The transcript of the Public Accounts Committee grilling of the BBC about 'Across The UK' shows Tim Davie offering nine 'by the way's and four 'to be clear's.
Here's the best bit on local radio cuts:
Sara Owen MP: When it comes to BBC local radio listeners, 80% are over 55. What impact has that had in terms of moving quite a lot of the content online, albeit still local? Have you had any feedback from any of the audiences, particularly in that over-55 category?
Tim Davie: We have not been short of feedback. If you share your afternoon shows rather than—we have not closed any local radio stations, but it has been incredibly difficult for the teams. Last week I was in Sheffield and Gloucester. On the sharing of weekday programmes with some of the changes made at the weekend, there is no doubt that some listeners are very sad to see their local presenters go. That has not been easy. But if you look at local radio reach—I say it with deep love, because there is nothing like the connection to linear radio; I have the numbers by constituency here—about 15% of the population go to local radio. By the way, there is a reallocation. To be clear, I do not think there is any confusion. The budget stays flat, but there have been cuts within the budget to one area to move it to another. It is not complicated. That is what we are trying to do. Even among 65 to 74, their biggest consumption
is news. I am ferociously protective of local democracy and our ability to report it. Between October and December in 2023, we grew online—if you go to our main news app on the BBC, you can get your local news, and that is up 22%. I am not saying that that has not been at a major cost to the listeners of local radio, but those are the choices that we have to make.
is news. I am ferociously protective of local democracy and our ability to report it. Between October and December in 2023, we grew online—if you go to our main news app on the BBC, you can get your local news, and that is up 22%. I am not saying that that has not been at a major cost to the listeners of local radio, but those are the choices that we have to make.
'If you go to our main news app on the BBC, you can get your local news.'
ReplyDeleteThe trouble is, the way news is reported online is sometimes woefully inadequate; last night's Commons shenanigans (OK, a national rather than a local story, but the principle is the same) were a case in point. I launched the BBC News app at 8pm and this is what I got by way of alleged 'live reporting':
■ The Speaker of the House of Commons
apologises to MPs following a fractious debate
over Gaza ceasefire votes
■ Lindsay Hoyle responds to complaints of his
handling of the debate by saying he "regrets"
how it ended up as it was "not my intention"
■ MPs have approved a Labour Party call for an
"immediate humanitarian ceasefire" following
hours of debate which saw SNP MPs walk out of
the Commons
■ The call was an amendment to a motion put
forward by the SNP seeking an immediate
ceasefire in Gaza
■ SNP and Tory MPs earlier expressed their anger, after Hoyle chose both the government and the Labour Party's amendments, breaking with convention
■ The debate follows PMQs, during which PM Rishi Sunak said calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, without a plan for a permanent solution, was "not in anyone's interest"
Whaat? How was Labour's call for an immediate ceasefire different to the SNP's call for an immediate ceasefire? Is the word 'humanitarian' significant? What convention did the Speaker break? Why did SNP MPs walk out? What happened to the government amendment?
This form of coverage, which is only 'live' in the sense that someone is sat in front of a computer in the newsroom adding a line every now and then as something new crops up on the Press Association wire feed, may make some sort of sense for stories like earthquakes, which don't need much explanation. But it is utterly inadequate for complex stories which make little sense without an explanatory report from an expert, who can integrate each new development into his/her report, updating it rather than simply lumping line upon line and calling it 'live reporting'.
This, Tim Davie, is why 'digital' - a news app - is an entirely inadequate replacement for live radio (or tv). To put it in terms you would understand, it's like replacing fizzy pop with iced tea and insisting it's just as good, or better.
I tuned to Iain Dale's show on LBC for enlightenment - and got it.
ReplyDelete