Me Jane

I'm indebted to The Guardian for pointing out the role of Jane McCloskey at the BBC. In her own words, she is "leading the BBC's Simplicity and Engagement Transformation Project, the engine room of the BBC's Delivering Quality First (DQF) initiative. Working to the Director of Business Operations & the Chief Financial Officer to simplify the Corporation, promote cultural change and achieve targeted savings. Overseeing and delivering a rolling staff engagement programme across the Corporation, informing our industrial relations strategy and project managing the key simplicity initiatives to emerge from DQF".

As the BBC retreats from regional current affairs and local radio services in the afternoons and evenings, Jane's background as Regional Director at ITV West and Westcountry, and Head of Regional Programmes BBC South West will be useful.  At the BBC in Plymouth in 2008/9, her ultimate boss would have been Protector of Regional and Local,  and Maker of the Journalism Candle, Mark Byford. He'll be sitting in his retirement slippers in Winchester of an evening next year, choosing between a UK-wide programme on Radio Solent, or an Inside Out special from London.

"Inside Out", the regional currents affairs programme will be produced in future from four English hubs instead of eleven. BBC local radio stations are losing, on average, 10 posts from 40.