To wonder what the BBC are doing?

[girlfriend44]

BBC cut Sue Barker etc from a question of sport.
Nobody watched so they axed it.
They have now axed the man who used to present Homes under the Hammer in the mornings and replaced him with Owain the weatherman.
They made loads of cuts to local radio. They axed peoples favourite presenters and upset them all. They failed to understand local radio and it's listeners. They didn't do any consultations before they cut presenters and shows etc.
It's supposed to be our BBC isn't it?

I never forgave them for getting rid of Martin Hughes-Games off Springwatch. I know Iolo was ill last year so I thought maybe they were breaking him back in gently.

The BBC has only itself to blame for nobody watching AQOS (I gave up on it).

There was a chemistry between Sue Barker, Matt Dawson and Phil Tufnell even if they were probably approaching their use-by date. Paddy McGuinness was always a strange choice to host a sports quiz and it was obvious he knew next to nothing about any of the subject matter; Ugo Monye and Sam Quek were dishwater-dull team captains but at least they ticked some diversity boxes.

No, she didn't. She was sacked with no warning or discussion.

Well, that’s not what she says.

Maybe Tommy Walsh wasn’t well enough to be able to renew his contract?

There has been incessant anti-BBC campaigning from the right to get rid of the licence fee, and as a result it has been frozen for two years.

There has also been incessant anti-BBC campaigning from the left over ‘bias’ 🙄 and for people to not pay their licence fee (despite most of them regularly using BBC services)

The inevitable consequences of this are cuts. Local radio is expensive when compared to the size of its audience so it was always inevitably going to be slashed.

If you think this is bad, then wait and see what happens when the licence fee is ditched altogether. Most channels apart from BBC1, Radio 1 and Radio 4 and possibly 5 will have to go. The output will narrow and anything that’s expensive to make will be deemed not commercially viable and will be dropped.

So you’ll be looking at retention of shows that can be sold around the world for long-term repeats and the loss of shows that can’t (goodbye most of the news output, foreign reporting, investigative journalism and programmes like Have I Got News for You?, religious programming, some wildlife stuff, pretty much all original daytime content). Certainly many of the long-form podcasts won’t be affordable.

Expensive but experienced presenters will go and be replaced by newer people.

If you make the BBC compete with the likes of Netflix and Amazon on a commercial basis then take a close look at the stuff produce (the odd very expensive big hit and masses of low budget films) and that’s what you’re left with.

Ken Bruce wasn't got rid of, he chose to go to a commercial station for lots of money. His choice and fair play to him, I'd change jobs for loadsa money but would hope everyone would stop bleating on making out I had been sacked.
Not all BBC local stations are regional from 2pm, some are still local for some hours after that.
BBC should be ashamed of what has happened to QOS, the banter between them was incredible - Sue Barker was the absolute best at keeping it together with a twinkle in her eye.
Sorry to hear about Tommy Walsh's diagnosis, I hope his treatment is going well, he always comes across as a really nice man.

BBC London used to be my daytime radio until they switched it round and now it's very boring presenters all with the same formula.

He’s said he made a full recovery.

Im still pissed at Channel 4 for axing Stephs Packed Lunch

Nah, she just got to the age at which women aren't allowed to present on the telly anymore.

Ken was reported as having been frustrated about the BBC's delay in agreeing his contract renewal. I don't know what the normal time-frames would be, but presumably it was reaching the normal time when you'd expect it to be discussed and agreed and nothing was happening.

I don't know whether Ken was pushing for it and being told to be patient, or whether he was waiting for the BBC to approach him about it and they didn't. Whether they were keeping their options open and/or trying to keep him on his toes by playing 'hard to get' - and maybe he didn't want to feel like he was reduced to begging them to keep him on - I really couldn't tell you.

Either way, the BBC claimed after the event that they had been planning on renewing his contract all along, but it seems that Ken hadn't been convinced of this - at least not with a reasonable notice period. Whatever happened, like anybody else, Ken would naturally want to have his job security planned and contracted in good time; it's not surprising that somebody in his position might have kept his powder dry and used his marketability and considerable negotiating power, and thus jumped ship when his confidence in the BBC and their motives was rapidly dwindling.

I think his age is also significant, as he would have known very well that the BBC have an in-built ageist agenda whereby they get frightened at the prospect of older, established people's experience and talent being valued and worship youth, or middle-age at most. They don't mind Melvyn Bragg or Joan Bakewell on the odd late-night high-brow programme that attract comparatively few viewers, and of course, ex-BBC programme controller David Attenborough is a sacred cow; but they just cannot stand somebody whom they consider 'old and past it' remaining very popular and at the top of their game in the mainstream.

He had also expressed annoyance that he was being pressured to play more modern songs, rather than the 'oldies' that he knew/believed his regular listeners wanted - so maybe the BBC just see younger employees as more pliable and less likely to question/resist decisions that they may see as very unwise?

I miss Ken and Simon from radio two. Big mistake there BBC.

I’m still pissed off with them dicking about with BBC London radio schedule. I bloody loved listening to Robert Elms in the morning and Jo Good in the afternoon. Genuinely interesting people who have led interesting lives and just lovely, friendly content which was easy to listen to. No idea who the BBC thinks actually listens to their radio shows, but sure as shit isn’t the demographic who actually does.

As for QOS, I’ve zero idea why they keep trying to force Paddy McGuiness on any show. He’s the equivalent of being married to Madonna or Patsy Kensit, once betrothed to them, your career/show tanks. QOS had a long successful run being headed by an actual sports person. If they’d actually given the show to Alex Jones it might still be here.

HUTH is made by Lion TV - fairly sure the BBC have nothing to do with talent contracts for tv shows made by an independent production company. They may decide to stop buying the show entirely of course.

It is a more sensible discussion if you don't mix up content produced by the BBC and content bought in by them...

Good. I can't stand his voice.

The BBC are in a mess and I say this as someone who worked there - and loved working there - for a quarter of a century. In the end I was relieved to go.

All the best people have left or planning to leave. Decisions in local radio and TV are being made by people who have little to no journalism experience. They’re obsessed with reaching younger audiences, running around like headless chickens not quite getting to grips with digital news and social media. Edging out more expensive older reporters in favour of youngsters who don’t cost as much. Those youngsters, fresh from uni, have no-one to learn from.

Regional news is dying. Soon there will be no-one to hold your local MPs to account, no-one to ask about that campaign you’re running, or to challenge your local council about decisions they’re making. I hope I’m wrong, that the BBC will turn this around, but the last few years has been like watching a slow car crash.

Local radio and local radio news should be treasured and valued for the public services they are. Instead, it is being completely destroyed by the very people who created it. Radio is the medium we turn to in a time of crises or when the local community needs each other. It’s your voice, and you should all be angry it is slowly being silenced.

Just don't vote Tory then. Another great thing they have shat on and done their best, with some success, to wreck during their disastrous time in office.

I miss Lucy Alexander :(

I don’t think it’s that he was ill - if so, surely it’s better he’s near home? I think it was funding - no money for a third crew. Having three at Dorset was pants.

tommy Walsh has said he has throat cancer? and the BBC got rid of him,
perhaps he is currently off sick?

surely Sue Barker retired?

i am disappointed that Richard Coles didnt stay on saturday morning radio, as they moved their base to Salford

I would imagine some of their sackings/ moves are money saving.

Not true, there was enough money for local radio, they mismanaged it.

Hopefully they will be answerable to Ofcom.

What exactly would Ofcom be investigating? It is quite simple, less income equals less expenditure. It’s not rocket science. Everything costs more to produce and income was reduced dramatically before that even happened.

I get people’s disappointment but expecting programmes never to change or to be cancelled is unrealistic.