Delivering Quality First

It's not the studio that costs money, it's the time it takes someone to compile the bulletin. As the memo published by the Guardian website says, losing those saves one post.

Of course this isn't one person who they employ specifically to write/produce the two bulletins, but not writing them probably frees up a producer's time to work on the main output

Other non-TV items that haven't been mentioned so far..

BBC Local Radio to broadcast pan-regional mid-afternoon programmes

BBC Local Radio to broadcast one single England programme 7-10pm on weekdays and Sundays after 1pm

BBC Local Radio Football commentaries will now be 'neutral' and provided by the station local to the ground the match is being played at.

Radio 1 & 1xtra to share news bulletins except at Breakfast time.

I wonder how this will work, don't most the stations do their sport between 7-10pm?

BBC Newcastle host a sport phone-in between 5.30-7.30, usually reserving the back half hour for discussion of non-football major and minor local sports.

Most curious to learn how this 'neutral' commentary will work. Local football commentary is an area commercial operators are increasingly cutting back on; here in the North East, the BBC has been left to pick up the pieces (covering both Sunderland and Newcastle games) after Metro and then more recently Real Radio spat their respective dummies out, picking up their metaphorical balls and going home as it were.

Perhaps the removal/diminishing of the BBC competition will entice the local commercials back but based on past form they'll struggle to emulate the BBC's high standards and likely walk away at the first opportunity again.

Interesting times ahead...

I don't think this has been mentioned, but the Saturday lunchtime regional news bulletin is going as well. It only started a few years ago!

BBC Local Radio late shows (10pm-1am) will change from being local or pan-regional to being pan-macro regional with only 5 versions broadcast (North, East Midlands, West Midlands, E & SE, W & SW). The Midlands seem to have done well on that deal. In the North, it's 5 programmes down to 1

"BBC Budget Changes" - that's a bit of a Tory spin on it isn't it DVB Cornwall. More like "murder of a Britisih institution".

It's hard to pick apart the detail when so much is just enforced on the BBC, but reducing the red button stream to one under the guise of "consistency" is ridiculous - even us Freeview folk who've moaned ever since we lost our second stream and multiscreen would see that removing the service entirely on Sky and Cable is not in anyones interests. Even more justification to axe BBC Parliament and replace it on all platform with an interactive version of Democracy Live.

Will BBC HD close before or after the Olympics, as if BBC2 HD replaces it by July they'll only be one HD channel covering the games, not two. And I wonder if losing the interactive streams will affect the BBC's Olympic and WImbledon bids more than the 15% cut in rights coverage in the future. I could certainly see something similar to other countries now with the BBC having free rights (with their one extra stream) and Sky having multiscreen rights.

And although BBC2 and BBC4 are closely linked the last thing BBC3 should be is a "feeder channel" for BBC3 - I've never seen it of anything of the kind and it's mission should be to show content which wouldn't see the light of day on BBC1.

The trial to network the Radio Leeds afternoon show to York and Sheffield ended a while ago with little fanfair, with York and Sheffield returning to doing their own thing. I believe the show from Leeds was not exactly popular in South Yorkshire particularly.

It might be that the Radio York programme, which I think comes from Scarborough, might be more popular across the whole of Yorkshire.

BBC London looks it will be particularly hit by the cuts, although I suppose they had more to lose - they are 24 hours and have never shared programmes. Some of their programme would be suitable for sharing across others - vanessa Feltz and Danny Baker, but something like Robert Elms, who does 12-3pm is too parochial

Trying to be neutral, but I suspect I've actually done more than anyone here to defend the institution, I've met my MP twice to discuss the issues and am doing so again following this announcement today.

Some budgets are being increased, admittedly only a few, so the term changes is perfectly valid.

As regards the Midlands, on Monday to Friday, it's only WM that do their own programming 10pm till late.
All the other Midland stations, both East & West, take a show from BBC Nottingham.

Is this likely to mean one Late Show broadcast from Brum for WM, C & W, Stoke, Shropshire & H & W & another Late Show from Nottingham for Nottingham, Derby & Leicester?

It's interesting to note, having a flick around the dial recently, that the new station jingles all sound the same, so it's easy to resing jingles for a regional programme.

Can WM still split jingles? They were able to split WM & C & W at least. Can they split jingles 5 ways or is 'Midlands BBC' likely to return?

There is only one audio circuit from the weather centre despite 2 studios. And the summaries are very close to the News Channels weather slots, so this wouldn't be viable.

It's a shame though isn't it the licence fee payers are pretty much powerless in influencing any decision - however many consultations there may be and however people such as yourself go the extra mile to defend it.