning process which was only formally opened up to indies following their Broadcast Act in 2009. So it is all very new and because of the EU they have to treat any pitch from anyone one in the EU with the same weight as their home grown sector and we heard a varied group of examples of the indie output from Ireland too. Again I have some reservations on how this might work as Lorelei rightly pointed out you need to understand the Irish culture and market to be able to effectively pitch into this market and again how can we when most of us are still functioning as a cottage industry. Maybe another theme that was threaded through the conference might hold the answer, collaboration?  We will see.

Was it worth it? Absolutely, Will I be there next year? You bet!

Lord Patten, maybe the next chair of The BBC Trust, and his thoughts on The Beeb

Chris Patten appears to have been very open about his thoughts on the BBC and his media consumption habits when he came before a Commons select committee.

On TV...

"he hardly watched television" "When I last watched the programme (Eastenders), it was even longer ago than when I last had McDonald's." "I watch the programmes that you'd expect somebody of my background to. That's who I am: I'm 66, white and well educated" – which means he binges on news and current affairs. But already he is trying hard to improve. The night before the hearing, Patten sat down in front of the box to watch Mud Sweat and Tractors: the Story of Agriculture on BBC4.

On Radio...

He begins the day, as all politicians no doubt do, listening to Today on Radio 4. Somebody rashly asked if he listened to the recently reprieved 6 Music – no – or even Radio 1, which he only caught, he said, when turning the dial between Radios 3 and 4.

On regulation....

“I think in the last few years – and this perhaps an issue which the Trust and the executive need to address – is that in the attempt to ensure the BBC reaches the highest standards, it has led to the creation of something of a ‘compliance culture’ in the BBC, which I think a lot of the best programme-makers and journalists have found to be an inhibition.”

Well I am glad he enjoys radio, he might champion it a little more than the 'candidates' we had at The Nations & Regions Media Conference back in January where I had to prompt them about radio or new media

BBC Trust approves series catch-up for speech-based radio programmes

The BBC Trust has finally approved a catch up service so you won't loose the previous episode after 7 days....

Ever since 2002, when we started offering listeners the chance to hear radio programmes on demand via the original Radio Player, listeners have consistently asked to be able to catch up on all the episodes of series whilst that series is on air. There is nothing more frustrating, they told us, than getting interested in a serial in the third week and not being able to catch up on the first two parts which disappear after 7 days. In fact we became quite concerned that people might not even start listening to a serial if they felt they would not be able to keep up.

Read more....

Tim Davies responds to BBC Trust report on radio in the Radio Times

This has been posted on the Radio 4 blog...

In the Radio Times, BBC Radio boss Tim Davie has written a response to the substantial public debate about the Trust's review of Radio 3, Radio 4 and Radio 7. He endorses the suggestion that Radio 4 broaden its audience:

The idea of making more people aware of Radio 4 makes sense: there are so many programmes waiting to be discovered.

And denies that this means reducing standards:

The station's commitment to quality - whether drama, comedy or programmes from the radio archive - should offer further comfort to those who fear "dumbing down".

He suggests that readers looking for evidence of the health of the network dip into the Radio 4 programme directory - and that particular richness awaits listeners in programmes beginning with the letters 'B' and 'M'. Read the whole of Tim Davie's article on the Radio Times web site.

It is more accurate to say that Tim Davies has responded to the Trusts report regarding Radio 4. He is strangely silent on Radio 3.

Radios 3, 4 and 7 must build reach, Trust review finds

BBC Radios 3, 4 and 7 are to remain on air, but must work to build audience reach while remaining distinctive, a BBC Trust review has concluded.

The reports which are available on the BBC web site go onto to say...

Radio 3
We have set out a number of specific actions for BBC management which include:
looking for ways to make the station more accessible and welcoming

• considering how the BBC can best deliver classical, jazz and world music to all licence fee payers
• considering how the station can help audiences best navigate the wide range of content on offer
• reviewing the levels of broadcast output from the performing groups

For me this is one of the more expensive stations when looked at a per listener at a cost per user per hour or 6.3p copared to Radio 2 at 0.5p peruser per hour.

Radio 4
Whilst Radio 4 is the most expensive BBC radio service, audiences felt that it represents excellent value for money overall. We endorse Radio 4’s strategy of broadening its core appeal where possible and believe that the station should continue to evolve to replenish its audience. In addition:

• Radio 4 should to aim to increase appeal amongst different demographic groups
• We have increased the minimum hours of original documentaries required in the Radio 4 service licence
• BBC management should consider Radio 4’s role in sports coverage. This consideration should take into account Radio 4’s role within BBC radio’s overall sports coverage.
• Radio 4 should consider the balance of its international coverage and in particular, its coverage between Europe and the rest of the world, compared with America.

Although I agree with the lack of coverage on Europe, I do hope Gwyneth Williams doesn't just cut Americana, fronted by Matt Frei. I do enjoy this programme as it shows a different side to American culture to most other reporting channels. The increase in original documentary hours is good news, especialy if they end up in the independent sector.

Radio 7
Radio 7 is highly regarded by a sizeable digital audience who value the light hearted and nostalgic output. Audiences appreciate the opportunity to hear the best examples of radio comedy and drama from the BBC archive. Radio 7 also plays an important role in promoting DAB. However, Radio 7 has very low awareness overall and its dedicated children’s programming is not serving audiences well.

That's all they say about Radio 7 in the summary report.

The summary cncludes with a list of key strategic initiatives which the BBC management have made and the Trust endorses...

• The development of part of its public service archive proposition into what the BBC terms ‘permanent collections’ for Radio 3 and Radio 4. These proposals will increase the amount of archive programming made permanently available on the Radio 3 and Radio 4 programme sites.
• The repositioning of Radio 7 as Radio 4 Extra. However, we will protect the current elements of Radio 7 that audiences particularly value, including increasing the weekly minimum amount of drama and comedy and setting limits around the amount of Radio 4 catch-up programming.
• The development of the children’s audio strategy including the refocus of dedicated children’s programming on Radio 7 to appeal more to families. This will also include the creation of CBeebies pre-school audio available for download from the CBeebies website and the commercial release of children’s radio archive programming for secondary broadcast by third parties.

As a listener I like the increase in permanent collections although dealing with the 'rights' issues would come cheaply I suspect. I do like the idea of making Radio 7 into Radio 4 Extra. Also I agree with the drive to increase the audience profile and encourage more younger listeners, after all these will be the next generation of listeners.

RAJAR figures good news for talk radio and BBC stations

John Plunkett in The Guardian has written....

Talk radio has never had it so good after an unlikely combination of government cuts, England's cricket tour of Australia, snow and the ever-enduring popularity of Premier League football propelled BBC Radio 5 Live and TalkSport to record audiences in the final three months of 2010. The two stations had a combined weekly audience of more than 10 million listeners in the fourth quarter of last year, according to official Rajar figures published today.

So sport is clearly a catalyst for talk radio but actually all the BBC national stations have improved their figures in this quarter....

Every one of the BBC's 12 national radio stations, including the BBC World Service, added listeners year on year. BBC Radio 3 was the biggest riser, up 18.2% to 2.216 million. BBC Radio 2 remained the nation's favourite station by some distance, up 3.5% to 13.943 million listeners, a 16.2% share of the audience, while BBC Radio 4 was up 4.9% on the year to 10.319 million, a 12.1% share. Radio 5 Live had its biggest-ever audience of 7.093 million listeners, up 16.2% on the same quarter in 2009. Not quite such good news at BBC Radio 1, which added listeners, up 6.1% year on year to 11.421 million, but saw its share of the audience fall to 8.8% – down from 9.8% a year ago – as people tuned in for less time.

However the digital stations haven't done so well....

BBC 6 Music, saved from the axe by the BBC Trust last year, was up 63.6% the final three months of 2009 to 1.137 million listeners, but its audience fell back from the previous quarter's record of 1.196 million. Digital sister station BBC Radio 7, which is due to be rebranded as BBC Radio 4 Extra, also saw its audience fall back on the previous quarter, down 10% to 941,000.

The BBC's total share of the audience was 55.3%, stretching its lead over commercial radio to 12.8%, up from 10.8% the previous quarter.

Digital radio listening reaches 25%

25% of all radio listening is now to digital platforms, like DAB, Freeview, on line, up just a fraction from 24.8 per cent last quarter.

Listening to DAB has also increased, by a similarly small amount, from 15.3 per cent to 15.8 per cent, whilst internet radio and digital television listening remain around the same mark.

So the digital lobby still has a long way to go to get all radio listeners to go digital. I believe DAB is a dying platform, the signal strengths of the current system mean that listening on portable sets inside is unreliable and car listening patchy, and as to the quality, don't get me started. More and more radio and audio listeners are choosing what, and more importantly, when they listen with services like podcasts. It would be interesting to see if the latest RAJAR figures have and breakdowns for deferred listening for podcasts.

Who will be the new chair of the BBC Trust?

Maggie Brown and  Tara Conlan have written an interesting article in The Guardian today looking at the poltics between the appointment of the new chair of the BBC Trust as the final interviews take place.

On the evidence of the last four years, becoming the public guardian of the BBC may seem tantamount to volunteering for a life lived on a bed of nails. From dealing with own goals including lewd voicemail messages, to public spats with politicians over executive pay and the corporation's funding, and a barrage of negative coverage from the rightwing press, the BBC Trust chairman is rarely out of the firing line.
However, as the final interviews to find a successor to Sir Michael Lyons take place today, it is clear there are at least five keen candidates for what is still viewed as one of the country's most prestigious establishment jobs. After each interview the selection panel is scoring the candidates, and none of them seem fazed by the annual reward of £110,000 – 16% less than the outgoing chairman Lyons earned, for a three to four day week. Lord Smith, the former Labour culture secretary, reckons it is "a very strong field".

However this reminds me of a session at the recent Nations and Regions Conference held earlier this month at The Lowry in Salford just over the water from Media City. The session was entitled "I’m not the Chair of the BBC Trust, Get Me In There!" and was billed as follows...

As Sir Michael Lyons steps down, we invite 3 leading figures to enter the jungle and pitch to be the Chair of the BBC Trust. 

The three 'candidates' were Tom Gutteridge (Standing Stone), Cat Lewis (Nine Lives Media), David Elstein (Broadcasting Policy Group). Although it was to be a bit of fun, the 3 'candidates' did explore not only what they would do if they were 'appointed' as the new chair, but also worked through some of the issues of what the BBC Trust is for and what it should do and I found the session very illuminating. However I was also very frustrated at all their 'pitches', as they all concentrated on broadcast television so at the end of the question session I asked -

"I have held some very interesting presentations today but all I have heard is television, television, and television.  In this age of digital culture of 'many to many', what about Radio and On Line, hello?"

and handed the mic back. They all were clearly a little embarrassed and quickly affirmed the need for public service radio in their summing up of several other questions from the floor  but still none of them mentioned on line and digital. So I do hope who ever is appointed to be the new chair of the BBC Trust for real doesn't just concentrate on broadcast televeison but connects with the 21st century and the various forms of communication models that are becoming rather popular now.

BBC On line cuts jobs and sites

Jemima Kiss from The Guardian has reported that the BBC plan to cut 360 jobs from BBC On Line.

Management said the job cuts break down across the corporation and only a small number relate to currently vacant positions. Of 360 posts to be cut, 120 are from Future Media & Technology, up to 90 from BBC Vision, up to 39 from Audio & Music, 17 from Children's, 24 from Sport and 70 in journalism from national news and non-news posts on regional news sites.  The corporation also outlined five editorial priorities for BBC Online and clarified its remit. The BBC aims to meet all these objectives, and make 360 posts redundant, by 2013. The restructured BBC Online department will consist of 10 products including News, iPlayer, CBeebies and Search. Editorial will be refined, with fewer News blogs, and local sites will be stripped of non-news content.

In another Guardian article they break down the changes in more detail...

• The closure of half of the 400 top-level domains (with 180 closing ahead of schedule later this year)
• The replacement of the majority of programme websites with automated content
• The automation of bespoke digital radio sites 1Xtra, 5 Live Sports Extra, 6 Music and Radio 7
• The closure of RAW, Blast, Switch, Video Nation and the disposal of h2g2
• The removal of non-News features content from Local sites
• A substantial reduction in show business news on the News website
• Fewer News blogs, with more focus on the updates from leading editors and correspondents
• A reduction in the overall amount of Sports news and live sport
• Standalone forums, communities and message boards and blogs to be reduced and replaced with integrated social tools
• The closure of the 606 community site and the closure of the BBC iPlayer message board

BBC Online will not:
• Launch its own social network
• Offer specialist news content for specialist audiences
• Publish local listings
• Develop encyclopaedic propositions in Knowledge
• Provide continuing professional development materials for teachers or a managed learning environment for schools
• Become a video-on-demand aggregator in BBC iPlayer, although it will link to other on-demand providers
• Produce online-only music sessions
• Offer track-by-track music streaming
• Invest in exclusive online sports rights

The BBC Online service licence budget will be reduced by £34m from £137m today to £103m by 2013/14.

Clearly this has as much to do with pressure being bought to bear on the BBC to reduce the size of its we site so as not to compete as much with commercial rivals, as it does with the need for the BBC to reduce its costs as a result of the recent license fee settlement.

How-Do has also reported this story and asked about the impact of these cuts on Media City...

a division-wide reduction of staff and budgets by 25% is expected to be felt as much in Salford as it will be in London. At the time of writing the BBC had been unable to provide How-Do with tailored information as to the regional ramifications of the cuts.

BECTU have reacted swiftly saying they will be on hand to support staff with on line changes.

"Staff in BBC Online need to join BECTU in large numbers to demonstrate just how serious they are about representation during the talks announced today,” said supervisory official, Helen Ryan.
The top line headcount reduction of 360 posts actually impacts on approximately 200 staff given a number of unfilled vacancies and the deployment of short term and contract staff. “Whilst we expect the BBC to respond positively to our concerns that absolutely every effort should be made to avoid compulsory redundancies, the fact that several departments are affected, and to different degrees, means that staff will need to work with their union to get the best outcomes from this reorganisation,” Helen Ryan concluded.

It is good to see the union on the case and lets hope they are able to help staff through this difficult transition.

Gwyneth Williams: controller of BBC Radio 4 'To keep good, Radio 4 must change'

Ben Dowell from The Guardian has interviewed Gwyneth Williams, the new controller of BBC Radio 4 three months into her role, but when asked recently by John Humphrys recently about leaving the network alone because Mark has left it in such good shape said "To use the cliche, in order to keep it good it must change," So we can expect to start to see changes in Radio 4 to keep it on top and she is starting to announce some of those changes now after a 3 month consultation process. If you want to read the full article then go the Ben's article on the Media Guardian site. But here are a few extracts that I found interesting...

It would be hard to imagine Damazer walking around the office without shoes, as Williams is wont to do. Or describing Humphrys as "incredibly sweet", as she does at one point. In fact, following her appointment, Williams spent her first weeks talking to staff, trying to "make sense" of the network and "understand it as an organic thing". "It is not as if Mark didn't listen – far from it – but he was a very authoritative presence and there was more of a sense that he said what was what," says one in-house producer. "You feel that things will be different under Gwyneth."

So it looks as if we will see the softer side of Radio 4, that was submerged under Mark's tenure, re-emerge.

One immediate difference will be felt once her proposal to cut the number of commissioning rounds a year from two to one is implemented; this will allow a looser process of "continuing commissioning", intended, she says, to reduce bureaucracy ("I know everybody says this and it is probably easier said than done"), with producers given more freedom to pitch ideas at other times. "I am really keen to add a layer of creativity," Williams explains. "Having met the producers and the people, I know that is perfectly possible and can happen. If we can't take creative risks at this point, with Radio 4 in such a good state, then we never can."

I have mixed views about this, as someone from the regions, loosing a commisioning round potentionaly reduces the face to face contact with the commissioning editors by 100% as it isn't very easy to pop into see any of them from up this end of the country. That said if this flexibility to pitch ideas at any time is real then I welcome it with open arms. There have been many times when an idea has surfaced but it hasn't been worth pursuing because by the time it had been commissioned, made and delivered it would be so out of date or not relevant any more that it probably wouldn't have got commissioned anyway!

There are no specific proposals to expand news bulletins such as The World at One or The World This Weekend. Nor is she planning to change the roster of Today presenters in spite of the rumoured interest of the BBC's political editor, Nick Robinson (although she does have hopes to "get more women on the network"). Instead, reporters such as Robinson will have a chance to exercise their interviewing skills on a new autumn show – a 15-minute slot on Tuesdays at 9.30am in which the BBC's army of reporters will be free to quiz whoever they like from whatever fields. There will also be a boost to science coverage in the half-hour slot preceding this. Williams is axing the existing rota of Tuesday 9am interview shows, Taking a Stand, The Choice and On The Ropes, in which people recount extraordinary experiences in their lives. The thinking is that interviews of this type are replicated on other programmes (such as Saturday Live and Broadcasting House) and they no longer need a designated place in the schedule.

I have to say that I am personally disappointed that The Choice is going as I have edited over 5 series of this illuminating programme, where you have time to really hear someone's story in detail that I don't believe you will get on either Saturday Live or BH. Neither of these programmes give a 28 minute slot to one interview and even these 15 minute slots (which are 13'30" really) will enable a very deep exploration of an issue. That said Gwyneth is planning to use the Tuesday interview slot to increase the profile of science on the network and I commend her for that.

"There is a quieter bit to Radio 4, science and information, which is a bit buried in the schedule," says Williams. "It is a potential heartland for Radio 4 which could beat more loudly for people who want to come to Radio 4 for understanding. We want to add in the quieter exploratory and analytical voices of scientists." Another plan is to give what will in effect be grants to "around five or so wise men or women" each year to "go off and do their own research". Thinkers of any kind would be given the money and the time to spend a year "tracking how we live now".

and from the Radio 4 blog she said....

From October I plan to launch a new 9 a.m. science programme - not about the ideas of science which Melvyn Bragg covers regularly in the brilliant In Our Time - but about science and working scientists, about the scientific method, across a range of subjects: physics, biology, engineering, technology, natural history. The Science Department will lead the work on developing this and I have been talking to various people, among them Jim Al-Khalili, a scientist and an experienced broadcaster, about possibly presenting it.

These plans will in my opinion help to redress the balance of Radio 4's output that under Mark made it into a relatively hard news station but it looks as if  Gwyneth is going to give more space to reflection and considered analysis.

"I want [Radio 4] to be more easily modern and forward looking and perhaps slightly more relaxed and more creative and to add that to the intellectual rigour,"

TalkSport wants Radio 5 Live budget review

Following on from the story that BBC enlists commercial sector help to shake up radio where the BBC has asked former GMG Radio boss, John Myers, to carry out a wide-ranging efficiency review. He has been tasked with reviewing the operations at core BBC stations including Radio 1, Radio 2, 6 Music and 1Xtra. The review could lead to a major shake-up of the way BBC Radio operates and is one attempt at ending constant accusations of a "bloated" BBC. In recent years, the commercial sector has heavily criticised the BBC for spending more than is necessary to operate a radio business.

John Plunkett has written a piece in The Guardian which reports that Talksport want this review extended to the speech stations including Radio 5 Live.

However, TalkSport parent company UTV said the review should be extended to include the BBC's national speech stations including news and sport service BBC Radio 5 Live, where "cost per user hour" is four times higher than either Radio 1 or Radio 2. Scott Taunton, the managing director of UTV Media (GB), said the scope of the review was "much too narrow" and "suggests a reluctance by BBC management to bring the overall radio budget under control".  Taunton welcomed the appointment of Myers, but said the efficiency review's remit was too narrow and contradicted the NAO's recommendations. He added that it "suggests a reluctance by BBC management to bring the overall radio budget under control. Rather than focusing on their cheaper pop stations, the BBC should seek efficiency opportunities right across their portfolio." 

So surprise surprise, John Myers' appointment to hopefully pacify the commercial sector doesn't seem to work. However especially for the speech stations and also to a lesser degree the music stations their is a public service remit. Speech radio isn't cheap, it is very labour intensive to produce an hour of programming. The commercial sector by enlarge doesn't commission documentaries, dramas etc because they can't get a commercial return on them. So that is why we have public service broadcasting, to provide content the commercial sector can't do. Now I have no problem with making sure that there isn't money wasted in the BBC but I believe the radio sector provides a very cost effective range of stations to the public.

BBC enlists commercial sector help to shake up radio

Amanda Andrews has written a piece in The Telegraph and also reported by Radio Today that former GMG Radio boss, John Myers, has been asked to carry out a wide-ranging efficiency review.

Mr Myers has been tasked with reviewing the operations at core BBC stations including Radio 1, Radio 2, 6 Music and 1Xtra. The review could lead to a major shake-up of the way BBC Radio operates and is one attempt at ending constant accusations of a "bloated" BBC. In recent years, the commercial sector has heavily criticised the BBC for spending more than is necessary to operate a radio business.

The BBC Trust wants the core radio stations to deliver value for money to the licence fee payer, while operating as efficiently as possible. Mr Myers will spend the first three months of 2011 undertaking the review. As a result of his commitments at the BBC, he will not begin his new role as chief executive of the Radio Academy until April. "I can confirm that as part of our ongoing drive to ensure value for money we have asked independent consultant John Myers to help us in reviewing the efficiency of our radio operations. He will be working with us between January and March 2011," said a BBC spokeswoman A source familiar with the situation said that the BBC wanted to hire someone primarily with commercial sector expertise, but needed to ensure that person was not a "BBC hater". 

It is an interesting development am I not sure what I make of it. He is only reviewing the stations that compete with the commercial sector  but arguably that is all he is qualified to advise on. But when you look at the budgets will it make any real difference.

Radio 1
10.8 million weekly listeners, budget £43m, cost per user per hour 0.6p

Radio 2
13.3 million weekly listeners, budget £50.7m, cost per user per hour 0.5p

Radio 3
2 million weekly listeners, budget £51.1m, cost per user per hour 6.3p

Radio 4
9.7 million weekly listeners, budget £108.6m, cost per user per hour 1.3p

Radio 5 Live
6 million weekly listeners, budget £72.2million, cost per user per hour 2.3p

6 Music
0.7 million weekly listeners, budget £9m, cost per user per hour 3.4p

Radio 5 Live Sports Extra
0.7 million weekly listeners, budget £3.7m, cost per user per hour 2.6p

Radio 7
0.9 million weekly listeners, budget £6.9m, cost per user per hour 2p

Asian Network
0.4 million weekly listeners, budget £12.1m, cost per user per hour 6.9p

Radio 1Xtra
0.6 million weekly listeners, budget £9.6m, cost per user per hour 4.5p

The channels he is going to look at total £12.3m which is only just above the Radio 4 budget and the cost per listener for Radios 1 & 2 is already small so it makes me think this process is just to pacify the commercial sector.

Is Cameron showing his true colours about the BBC?

In an editorial in today's Observer they say....

David Cameron enjoys joshing with journalists. He also, in a previous, non-political life, worked as a media public relations expert, lobbying against, among others, the BBC. So when he tells a Brussels press conference that we're all in the cuts and freeze business together, "including – deliciously – the BBC", it's probably best to leave high horses in the stable. You can make too much of a deliciously duff joke. But you also see why our prime minister needs to be very, very careful. Is he in hock to Rupert Murdoch? Labour MPs, anxious to see more of his Number 10 visiting book, want fuller disclosure here. The two main Murdochs, father and son, have been heavy-footed and loose-tongued in their lobbying against the corporation...... more

The cuts rushed through in 48 hours are not inconsequential and will have an impact on what the BBC can do. However the integration of the newsroom in 2012 will make the world wide new gathering much more effective and will certainly help the 'One BBC' including the World Service but in this digital age where less and less people will consume public service broadcasting using a TV receiver in the corner of the front room, we really do need to find a new funding model to guarantee a viable public service broadcaster for the long time. Please do not let folk chip and slice away at the BBC so that all we are left with is the Murdoch empire.

BBC cuts in licence fee deal 'brutal but realistic', say corporation executives

John Plunkett and Maggie Brown have covered the BBC response in an article in The Guardian.

Senior BBC executives admitted today that staff would be stunned and baffled by the scale of the cuts in the licence fee settlement, which they described as "clearly very challenging". Peter Salmon, the director of BBC North, said it was "tough, but it is tough all round". "These are pretty difficult times. This is an exceptional settlement and it's going to be difficult for the BBC but it's difficult for everyone in the whole UK economy," he added.  "On the positive side the stuff that we are taking on board are a collection of related responsibilities, a lot of which make sense given what the BBC does and what the BBC cares about – programme-making, content-making, news," said Salmon. "The most important thing for the BBC is the fact that it maintains the BBC's independence. We are very keen on multi-year settlements, on having the kind of financial security we need over a period of time so that we can plan, and also stay at arm's length from the government and government politics. It's really important to us, it's important to licence payers, it's what's kept the BBC brave and independent all these years. It's a tough day. The staff are going to be stunned and probably quite baffled by the news. You get a sense on lots of fronts you are not immune from all the big and difficult things happening in the world. The pension gap was another difficult part of the story. These are tough times."

The BBC Radio 5 Live controller, Adrian van Klaveren, also speaking in Salford today, said the corporation had been surprised at the speed of the licence fee settlement and described the cuts as "clearly very challenging". But Van Klaveren added that there was a positive side to the deal, which guarantees the future of the licence fee for the next six years. "Clearly these numbers are very challenging and will need a lot of work," There's a process that is going to take time. It's complicated and there are a lot of options. Changes need to be made over a period of years. I think all of us have been surprised at the pace of things over the last week. Numbers have moved around and each number clearly has different consequences. It will be felt more and more as years go by. We are not talking about something that has to be achieved by April 2011. There is time to work it through sensibly."

 Go to the Guardian web site to read the rest of the story.

BBC Licence fee funding announced for the next 6 years

Wow! Earlier I blogged about the BBC offering to fund the World Service. Well they have really rolled over now agreeing to have the licence fee frozen at £145.50, pay £272m for the World Service , S4C's £102m for S4C, and pay £25m for BBC Monitoring. They really didn't want to take on the £556m a year funding of free TV licences for the over-75s. Mark Sweney and Tara Conlan have written about the deal at the Media Guardian site...

The BBC licence fee is to be frozen at the current level of £145.50 for the next six years, a 16% cut in real terms, after the corporation today concluded a bruising round of funding negotiations with the coalition government.  In addition it will provide £150m a year for the rollout of superfast broadband to rural areas from 2013 and £25m a year for local TV and online content. A further one-off capital investment in local TV and online services of £25m will also come from the licence fee and the BBC will also underwrite the rollout of the digital radio network nationally.

Well another 16% cuts in the BBC budget is going to mean even less quality public service programming. This is really scary. What will the government do next.....

BBC reveals Salford timetable according to The Guardian

Tara Conlan has written an article outlining the timetable for BBC departments to move to Media City.

Three relocation "waves" have been devised as part of the BBC's "migration plan", details of which have been seen by MediaGuardian.co.uk, to move around 2,300 jobs to Salford, starting in May next year.

"Wave 1" runs between May and July 2011 and those due to move then include BBC2 hit Dragons' Den, Question of Sport, many CBeebies and CBBC staff, marketing and finance employees in children's and sport, Learning production management and staff in comedy and drama who are already based in Manchester.


Those who will relocate from London to Salford in "wave 2" between August and October 2011 including Newsgathering London and Leeds, some Radio 5 Live management and commissioning staff, most of the BBC Academy, children's show Newsround, CBBC drama and acquisitions, and the Mobile Apps team.

Among the "wave 3" departments set to move in November and December 2011 or in 2012 are the remainder of Radio 5 Live management and commissioning, future, media and technology homepage staff, digital distribution operation North and BBC Breakfast, which the migration plans says is "likely Easter 2012".

For the details then you can find the article here at The Guardian web site.

Independent radio producers say BBC Trust has not gone far enough

John Plunkett in The Guardian has reported the initial responses from the radio independent producers to the publication of the report into the BBC's treatment and quotas for indies in the radio sector.

Independent radio producers have criticised the BBC Trust's review of BBC radio commissioning, saying it was "short-sighted, complacent and contradictory". While giving a cautious welcome to the tone of the trust's report yesterday and its decision to extend the amount of BBC programming available to independent producers with a 10% window of creative competition, the Radio Independents Group said it was "very disappointed" by the scale of the change. The group had asked for a 25% minimum independent quota and a 25% window of creative competition. The trust said the minimum independent quota should remain at 10%.

The Radio Independents Group's (RIG) statement continues...

We welcome the introduction of a WOCC (Window Of Creative Competition) of 10% across all networks and are confident that, provided the appropriate commissioning structures are in place and monitored effectively, RIG members will compete effectively and win the majority of open tenders.
We are however very disappointed by the scale of change. We had proposed an increase in the quota (currently around 8.4% in real terms) to a statutory 25% and the introduction of a 25% WOCC. This would have been consistent with TV commissioning which works well for the benefit of license fee payers. The trust states that radio audiences register high levels of appreciation and increasing the indie quota risks adversely affecting this. We believe this is short sighted, complacent and contradictory to some of the trust's own recent network reviews. We believe that maintaining the status quo offers a greater risk. Any organisation wishing to equip itself for future challenges would seek to move forward, rather than protect it's current position – the licence fee payer would expect no less.

I am completely with RIG on this. It is OK for TV to have a 25% quota and a further 25% WoCC but The Trust saying

a reduction in the BBC's in-house operations to a guaranteed minimum of 50% of output "would cause great instability"

is crazy. Why will it cause instability for the radio sector and not the TV sector. Surely the issues were very similar when these quotas were introduced into the TV sector, and it is still here!  Also it wouldn't be a guaranteed minimum of 50% of output, the guarantee is only for 25% with the opportunity to pitch for up to another 25% but that is by no means guaranteed.

"We believe that maintaining the status quo offers a greater risk. Any organisation wishing to equip itself for future challenges would seek to move forward, rather than protect it's current position – the licence fee payer would expect no less."

Absolutely if the independent sector isn't given the oportunity to grow it will never get out of the 'cottage industry' status that it is currently. It is very hard to make a viable business out of independent radio programme making. The BBC is the only client in town and David Liddiment, chair of the trust's audiences and performance committee, said

the BBC's radio services were both popular and distinctive [and] make a vital contribution to the public purposes. However, this review has shown that the BBC's approach to commissioning from the sector does not always work as well as it should. Putting more of the programmes up for grabs will help promote competition for the best ideas, wherever they come from. That will be good for licence-fee payers, whose interests the trust is here to serve. And we are particularly keen to see a much more open and fair approach to commissioning from the independent sector."

If you want to increase the diversity and make it open and fair you need a large pool of smaller independent producers. In order to have a sustainable business they need a reasonable number of commissions to get some form of economy of scale. This level of quotas won't do it.

BBC Trust plan to open up 10% of BBC radio output on top of independent quota mirrors TV 'window of creative competition'

John Plunkett in The Guardian has published details of the review that the BBC Trust has undertaken into the relationship between radio based independent producers and the BBC.

[The Trust] has announced plans that a further 10% of BBC radio programming will be opened up to independent programme-makers on top of the 10% quota that is already guaranteed to the sector.

 But the 10% isn't currently guaranteed, it is a voluntary quota!

The extra 10% – which can be competed for by both in-house and independent producers – will mirror the window of creative competition, or WoCC, which already exists in BBC TV.

As someone who took part in that review it is a step forward but I wouldn't call it a victory. The BBC by restricting the amount of commissions to 10% and a 10% of  WoCC isn't going to make a huge difference. The best would be a doubling of commissions available to the independent sector, the worst case scenario is no change as the BBC decides to commission all the 10% WoCC from in house. The Guardian report continues...

The trust called for a "step change in the way in which the BBC operates" in commissioning programmes from the independent radio sector. It said the relationship had become "strained" and called for the BBC to be "more open and transparent" in its dealings with outside producers. "Urgent improvement" was required, it said. The BBC has exceeded its 10% voluntary indie quota in all but one of the last 10 years. 

I am not sure I agree with that statement.

But the trust said competition for the best ideas "has not been consistently embraced by the BBC in radio". It said it was "concerned" by the BBC's current approach commissioning, with tightly defined supplier lists that "may restrict the range and diversity of those who supply content to the BBC". Independent radio producers had called for a minimum 25% quota and a further 25% WoCC, as operates in BBC TV. But the trust stopped well short of such an increase, saying a reduction in the BBC's in-house operations to a guaranteed minimum of 50% of output "would cause great instability".

But if the independent sector doesn't get a larger quota it can't expand and develop. To put it simply there isn't a viable living to be made.

The trust also criticised BBC management after it "encountered difficulties in conducting this review due to the lack of detailed information being collected". "We are therefore looking to the executive to better develop the way in which it monitors its obligations, particularly with regards to how range and diversity might be assessed in the trust's next review."

David Liddiment, chair of the trust's audiences and performance committee, said the BBC's radio services were "both popular and distinctive [and] make a vital contribution to the public purposes".
"However, this review has shown that the BBC's approach to commissioning from the sector does not always work as well as it should. "Putting more of the programmes up for grabs will help promote competition for the best ideas, wherever they come from. That will be good for licence-fee payers, whose interests the trust is here to serve. And we are particularly keen to see a much more open and fair approach to commissioning from the independent sector."

Well I am not impressed with this outcome. I was really hoping the radio sector would get parity with the TV sector, but I am pleased to see the Trust reporting their dissatisfaction with the way the BBC deals with radio indies. But again I wait to see what effect this will have on the way BBC Radio works with the indie sector.

Bishop Nick Baines weighs in on a Religion Editor for the BBC

Bishop Nick has just posted a very clear explanation as to why the BBC should have a Religion Editor as suggested back in May by Roger Bolton and by The Church of England as I posted about here.

Bishop Nick says...

Now, no doubt this will provoke the secularists again as it appears to represent special pleading by Christians for more ‘religious’ programmes. 

Well they would be wrong as Bishop Nigel said in Church of England's submission to The BBC Trust as reported in The Guardian...

The church said programmes such as Daily Service, Choral Evensong, Sunday, Moral Maze and Something Understood, and one-off documentaries including Twin Sisters and Two Faiths helped present "an authentic portrayal of Christian worship [alongside] in-depth discussions and explorations of religious and ethical themes".  It said Radio 4 broadcast more than the required number of hours of religious programming, and said the three BBC stations, along with Radio 3 and Radio 7, "broadcast an unparalleled range and depth of religious programming which deserves grateful acknowledgement by all those concerned with increasing mutual understanding between people of all faiths and none".

Bishop Nick continues....

This, however, is a big mistake. In the same way that the BBC decided that some elements of the world’s news need to be understood and explained – interpreted – , so the religious perspective needs similar treatment. .....  A Religion Editor would not be there to propagate or evangelise (thank God), but to explain, interpret and educate. Think how different things might have been if the 9/11 media coverage had had such a person who actually understood Islam before the crime was committed.
Such a person might also offer some advocacy for those who feel constantly misrepresented by media coverage of religion or of religious perspectives on world events. I know this will raise temperatures  among those who believe Richard Dawkins is infallible and fundamentally inerrant (and I know his current programmes are broadcast from the Channel 4 stable, not the BBC), but we might be spared some of the nonsense that gets through the editors’ desks when it comes to religion.

It is well worth reading the rest of Bishop Nick's post.  I hope The BBC Trust get to read it.