BBC to move more news, series and radio operations out of London

By: News Team

Published on:

The BBC said on Thursday it will move more of its news, television and radio operations to the regions and countries that make up the UK to better reflect its audiences, which will see the relocation of 400 jobs from the capital.

CEO Tim Davie said the network, which is financed by a levy paid by households who watch television, has to reflect the whole of the UK.

“These plans will bring us closer to audiences, create jobs and investment, and develop and nurture new talent,” he said.

Critics accuse the BBC of being “London-centric” and say its metropolitan point of view means it does not fully represent alternative viewpoints, for example in the Brexit debate.

Davie said when he took office six months ago that the network should represent “every part of the country.”

Under the plan, half of the network’s news teams dealing with the UK will move out of London, affecting 200 journalist jobs, the BBC said.

Flagship news show Newsnight will be presented from different UK locations throughout the year and Radio 4’s Today show will be co-hosted from outside London for at least 100 episodes a year, it said.

Two new long-running series – one from the north of England and one from one of its nations – will be commissioned over the next three years, he said, with a majority of its UK-wide programming coming from outside the British capital. .

Half of its radio and music production will also be outside of London by 2027/28, it added.

The plan, which covers the period 2022-2027, will result in an extra £700 million ($978 million) spent outside of London, it said.

Leave a Comment