The Newsroom

BBC NEWS CUTS

Cuts reactivated - P43 onwards (January 2020)

This site closed in March 2021 and is now a read-only archive
JO
Johnr
Look North Yorkshire has sadly felt a bit 'off' ever since they had to ditch the sofa challenge, then go down to a single head for the evening and even Paul doesn't get to stand in the studio any more now to do the weather!

I suspect Harry will gracefully bow out sooner rather than later to be honest
BA
Ballyboy
Autumn/winter 2020 could they do the sofa challenge even or next year?
PE
peterrocket Founding member
A routinely renewed contract though isn't always a get out of jail free card - indeed after 4 years they're considered an employee unless there is a good reason for them not to be and they're entitled to redundancy after 2 years.


Not to mention how many of them will have had older contracts which would have had them full time anyway on a continuing basis.

It’s only more recently ‘talent’ contracts have become renewable after the people found out they couldn’t make presenter changes due to legacy contracts.

Presenters are expected to be more flexible these days, including flexible enough to work on a different program.

If you’ve worked long enough, voluntary redundancy could be an attractive option - but on the other hand is it more expensive to pay off a long standing presenter’s redundancy bill or let them work another year or two before they retire anyway.
IS
Inspector Sands
Steve posted:
Yes, that’s what I think is disappointing - there’s no allowance for a region to deploy its team of journalists in the way they think best. The double headed regions don’t get extra money for being double headed but have decided that’s how they’ll use their resources

Surely it's largely about visibility, the presenters are what's seen on screen by the viewer so if that's seen to be a bit flabby in terms of staffing then what's it like behind he scenes?

Quote:
If one does lunch and 6.30 and one does 6.30 and 10 that seems like a sensible use of the team to me and I don’t understand why they can’t have the flexibility to keep doing that.

That's not the most sensible way, you forgot breakfast. Best way is to have one presenter does breakfast and lunch, one does evening and late. That's how the region I worked in did it - those who worked on Breakfast (producer, Director, PA, presenter) all worked on the lunch bulletin. There's not much else the breakfast team can do between the end of breakfast/their break at 10am and the end of their shift. Of course if you send them out to an OB for lunch and their shift ends at 2 then that's overtime

The thing to remember is that just because someone's a 'presenter' it doesn't mean that that's their job title and that it's all they can/will do. If a region has two full time 'presenters' and they're forced to only have one actually presenting the other will be utilised reporting. This either just bolsters the production side or ripples down the headcount and reduces the need for freelance cover or one less headcount when someone leaves
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SP
Steve in Pudsey
Johnr posted:
Look North Yorkshire has sadly felt a bit 'off' ever since they had to ditch the sofa challenge, then go down to a single head for the evening and even Paul doesn't get to stand in the studio any more now to do the weather!

I suspect Harry will gracefully bow out sooner rather than later to be honest

I can only assume they are doing the weather from the other studio to save moving the studio cameras around, so they can have fewer people in the studio.

I'm not sure it's necessarily the sofa thing that's the reason it seems "a bit off" - I think with hindsight it's pretty obvious that calling it off was the right call
Last edited by Steve in Pudsey on 3 July 2020 7:53am
CW
Charlie Wells Moderator
I have to wonder if this is another case of announcing the worst case scenario then U turn on certain elements. (See also: closure of 6 Music)

I dare say there is some scope for the BBC to potentially give some minor concessions, whilst still implementing most of the changes. Whilst I'd like to see local radio opt fit in an extra programme by opting for 3 hour shifts I wonder if keeping the current schedules allows them to dispense of older and more expensive talent. In some ways Covid-19 has been the perfect excuse to stream-roller changes to local radio scheduling under the guise that it was temporary, allowing them to test the waters for more permanent changes.

I noticed in the media centre article it mentioned "Modernising the BBC’s regional TV centres - investing in the latest technology", which presumably means new equipment to reduce the number of people required off-screen for TV bulletins.

I imagine if there is any partial rollback on the changes announced it might be to add an extra regional programme or two to the Inside Out replacement. I can't see any rollback on the changes to the local TV news bulletins. Similarly I can't see there being any major rollbacks on local radio, at least until they've allowed some of those on more expensive contracts/salaries to leave. I also suspect some of the other 'temporary' changes made to national radio stations may become permanent.
AN
Andrew Founding member
Johnr posted:
Look North Yorkshire has sadly felt a bit 'off' ever since they had to ditch the sofa challenge,

Doesn’t that seem a long time ago, and that over the top on screen reaction. If only we knew then.
BR
Brekkie
No doubt in all walks of life this pandemic is enabling, or forcing, companies to make decisions they've long been considering.

Re: the Inside Out replacement. Have they said how many episodes that will be - surely within each macro region there can be a commitment to effectively make at least one documentary per region, though of course they'll have more of a pan-regional focus.
JO
Josh
Shame about the double-headed presenter demotion. As already said earlier, it will be a shame to see the end of Stewart & Susie after god knows how long. It's like splitting up Ant & Dec or fish and chips!
SI
Siggy
Interesting turn, Gordon Burns has tweeted that double headed shows (NWT atleast) the presenters are having to apply for the one job!

I assumed it would be a straight split rather than one stays and one goes!

https://mobile.twitter.com/mrgordonburns/status/1279023364590276615

What interests me is that when ITV done their major cull of regions a decade ago they still stuck with double headed main programmes - you’d think that would of been an easy option to make savings! They must have done research which demonstrated that viewers prefer two presenters. I wonder if the BBC carried out surveys/viewer feedback?
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JO
Josh
It seems to be turning into a version of most reality TV formats.

To vote for Annabel to stay, text ANNABEL to 64424. Entrants must be 18 or over, lines close on the date shown on screen and please ask the billpayer's permission. Razz
Jeffmister, Ghost and cmthwtv gave kudos
AN
Andrew Founding member
Siggy posted:
Interesting turn, Gordon Burns has tweeted that double headed shows (NWT atleast) the presenters are having to apply for the one job!

I assumed it would be a straight split rather than one stays and one goes!

https://mobile.twitter.com/mrgordonburns/status/1279023364590276615

What interests me is that when ITV done their major cull of regions a decade ago they still stuck with double headed main programmes - you’d think that would of been an easy option to make savings! They must have done research which demonstrated that viewers prefer two presenters. I wonder if the BBC carried out surveys/viewer feedback?

With double headed though, one presenter starts early, might do lunchtime, and leads the preparation of the programme. The other starts later and then stays on for the late bulletin. So it isn’t a straight forward as losing one role.

Also with it being a magazine with light and shade, double headed works better, it’s the same reason why Breakfast is double headed.

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