Radio Shropshire shows at risk amid budget cuts
Friday 7th October 2011, 2:21PM BST.
A number of shows on Radio Shropshire could be axed as part of the BBC’s plans to cut 20 per cent from its budget over the next five years.
The station, which has offices in Shrewsbury and Telford, will lose 20 per cent of its workforce as 8.5 jobs are axed.
Today a BBC spokesman said there would be more programme-sharing for local radio outside peak hours, including the creation of an all-evening England programme.
He said: “These proposals protect BBC local radio peak-time programmes when the audience is highest and the output is the most distinctive. That is breakfast, mid-morning and drive-time programmes, plus sport and faith on Sunday mornings.
“The shows currently likely to be affected by these proposals are Ian Perry’s Early Morning Show, 5am to 6am; Colin Young’s Lunchtime Show, noon to 3pm; Paul Shuttleworth’s Sunday lunchtime show, 1pm to 3pm; and specialist evening shows such as folk, jazz, country, the Trunk of Funk and the Jim Hawkins Rock Show, on Saturdays 6pm to 9pm.
“The proposals are subject to consultation by the BBC Trust, but the proposal is to implement the changes by April 2013.”
It comes after the BBC announced it would cut 2,000 jobs, sell offices and show more repeats in a bid to cut 20 per cent from its budget. The news has met a mixed reaction.
Union leaders for BBC Radio Shropshire have said they will meet staff today to talk about the cuts, which they say will damage the BBC if they go ahead.
Wrekin MP Mark Pritchard said local journalism needed to be protected.
He said: “The BBC is an obese organisations which needs to go on a diet. Like other parts of the public and private sector, it needs to live within its means and stay within budget. However, it should start with the BBC’s very large property portfolio and the sky-high salaries of some of its so called celebrities whilst protecting local news-gathering and reporting.”
Under the proposals, factual programming will leave Birmingham and go to Cardiff as the organisation hopes to save £670 million a year by 2016/17.
By Jason Lavan
Most Commented
- Clampdown on Shrewsbury chuggers
- Bishop's gay marriage views do nothing to support bible teachings
- Letter: Alcohol price plans annoy me
- Planners ordered to stay on Newport visit bus
- Letter: Angered by close encounter of the furred kind
- Letter: No sense in overseas job adverts
- The Bleak Old Shop of Stuff doesn't raise a smile
Shropshire Star on Twitter
Keep updated with the latest breaking news and content on our Twitter feed.
Lifestyle
Interactive Dining Out map
Hundreds of reviews by the Shropshire Star and Express & Star's teams to help you decide where to eat.
Entertainment
All the film reviews
Before you plan a trip to the pictures, get our critics' verdicts on all the latest movie releases.
OUR NEW APP
Get the new Shropshire Star app
Download the Shropshire Star’s new app to your iPad or iPhone to get one week of access to our digital newspapers absolutely FREE.
shropshirestar.com
Popular sections
Useful links
So what you’re saying is that apart from the morning show, lunchtime show, afternoon show, and the evening show(s), all the rest are safe?
Report abuse
Basically it seems they’re keeping everybody who annoy the general public
Report abuse
Here’s a suggestion – cut the wages of the big earners (Moyles, Cotton and Forsyth for example) and the smaller things can stay.
Report abuse
BBC Trust Consultation: Delivering Quality First
Make your protest know to these BBC Local Radio cuts by completing the @BBCTrusts consultation document online:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/consult/local_radio.shtml
Please send your response by email to: local.radio.review@bbc.co.uk
or by post to:
Local Radio Review
BBC Trust
180 Great Portland Street
London W1W 5QZ
Genevieve Tudor’s Sunday Folk has a FB Group and action is being galvanised on there against these cuts:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/54438754406/
I suspect BBC bottom line accountants who don’t actually listen to Local Radio are making the decisions.
Report abuse
Not Ian Perry’s Early Morning Show. It’s the only show I listen to.
Report abuse
How many people other than night workers and farmers are awake to hear the Early Morning Show? The Lunchtime Show is firmly placed against for the intellects Jeremy Vine, for the oldies Bargain Hunt and for those with no taste Loose Women so probably has little in the way of any impact.
Sunday, everybody still goes to church don’t they?
The Trunk and Saturday Night with JH (it hasn’t been Saturday Rock for ages, it just proves how they’ve their finger on the pulse), the other shows mentioned are already networked more or less in the region so presumably they are safe.
Report abuse
BBC daytime offerings are appalling.
Report abuse
Yes, but everyone else’s entire offerings irrespective of time of day are appalling.
Report abuse
Does anyone listen to radio shropshire i thought everybody listens to heart
charlie
Report abuse
while shrewsbury’s folk featival get’s bigger and better every year, we can no longer listen to and enjoy folk music on radio shropshire!? thanks bbc in london for your concern about local radio.!
Report abuse
I have written to the BBC Trust expressing my disebelief at the proposed cuts . Local radio is an absolute must and most peoples lifeline for vital local information and local news . One of my angles of attack is >> Why do they put so much into the Asian Network when the Asian poulation of UK is only about 3% , the White Ethnic population is 84% the figures there speak for themselves . As for the Trunk of Funk Thursday eves ,, it is a fantastic show , just listen ,, there are listeners from all round the globe There has to be better way of saving a few bob than this . Local radio should NOT be allowed to be broken up like this . WE NEED local radio . go to >> https://www.facebook.com/pages/SAVE-OUR-TRUNK/270554469644214
AND PLEASE >> http://consultations.external.bbc.co.uk/bbc/dqf/ Make your thoughts known ..
Report abuse
I am appalled that the 20% savings are targeting local radio. How can a syndicated evening programme produced and presented by people who don’t know the area possibly add to the communities the BBC purports to serve? The fact that the BBC needs to cut costs is not in dispute – everyone is having to take a ‘haircut’. But please don’t scalp local radio in the process.
I admit to a vested interest – I grew up and worked in Shropshire for many years, and now live in France. I keep up with what’s going on via BBC Shropshire – the listener above refers to the Trunk of Funk programme – this programme has won awards; and the staff involved are incredibly loyal and dedicated, which shows in the growing following.
I do hope the people of Shropshire will stand up and be counted, and won’t let the bureaucrats and beancounters have their way.
Report abuse
I like Radio Shropshire but really can’t do with the ‘double presenter’ approach in the morning or afternoon shows. Banal chat and in-jokes between two people neither entertain, eductate nor inform.
Reducing back to one presenter may save some money – unless one is doing it for free whilst the other is on pay
Report abuse
i do so agree r leeds is as bad and do we want a discution going on between presenter and joe public all day about kids pyjamas—ect for me they could all be closed along with bbc4 and put better programming on the existing
Report abuse
Sam
I could not agree more as i also want to hear
something of interest or importance.Not two
people chatting about their own jolly lives.
I like factual reports about whats going on
in the real world.
That’s why i mostly listen the today programme 06.00 to 09.00 Monday to Saturday
on radio 4.
Report abuse
I listen to folk music over the internet. I listen to:
Mike Harding on BBC Radio 2,
Frank Hennessey on BBC Radio Wales (often abbreviated to make way for sport) and Genevieve Tudor on BBC Radio Shropshire.
Surely this licence payer is entitled to five hours of music he likes a week?
Report abuse
sorry but i’d rather close radio stations than schools and hospitals
it will be good to help the private sector stations expand
get the public sector out the way and more jobs will be created in the private sector to replace them
Report abuse
We recently switched to the early morning Radio Shropshire show as we couldn’t stand that frightful Vanessa Feltz on Radio 2. The local news and weather is more appropriate for us, but as has been previous commented, we don’t think two presenters are necessary, some savings could be made there.
I think that local radio is generally a good idea, and I’d rather see extraneous TV channels such as BBC-3 and BBC-4 axed rather than funding cuts in the local radio areas.
Report abuse