If you want evidence that it's a bad idea for someone from an entirely tv background to supervise network radio, then today's moves announced by DG Tim Davie make the point.
The tv contribution to this exercise is minimal. There will be five new junior 'commissioners' in the Nations and Regions. The tv target is for 60% by value of commissions to be spent outside London by 2027 - that's up from the current target of 50%. There'll be one new continuing drama from the north of England and one from the Nations. It's not clear whether or not they'll live alongside Casualty (Cardiff) or Holby City (just inside the M25). No move of decision-making at any senior level outside London - not even for funky BBC3.
In radio, the move is from below 40% of network spend outside London to 50%. 50% of Radio 3 production moves to Salford, which will be an 'epicentre', yet not quite throbbing enough to require the full-time attendance of a Controller. 'The majority' of 6Music will, 'over time', move to Salford. Newsbeat and The Asian Network are told to get out of London, and meet up in Birmingham. The Radio Science production team are sent to Cardiff, alongside the BBC Climate and Science news teams. "Our business output will be more reflective of the UK, with all our key morning output coming from an enlarged Business unit in Salford." Has anyone told the Kiwi who does Today ?
Digital and technology teams who previously hung on to space at White City will head to Salford. Yet the BBC News Technology team are bound for Glasgow; I suspect there'll be quite a turnover there. Education News moves further away from Gavin Williamson, to Leeds. There also be some sort of investigative news unit there - from the patch that brought you the Sir Cliff Richard exclusive.
It's a very poor 13-page document for a proper 6-year strategy. How much, someone should ask, has been set aside for 're-structuring' ? And what is the target headcount in 2027/28 ? Who decides where the Concert Orchestra finally turns up ? Will it cost more or less to present 100 editions of Today around the UK - and will it be, effectively, every Saturday with Justin Webb in those echoey university canteens ? Any thought about the quality of output here ?
https://t.co/H05Yb62kIv Bit of a tricky day for us on the @BBCTech team, having been told we have to move to Glasgow. It's a great city, but many of us not at the stage in life where we can uproot our families
— Rory Cellan-Jones (@ruskin147) March 18, 2021
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