Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram has described BBC local radio as “unbelievably important to the very DNA of this city” amid potential cuts to the service. He said he met with BBC director general Matt Brittin during the Labour Party conference earlier this week to press the case for services to be retained, including BBC Radio Merseyside.
Job losses and savings targets
The corporation announced a series of wide-ranging cuts to its local radio and TV output, with the expected loss of 90 jobs. According to the Press Gazette, the BBC confirmed it needed to reduce headcount in its Nations division by around 250 full-time posts by 2027/28, a saving of £33m.
Around £9m needs to be saved in BBC Local, equating to around 90 posts. The proposed cuts are part of £500m of savings the corporation said in February need to be made over the next three years. Last week BBC Sport staff were told 41 roles were being scrapped.
Mayor's pledge and NUJ warning
Pressed on his support for the broadcaster, Mr Rotheram described Radio Merseyside as “unbelievably important to the very DNA of this city.” He addressed the potential impact on broadcasters during a phone-in on Radio Merseyside earlier today.
Asked if he would try to help keep as many services on local radio as possible, the Metro Mayor said: “100% I will. I’m not going to fight for other areas because I haven’t got the bandwidth, I haven’t got the energy to do the whole BBC network but what I’ve quite clearly said is that when you need that impartiality, when you need somebody to examine the real facts behind the myth and the scaremongering and the scapegoating, that’s where local radio really comes to the fore.”
He added: “The Prime Minister is aware of this because during the Manchester bomb, it was local radio that came to the fore again and reported on that, that’s why collectively we know this is one of the most important parts of the BBC.”
The National Union of Journalists, which has around 1,000 members in BBC Nations and Regions, said the BBC was heading for “an avoidable doom spiral” with its plans.
Proposed schedule changes
Under the proposed changes, 18 Saturday breakfast shows will be replaced by an all-England programme between 6am and 8am. On Sundays, just six breakfast programmes focussed on faith and gardening will be broadcast between 6am and 10am – a reduction on the current 14.
Weekday output is also being slashed. Six regional evening programmes which currently run from 6pm to 10pm on Tuesday to Thursdays will be replaced by repeats.
