The Newsroom

BBC NEWS CUTS

Cuts reactivated - P43 onwards (January 2020)

This site closed in March 2021 and is now a read-only archive
SP
Steve in Pudsey
Charlie Wells posted:
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.


Sadly due to contracts it never works like that. The older, more expensive talent that have outstayed their welcome tend to be on staff Senior Broadcast Journalist contracts, so they're expensive to get rid of. It's the freelancers who are more likely to be shown the door.

http://www.martinkelner.com/wtitten-by-martin-kelner/My_Sacking_and_a_Plausible_Plan_for_BBC_Local_Radio.shtml
JO
Joe
I enjoyed the spelling mistake in that URL, especially because it's for a high level part of the structure and thus present in a huge number of URLs. Smile

Interesting reading anyway, if you read past some of the (probably understandable) bitterness. To be fair, it reads somewhat balanced, considering.
CM
cmthwtv
Points West going to make the most of the two of them tonight it seems.



BR
Brekkie
Josh posted:
It's like splitting up Ant & Dec or fish and chips!

Well Dec proved he didn't really need Ant on BGT at least a couple of years back. As for fish and chips - if money is tight you can always just have the chips, or chips and a cheaper alternative.
BR
Brekkie
Sounds like rather than making one redundant that duos will have to apply for the one remaining job, which could in theory see both incumbant hosts moved on in favour of another applicant for the role.



JO
Josh
Yes, as Siggy pointed out on the last page.

Brekkie posted:
Josh posted:
It's like splitting up Ant & Dec or fish and chips!

Well Dec proved he didn't really need Ant on BGT at least a couple of years back. As for fish and chips - if money is tight you can always just have the chips, or chips and a cheaper alternative.

Salmon and chips? Wink
CU
Cusack
Andrew posted:
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.


It's not good that so many people are losing their jobs, however Breakfast is a 3 hour sometimes 4 hour long show though, it would very difficult for one presenter to do the whole thing on their own, so I think that's an unfair comparison.
I think the single presenter format on Look North Leeds has worked fine over the last few months.
BR
Brekkie
Siggy posted:
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?

I think the difference with ITV was many had two regions merging into one, so in many cases I think they took one host from each region to maintain some continuity, plus also I think they needed to retain the option of being able to split the broadcast if necessary, although in practice I'm not sure that ever happened.

Wales has gone from two to one presenters in the last few years but that works well for them, and I think both hosts had roles within ITV Wales, both on and off screen, which cutting their airtime down enabled to happen. The network bulletins have also gone from two to one hosts in that period too.

As sad as these cuts are I think with regional news if you've still got a sports presenter and weather presenter to interact with then having a solo presenter is fine - it's still a family of familar faces, even if it now only has a single parent and only sees dad on Friday.
AS
AlexS
Cusack posted:
Andrew posted:
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.


It's not good that so many people are losing their jobs, however Breakfast is a 3 hour sometimes 4 hour long show though, it would very difficult for one presenter to do the whole thing on their own, so I think that's an unfair comparison.
I think the single presenter format on Look North Leeds has worked fine over the last few months.

I am not arguing that Breakfast should become single headed, but to suggest that it is very difficult for a presenter to do 3 hours alone simply ignores the fact that multiple presenters do just that every day on the news channel (and sky news). If any of the breakfast presenters are incapable (which I am not saying they are as I believe they would be capable) of doing what people like Simon McCoy and Martine Croxall do daily and the BBC wanted Breakfast to go single headed the solution would be replacing them with the people who are capable rather than retaining duel headed presentation.
CU
Cusack
AlexS posted:
Cusack posted:
Andrew posted:
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.


It's not good that so many people are losing their jobs, however Breakfast is a 3 hour sometimes 4 hour long show though, it would very difficult for one presenter to do the whole thing on their own, so I think that's an unfair comparison.
I think the single presenter format on Look North Leeds has worked fine over the last few months.

I am not arguing that Breakfast should become single headed, but to suggest that it is very difficult for a presenter to do 3 hours alone simply ignores the fact that multiple presenters do just that every day on the news channel (and sky news). If any of the breakfast presenters are incapable (which I am not saying they are as I believe they would be capable) of doing what people like Simon McCoy and Martine Croxall do daily and the BBC wanted Breakfast to go single headed the solution would be replacing them with the people who are capable rather than retaining duel headed presentation.


Fair point.
CW
Charlie Wells Moderator
Brekkie posted:
Sounds like rather than making one redundant that duos will have to apply for the one remaining job, which could in theory see both incumbant hosts moved on in favour of another applicant for the role.




I'm guessing it's partly to avoid claims of unfair dismissal. Also by getting them to apply for the remaining job I suspect it allows the BBC to impose a new employment contract on them, which may not be as generous as their previous one.
JA
JAS84
radiolistener posted:
London Lite posted:
I know that some people will be disappointed at the axing of Inside Out, but the previous 30 min investigative programmes that used to be on BBC Two in the past, such as First Sight which used to go out in the old South East region were of high quality in comparison.

The Sunday regional political shows have been saved as well as Breakfast bulletins, so I think they made the least worst decision.


And still Hull survives.

What's your problem with Peter Levy?
Andrew posted:
What happens with the older veteran presenters will be a minefield. They will be on the highest salaries so it would be a big saving, but it’ll cost a fortune to make them redundant, and many will be retiring before long anyway. But there will be lots of bad press if they make someone so popular in the region redundant.

Peter Levy must be in that bracket, he's been on Look North since the 80s (in Leeds of course, prior to Hull's launch). I wonder if any single headed regions will lose their current presenters?

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