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BBC announces plans for Netflix-style on-demand service to showcase radio content internationally

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The BBC aims to create a Netflix-style service to showcase its wide-ranging radio content globally, Lord Hall is to announce.

The BBC director-general intends to introduce a “Netflix of the spoken word” to strengthen the ways the broadcaster shares its “rich” audio archives to reach a wider audience.

This will follow the path of the broadcaster’s iPlayer service, which allows viewers to catch up on TV programmes online, and other streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

He will discuss his goals for the BBC’s global radio outreach at the Voice of the Listener and Viewer autumn conference.

Lord Hall will say: “One of my goals in the years ahead is to strengthen and expand those areas in which we really lead the way globally. News, natural history and drama, yes. But also education, science and the arts. And audio.

“In fact, one of the big challenges I have set my teams is just that: to enhance our global audio offer. The BBC makes the best radio in the world. It is one of our crown jewels, and we have an extraordinary wealth of audio riches at our disposal.

“But, with the level of excellence we have, are we doing enough to push the fantastic drama, arts, comedy and entertainment we deliver on the world stage?”

Lord Hall will say that, using the BBC’s world-class content, he hopes to use the “current output and the richness of our archive to create a Netflix of the spoken word”.

“It’s one of the things that will help the BBC carry the full weight of Britain’s culture and values, knowledge and know-how to the world in the years ahead. And say something really important about modern Britain.”

More details about the service are expected early next year.

Netflix chief executive Ted Sarandos previously praised the BBC for launching iPlayer in 2007 and paving the way for other on-demand services.

Lord Hall also told the conference the BBC must be a trusted voice in a “post-truth era”, the Press Association reported.

With rumours spreading round the world quickly on social media, people need a news source they can rely on, he said.

“I want to talk about … the BBC as a trusted voice, in a crowded arena,” he said.

“Increasingly – in a world of infinite information online, where a rumour can travel the globe in the time it takes to type 140 characters – people need to know what they can trust.

“We’re told that we have now entered the “post-truth era” where presentation can override facts, and where it can be hard to separate truth from conjecture.

“But the real truth is, it has never been more important to be able to separate facts from opinion, prediction from certainty.”


John Humphrys says he could step down from Today 'next week', 'next month' or 'next year'

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Radio 4 Today presenter John Humphrys has said he could he could step down “next week”, “next month” or “next year”.

He was speaking to The Times as he approaches the 30th anniversary of his first appearance on Radio 4’s flagship current affairs programme.

While he was vague about when exactly he would step down, he said that it was “extremely unlikely” that he would still be in post at the time of the next UK general election in three and half years time.

He told the paper: “I’d rather jump than be pushed. I want to go when I make the decision – that might be next week.”

Despite the 3am starts, Humphrys told The Times he still enjoys his job: “Sometimes the programme they present you with at 4am is just absolutely brilliant and you think, ‘Wow.’ But mostly it’s not. So you have a moan and a whinge and then after half an hour you think, ‘Actually, I’m bloody lucky doing this.’ Most mornings at some point I think, ‘God this is fun.’ Don’t tell them, but I would do it for nothing.”

Humphrys said he finds it “deeply troubling” that journalists are increasingly unable to fulfil their watchdog role of holding people to account.

He said: “It’s much more difficult, because newspapers can’t afford the same size of investigative teams. And because it’s easier for big business to take us for a ride.”

Humphrys also said he would like to see a woman edit Today next and described the dearth of women news presenters his age as “absolutely bonkers”.

He said: “Do we regard women of 40 as past it? Well, we’ve got a bit beyond that, but not enough beyond it. It is preposterous that people like Anna Ford – or whoever, you can pluck any name; Joan Bakewell is a good example – aren’t still there. Absolutely bonkers.”

Appeal launched for 73 music magazine staff laid off with 'no pay' as Team Rock goes under

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More than £40,000 has been raised to help 73 staff made redundant after music magazine publisher Team Rock announced it was going into administration today.

Staff have been sent home with no pay for this month, just days before Christmas.

Management of the company transferred to administrators FRP Advisory as of yesterday while a buyer for its Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog magazine titles is sought.

The Just Giving page, which says it aims to raise £20,000 “to help the staff of Team Rock”, claims staff have been laid off “with no pay” just days before Christmas.

Out of a total of 80 staff employed by Team Rock, 27 based at its UK headquarters in High Blantyre, Glasgow, and 46 in London have lost their jobs

A further seven have been retained “in the short term” to assist administrators with “magazine publishing, website maintenance and other matters”.

Asked if the claims of being laid off with no pay, a spokesperson for the administrators told Press Gazette: “All staff had been paid up to the end of November.

“We have provided the information to employees to make claims to the Insolvency Service for arrears of pay, payment in lieu of notice of redundancy, and holiday pay.

“Claims are made online directly by the employee and are capped at £479 per week and it can take three to six weeks for claims to be processed, so it will be late January before employees receive payments for December wages directly from the Insolvency Service”.

Administrators said the Team Rock website would be “unavailable for the foreseeable future” and that they would be “assessing the position regarding publication of magazines”.

Team Rock had been making an annual turnover of more than £6m, but a statement from the administrators revealed the company had traded at a loss “for a significant period of time”.

They said: “Cost-cutting measures were implemented and despite the best efforts of the directors to seek additional investment or a purchaser for the business, no deal could be completed, leaving the Company with no viable option other than to enter administration and to immediately cease trading.”

Joint administrator Tom MacLennan said the administration presented an “excellent opportunity to acquire high profile rock music titles, products and brands that have a substantial global following”.

“The brands and assets could appeal to a music publishing business looking to expand its portfolio, or an entrepreneur that sees the potential for developing the brands,” he said.

MacLennan added: “Our priority is to work closely with all agencies and services to ensure employees receive every support and assistance at this very difficult time.”

Team Rock’s website, teamrock.com, was said to have been attracting in excess of three million hits per month and the company also had a “large audience” for its radio channel, Team Rock.

Team Rock was founded in 2012 and a year later expanded to acquire the Classic Rock, Prog and Metal Hammer titles from Future Publishing.

Classic Rock had a monthly circulation of 50,219 a month the last time it was audited by ABC in 2015 and Metal Hammer stood at 20,961.

Former UKIP leader Nigel Farage to host own show on LBC radio

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Former UKIP leader Nigel Farage will host his own hour-long radio show on LBC.

The Nigel Farage Show is due to air for the first time on Monday from 7pm and will include “opinions, callers and reaction to the biggest story of the day” as well as Farage’s “final thought”.

The MEP, who spearheaded the campaign for Britain to pull out of the European Union, will present the show from LBC’s studios in London and on the road across the UK, Europe and USA.

James Rea, LBC’s managing editor, said: “With Brexit and the inauguration of President-Elect Trump, Nigel Farage is the man at the centre of the two biggest stories this year. He is a powerful communicator and has proved himself as a natural broadcaster.”

Farage added: “If 2016 was exciting, then this year could be tumultuous with President Trump, Article 50, elections all over Europe and maybe a Eurozone crash. I can’t wait to start my daily show on LBC and I invite listeners to agree with me or challenge me and together we can lead Britain’s conversation.”

LBC claims to be reaching its highest ever audience figures with 1.8m people tuning in each week.

BBC Trust confirms closure of website and app for Radio One news bulletin Newsbeat

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The BBC Trust today amended its Radio One service licence allowing it to close news bulletin service Newsbeat’s associated website and app.

The closure was first announced in May last year in the BBC’s Online Creative Review and was confirmed last month at a Trust meeting.

It follows evidence that young people favour the main BBC News website and app over Newsbeat’s own.

Radio One targets an audience aged between 15 and 29-years-old and also aims to provide some programming for younger teenagers.

A spokesperson said: “The aim of the changes is to make Newsbeat content available in places where young people are more likely to seek out news content, thereby helping to connect more people to a wider BBC offering and ensuring that Newsbeat’s journalism is more central to the BBC News website and digital platforms.”

Newsbeat will continue to broadcast on Radio One and its online content will be integrated with BBC News online, the BBC has confirmed.

Former Bank of England deputy Sir David Clementi named next BBC Chairman

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Former Bank of England deputy governor Sir David Clementi has been confirmed as the BBC’s next chairman.

Clementi will head up the BBC Board, which replaces the BBC Trust under the reformed BBC Charter. The abolition of the Trust was recommended by Clementi in an independent review he led himself last year.

The review found the Trust was “flawed” in its role as both BBC watchdog and decision-maker and that a “fundamental reform” was needed. It recommended the BBC instead be regulated by Ofcom, a move which is due take place in April.

Clementi, also a former chairman of financial services firm Prudential, was selected following an open recruitment process under the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

He was chosen ahead of fellow candidates, former civil servant Dame Deirdre Hutton and chairman of publishers Penguin Random House John Makinson.

The selection panel was headed by a Public Appointments Assessor and included two independent panel members and one government representative.

Clementi is to appear before the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee for pre-appointment scrutiny on 17 January.

Current BBC Trust chairman Fiona Fairhead decided to leave the role after two years rather than applying for the new position.

Culture Secretary, Karen Bradley, said: “The new BBC Charter will secure the future of the BBC, strengthen it and give it an unprecedented degree of independence. It will make it more transparent, accountable and representative.

“I am confident that Sir David will provide the strong leadership necessary for the BBC to remain the world’s best broadcaster. Sir David will bring a wealth of experience to the role and was the strongest candidate in an extremely competitive and high-calibre field.

“He has extensive experience as a chairman in both the commercial and not-for-profit sector, and has a strong regulatory and business background. I am confident that under his direction, the nation’s broadcaster will continue to go from strength to strength.”

Clementi added: “The BBC is a world class broadcaster and one of the UK’s most beloved and cherished institutions. It would be a great honour to join the BBC at an important time in the organisation’s history.”

Tony Hall, director-general of the BBC, said: “I am delighted that Sir David Clementi has been announced as the preferred candidate. I am really looking forward to working with him.”
Under the terms of the BBC Royal Charter, appointment of the BBC chairman and members is made by The Queen on recommendation from ministers.

John Humphrys says his report on Blair's handling of Iraq invasion 'nearly brought down the BBC'

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Veteran broadcaster John Humphrys has spoken out about the political pressure put on him during 30 years of presenting the BBC’s flagship radio programme Today.

The interviewer said relations with Downing Street during Tony Blair’s time in office became so strained that the BBC was told something needed to be done about “the John Humphrys problem” or the government would stop co-operating with the Radio 4 programme.umphrys recalled: “An admittedly lively exchange with Harriet Harman, who was the social security secretary at the time, produced a response from Downing Street the like of which the programme had never generated before.

“It was a letter threatening to withdraw co-operation from Today unless something was done about what they called the ‘John Humphrys problem’.

“That letter foreshadowed a more confrontational relationship between Downing Street and journalists, especially in the BBC, over the years to come.”

The broadcaster said a report on Mr Blair’s handling of the run-up to the invasion of Iraq “nearly brought down the BBC”.

“In 2003, we invaded Iraq because, we were told by Tony Blair, Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. He didn’t.

“Three months later I did a perfectly unremarkable early-morning, three-minute interview with a correspondent. I’ve done thousands of them over the last 30 years.

“Did I say unremarkable? It nearly brought down the BBC. Andrew Gilligan had been told by a reliable source that the dossier warning us of the threat from Saddam had been deliberately sexed up.

“That claim was ultimately to lead to the suicide of the source, Dr David Kelly, the destruction of Tony Blair’s reputation and the resignation of the two most senior men in the BBC – the director-general and the chairman.”

Humphrys said then Number 10 spin doctor Alastair Campbell orchestrated the government’s response, and later told him that he saw his role in Downing Street as altering the PM’s interaction with the media.

Mr Campbell told him: “We had to change the terms of the trade, that the press had been, frankly, setting the political agenda … and in a way which, in my mind, was detrimental to the interests of the Labour Party.

“I think at times we probably went over the top. I think sometimes we were too aggressive.”

Humphrys said interviewing then PM Margaret Thatcher was “a truly scary prospect for the new boy” because her answers were unpredictable, but she never complained about the coverage she received while in Downing Street.

The broadcaster said Mrs Thatcher once called in to Today from the kitchen of Number 10 to react to an item on the programme, and her then press secretary Bernard Ingham knew nothing about it until he heard the interview while driving.

“I nearly drove off the bloody road,” he later told Humphrys.

Humphrys said: “Mrs Thatcher never complained about the treatment she got at the hands of us lot. Things started changing when John Major came to power. Everything changed when New Labour arrived on the scene.”

Picture: PA Wire

Sir David Clementi receives final backing from MPs for new BBC chairman role

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Sir David Clementi cleared the latest hurdle in his appointment as the new BBC chairman after he won the backing of MPs.

The former Bank of England deputy governor was revealed as the Government’s preferred candidate for the role last week but needed support in Parliament.

Hours after he appeared before the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, its members approved the appointment.

The nomination will now go before the Privy Council where it is expected to be rubber-stamped.

Clementi carried out a review of BBC governance that recommended a major overhaul of the system, but he has no professional experience in a media organisation.

The committee said: “We acknowledge his honesty in accepting there were gaps in his knowledge of the industry, and he assured us that he would endeavour to plug these gaps with careful appointments of non-executive directors, who would bring specific areas of expertise to the unitary board.

“Despite this lack of broadcasting experience, given Sir David’s responses to our questions, we are content to confirm his appointment as chair of the BBC Board and wish him well with the challenges the corporation will face in the new charter period ahead.”

In the pre-appointment hearing, Clementi had told MPs he would be “disappointed” to see the BBC attempt to reproduce The Great British Bake Off after it lost the popular cookery show to Channel 4.

“It would need to be a different format,” he said. “To put an absolutely similar programme on would be very disappointing.”

Clementi was also quizzed on his plans to build “distinctiveness” into the channel’s programming.

While praising original dramas such as Sherlock and Line Of Duty, he showed a hint of scepticism about repetitive reality shows.

Commenting on the latest reality singing contest, Let It Shine, airing in BBC One’s prime Saturday evening slot, he said: “It isn’t a new concept, but it’s quite warm-hearted.

“We need to allow it a few more Saturdays before making a judgment and see how Gary (Barlow) brings it together.”

Under the new charter, the corporation’s trust is being replace by the BBC Board.


STV political editor Stephen Daisley resigns in wake of Scottish MPs' complaints to media company

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A political editor who was accused of holding biased views by members of the Scottish National Party has resigned from his post.

Digital politics and comment editor Stephen Daisley will leave his job with STV later this month after five years with the Scottish digital media brand.

A friend of Daisley’s told the Sunday Herald the journalist had felt “unsupported” by management after his comment pieces were pulled following complaints from two SNP MPs to his employers.

Daisley had written in previous comment pieces that he was a “friend” of Labour and criticised the SNP for “mining grievance from even the most innocuous act or statement”, according to the Herald.

Both Pete Wishart, chair of the Commons Scottish Affairs Committee, and culture spokesman John Nicolson are understood to have complained to STV management about Daisley.

Wishart also attacked the journalist on Twitter, prompting author JK Rowling to respond: “Is trying to intimidate journalists you dislike @theSNP policy or just a vendetta of your own?”.

In late-night tweets, Nicholson also called Daisley’s ability and neutrality into question after he appeared to recommend a Twitter account known for posting misogynist abuse of female politicians.

Nicolson, a former BBC journalist, said: “[Daisley] is meant to be a neutral journalist – not an activist” and suggested Daisley might be behind the Brian Spanner account.

Political parties accused the SNP of “gagging” Daisley when it emerged he would no longer be writing comment pieces, while STV was criticised for “buckling to Nationalist pressure”, the Herald has reported.

A spokeswoman for STV said: “We can confirm that Stephen has resigned.” Daisley declined Press Gazette’s request for comment.

Evening Standard editor Sarah Sands leaving title to take on editorship of BBC Radio 4's Today show

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Evening Standard editor Sarah Sands is leaving the daily newspaper to join the BBC as editor of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

Sands will leave the Standard later this year after five years in the role. She replaces Jamie Angus at the BBC, who was previously appointed as deputy director of the World Service.

The Today show is Radio 4’s flagship news and current affairs show and claims to reach more than 7m listeners a week. Sands will be only the second woman to edit the programme.

James Harding, director of BBC News and current affairs, said in an email to staff: “Sarah is a hugely experienced and highly respected journalist… she will bring her familiar verve and her broad range of interests to the programme and will build on Today’s absolute commitment to critical and analytical journalism.”

Gwyneth Williams, controller of Radio 4, said: “I want to welcome Sarah to Radio 4. She brings long experience of leadership in journalism and will add a fresh, creative approach to the biggest hitting news programme of them all. I look forward to working with her.”

Standard owner Evgeny Lebedev said the title had been a “huge success” under Sarah’s editorship, adding: “She has been a vital part of the team since this company acquired the Evening Standard in 2009. Sarah will leave with our very best wishes for her new role.”

Sands, who also previously edited the Sunday Telegraph, said: “I am grateful to Evgeny for his support of this newspaper and guarding it against all the head winds of the industry. It has been an absolute pleasure to work for him and to be part of a first rate professional team.”

She added: “I’ve felt very close to the Today programme for more than 40 years: every listener does. It is an honour to join the team whose journalism makes such a contribution to British life.”

A new Standard editor is set to be appointed in due course.

Last year, Sands spoke to Press Gazette for our Journalism Matters podcast.

Picture: Reuters

BBC journalists 'annoyed' at another senior job going to outsider from newspaper industry

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Some BBC journalists are understood to be annoyed that BBC director of news James Harding has gone outside the corporation and made a succession of senior appointments from the world of print.

A well-placed BBC source contacted Press Gazette to voice disquiet on behalf of staff after Evening Standard editor Sarah Sands was appointed as editor of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Monday.

A BBC insider told Press Gazette that the role had been advertised internally, with women in particular encouraged to apply.

The role was advertised externally as requiring “extensive experience of broadcast journalism at a senior level” and “a sound appreciation of studio production techniques” from candidates.

All of Sarah Sands’ full-time journalism experience is in print.

“I don’t think people were aware of it going external,” the source said.

“They thought the delay in hiring [a new Today editor] was down to an internal row or something, so it came as a blow that an external person got the job.

“There were a number of very talented women, including BME [black and minority ethnic] women, and people who have experience of working on that programme who went for the job – people who were seen as being really in line to get it.

“They were seen as a really good internal, diverse talent pool. But none of them were newspaper editors. That’s the crucial thing they were missing.

“There has been a lot of talk about why the BBC took so long in making the appointment. People think it’s a sham process that Harding had to go through to get the person he wanted.”

They added: “People are just annoyed that it’s more of Harding giving jobs externally and that there is this contempt for anyone who has any experience of actually doing the job of broadcasting and overlooking them for people from print media.

“He is recruiting in his own image and bringing people in from newspapers.”

Sands (pictured below), a former Sunday Telegraph and Reader’s Digest editor, is the latest in a series of drniot print media hires by former Times editor Harding following his appointment as director of BBC News and current affairs in April 2013.

Other BBC appointments from the national press under Harding include:

  • Former Independent editor Amol Rajan as media editor
  • Guardian chief political correspondent Nicholas Watt as Newsnight political editor
  • Sunday Times business editor Dominic O’Connell as Today business presenter
  • Guardian head of news Ian Katz as Newsnight editor
  • Times deputy editor Keith Blackmore as managing editor of BBC News
  • Times event manager Eleanor Scharer as Harding’s chief of staff
  • Sunday Telegraph business editor Kamal Ahmed as BBC News business editor
  • Financial Times education correspondent Chris Cook as Newsnight policy editor.

A BBC spokesperson said the process for recruiting the new Today editor was “open and competitive”, adding: “Sarah is a highly respected and hugely experienced journalist and was the stand out candidate.”

Candidates for the role are understood to have been interviewed twice.

The BBC has also made a number of high-profile internal promotions under Harding, including Laura Kuenssberg as BBC News political editor and Panorama editor Rachel Jupp.

According to the most recent BBC staff survey, completed by more than half of the workforce, only 38 per cent of those surveyed agreed with the statement: “There are fair, open processes for filling internal vacancies.”

A BBC source told Press Gazette: “He has lost the dressing room. He doesn’t have team news on his side.

“It still seems like an internal civil war between James Harding and journalists in the news team. It’s destructive for the BBC – it isn’t a good situation.”

It is understood there are also concerns among BBC staffers over what Sands’ salary will be, with fears the BBC will have to “match the salary of an editor from an oligarch-backed newspaper”.

The BBC declined to reveal what salary Sands is on, although Sands herself has revealed that she has taken a cut in pay.

Evening Standard's Sarah Sands taking pay cut for Today editor role she sees as an 'honour'

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Evening Standard editor Sarah Sands has said she comes as a “respectful listener” to the Today programme after being appointed as its editor despite having no broadcasting experience.

Sands, who was named as the next editor of BBC Radio 4’s flagship news and current affairs programme on Monday, has also revealed that she is taking a pay cut for the role.

Speaking on the BBC Media Show today, Sands said she would be paid “hugely less than I have been” and confirmed her salary would be less than it is at the Standard when she takes over later this year.

Asked why she had made the move, Sands replied: “Because it’s an honour to take this job.”

Sands has edited the Standard for five years and was previously editor at the Sunday Telegraph and Reader’s Digest.

Her appointment is said to have “annoyed” BBC News staffers, Press Gazette has reported, who see news director James Harding as having repeatedly hired from print media outside the corporation.

The Today editor role was advertised externally as requiring “extensive experience of broadcast journalism at a senior level” and “a sound appreciation of studio production techniques” from candidates.

A BBC spokesperson said Sands was the “stand-out candidate” for the job.

Acknowledging she had no broadcasting experience, Sands told the BBC: “I come as a respectful listener so it’s really [about] understanding the place of the Today programme in the nation’s hearts.”

She said: “I have never had so much advice on a job in so short a time and mostly it’s ‘don’t do anything’,” adding: “I shall be tremendously respectful and reliant on people who do know technically how all of this works.”

She said coming at the role as a listener of the show meant she was “very aware of voices and soundscapes” and said that “in a way I think that does bring you some perspective”.

She added: “I think if you approach it slightly in the same way that you approach a newspaper, for this job, in that you want something that feels complete and has a guiding intelligence or personality and has a good mix, so all those things are what you do as a newspaper editor.”

Sands said she was not aware of any budget cuts that could impact the Today programme and said she had “no plans to freshen up” the presenting team, which includes broadcaster John Humphrys.

She added: “I’m going to try and learn how the programme works, but as a listener it sounds pretty good to me.”

BBC presenter Steve Hewlett marries partner in hospital after news he has only weeks to live

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BBC radio presenter and Guardian columnist Steve Hewlett has married his partner in hospital after being told he may only have weeks to live.

Hewlett, who is in his late 50s, said he was wedded in his hospital room “in an hour” after being told his treatment for cancer of the oesophagus could not continue.

The presenter of Radio 4’s The Media Show said preparations began after he was told he had “weeks, possibly months” to live by his consultant at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Chelsea, west London.

“The whole thing was organised in an hour,” the father-of-three told Eddie Mair on Radio 4’s PM evening current affairs programme.

“They got a Chelsea registrar, they got a Chelsea vicar hauled out of a dinner she was in with somebody.

“The nurses managed to produce bunches of flowers, a wedding cake, a couple bottles of Prosecco appeared from goodness knows where and then this ceremony begins.”

Hewlett, who has presented the media show since 2008, had been receiving chemotherapy and radiotherapy. He had been writing about his treatment in a regular diary column for the Guardian since October.

Picture: PA/BBC

Radio audience figures: BBC's Today programme claims record 7.45m of listeners as live radio reaches 46m overall

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BBC Radio 4’s Today programme claimed its highest ever audience figures, reaching 7.45m weekly listeners in the last three months of 2016.

The Radio Joint Audience Research (Rajar) quarterly listening figures show the morning news and current affairs programme’s audience rose by 6 per cent year-on-year from 7m over the same period last year and by 5 per cent from 11.23m on the last quarter.

The figures cover the period from 19 September to 18 December 2016.

Overall, radio – including commercial and BBC radio stations –  reached its second highest audience figures, with 46.68m weekly listeners, of which the BBC claimed a share of 54 per cent (equal to its figure over the same period last year) with 35.2m weekly listeners.

On average, a listener spends 16 hours a week tuned into BBC radio.

The figures also show BBC Radio 4 reached its second highest audience figures with 11.33m listeners recorded, up four per cent year-on-year from 10.93m listeners.

Bob Shennan, director of BBC Radio and Music, said: “With more competition for people’s time, it is heartening to see the increased relevance of live radio listening in their daily routines, and that the time they spend with us is growing again.

“In an era of fake news, echo chambers and significant shifts in global politics, the role of Radio 4’s Today as the trusted guide to the world around us is more important than ever.

“As Today celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, Radio 4 listeners continue to wake up to world class journalism which scrutinises the headlines, holds those in power to account and enlightens them with stories that shape our society.”

Audience figures for other BBC radio stations are as follows:

  • BBC Radio 1 posted a reach of 9.56m listeners – down from 10.33m last year – which rises to 10.54m when listeners aged 10 and over are included. The station’s share of listening was 5.8 per cent, down from 6.1 per cent last year
  • BBC Radio 2’s weekly audience was 15.05m, down from 15.47m last year. The station’s share of listening was 17.3 per cent, down from 17.7 per cent last year
  • BBC Radio 3’s audience was 2.12m, up from 2.05m last year. The station’s share of listening was 1.4 per cent, up from 1.2 per cent last year
  • BBC Radio 5 live reached an audience of 5.71 million listeners, up from 5.59m last year. The station’s share of listening was 3.6 per cent, equal to its figure for the year before
  • BBC Asian Network drew 632,000 listeners, up from 563,000 listeners last year
  • The BBC World Service posted a weekly UK audience of 1.53 million, up from 1.51m last year
  • BBC Local Radio reached 8.89 million listeners per week, up from 8.56m last year.

Two journalists shot dead during live Facebook broadcast in Dominican Republic

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A radio presenter and a producer were shot dead in the Dominican Republic as they broadcast the news live on Facebook yesterday.

Police said the shooting occurred at the radio station, which is based inside a shopping mall in the town of San Pedro de Macoris, just east of the capital of Santo Domingo.

The victims have been identified as presenter Luis Manuel Medina and producer and director Leo Martinez at radio station 103.5 HICC.

During the Facebook Live video gunfire is heard, along with a woman yelling “shots, shots, shots” before the transmission cuts off.

Posted by Luis Manuel Medina on Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Police said the station secretary, named as Dayaba Garcia, was also injured in the attack and is undergoing surgery.

Medina presented Milenio Caliente (Hot Millennium), a local news programme that included political analysis and social campaigning, and was also the official announcer of the Estrellas Orientales baseball team

He had been using the programme to highlight the issue of pollution in Laguna Mallen, a protected lake in San Pedro, according to the Guardian.

Three men have been detained, but no one has been charged and a motive has yet to be establish for the attack.

The intimidation of journalists reporting on organised crime and corruption is said to be fairly common in the Dominican Republic, although murder is rare.

Olivo de Leon, from the College of Journalism who knew both men, told the Guardian: “For gunmen to open fire in a media outlet like this is unprecedented.

“The authorities must investigate to determine not just the killers but also the intellectual authors so that we know why they were murdered.

“Impunity in this case will generate fear among journalists, making them scared to speak out and do their jobs. The government must guarantee freedom of expression.”

Tributes have been paid to Medina on his Facebook page.

One read: “There is no word to describe the sadness that overwhelms the family and the people of San Pedro de Macoris for the murder of the voices of our people.”


Steve Hewlett dies: 'A trusted voice that embodied everything positive in public service journalism'

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BBC broadcaster and Observer columnist Steve Hewlett has died of cancer after being told he may only have “weeks, possibly months” left to live earlier this month.

Hewlett, 58, married his partner Rachel in his room at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Chelsea, west London, in an hour after being told his treatment for oesophagus cancer could not continue.

The presenter of BBC Radio 4’s The Media Show died this morning while listening to Bob Dylan with his family.

In a statement, Hewlett’s family said: “Over the last year, we have been overwhelmed by the support of friends, colleagues and Radio 4 listeners.

“The messages helped Steve enormously, especially over the last few months. The Royal Marsden have been amazing throughout the journey and we are indebted to all the wonderful staff there.

“We’d like to thank Eddie [Mair] and all the PM listeners, and if people are still keen to help, then we’d like all donations to go towards the brilliant care the Marsden provide.”

Hewlett had discussed his treatment with Mair on PM, Radio 4’s evening current affairs programme, alongside writing a cancer diary for The Observer.

Mair shared the news of Hewlett’s death on his show today.

The BBC’s Director General, Tony Hall, said: “Steve Hewlett was an exceptional journalist. His analysis of the media industry was always essential listening.

“Steve was a trusted voice that embodied everything positive in public service journalism. He was hugely popular not just with viewers and listeners, but with BBC staff.

“When I saw him last week, I told him how much I have admired his brave interviews with Eddie Mair about his treatment which he did with a candour and sense of inquiry that was typically Steve.

“Our thoughts are with his family and many friends.”

Radio 4 controller, Gwyneth Williams, said: “Steve Hewlett will be much missed as an outstanding journalist.

“He was rational and informed, hard-nosed and witty, never taking himself too seriously but unpicking the stories he covered with great seriousness.

“We will certainly miss his weekly presence on Radio 4, and I will miss him personally as a longstanding colleague from the days when we worked together in News.

“We send our deepest sympathy to his family.”

On Wednesday afternoon The Media Show will pay tribute to Hewlett’s “remarkable stewardship of the programme defined by his wit, tenacity and his encyclopaedic media expertise,” a BBC spokesperson said.

“He was a clever, warm and funny colleague who will be greatly missed,” they added.

BBC radio chief: Government demand for more news on Radio One and Two will mean fewer listeners

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The BBC’s director of radio and education has said Government demands that Radio One and Two increase their news content would result in audience numbers falling.

In a speech at the Speaker’s House yesterday, James Purnell (pictured) said the Royal Charter, which sets out the corporation’s funding and operations over a decade, presented a “lousy” regulatory challenge.

“The charter small print suggests increasing the amount of news, current affairs, information and social impact on Radios One and Two,” he said.

“That’s a good creative challenge. But it’s a lousy regulatory one.

“If you just increased the amount of news, our audience would fall, and fewer people would listen to news.

“Better to challenge the BBC to increase the number of young people hearing the news, and let us find the creative solution.”

The new Royal Charter took effect in January and will run to 31 December 2027. Proposals for the Royal Charter were laid out in a Government White Paper published in May last year.

Purnell said the Government’s requirement that the BBC become “more distinctive” was supported by the corporation, but that “small text” in the Royal Charter “slides into micro-management”.

“It contradicts [regulator] Ofcom’s general duty to minimise regulation where possible by assuming that all the BBC’s quotas should be kept or increased,” he said.

“In doing so, it risks making the BBC less distinctive, particularly by harming our ability to reach young people.”

Under the charter, Ofcom will be given powers to fine the BBC and force it to take action if it deviates from it.

The Trust will be abolished and instead the BBC director general will report into a unitary board.

Half of the members of the board will be appointed by the BBC itself and the other half by the government through a public appointments process.

It is proposed that the BBC’s core “public purpose” will be reformed to ensure that it does not undermine commercial news providers.

The BBC has closed more than 20 local news district offices over the last decade, NUJ survey

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More than 20 local news district offices have been closed by the BBC over the last decade, according to the National Union of Journalists.

The district office closures mean the BBC has concentrated journalists at its main centres around the UK and its 39 local radio stations.

According to the NUJ the office closures mean the nearest BBC reporters to many towns and cities is more than hour’s drive away.

Under current cost-cutting the BBC plans to cut 10 per cent from its £150m regional news budget.

The survey findings were released by the NUJ as MPs yesterday debated local news provision.

Shadow culture secretary Kevin Brennans said: “Local news is a precious community asset.

“However, as the NUJ’s survey of BBC district office closures shows, the future of local news is uncertain, and we believe that this Tory Government’s media policies are exacerbating the problems they should be trying to solve.

“Therefore, Labour’s frontbench Culture Media and Sport team join the NUJ in calling on the Government to carry out a review of local news and media plurality. Labour will continue to campaign to safeguard our valued local media into the future.”

ITV is also believed to have made widespread cutbacks to its regional news provision in recent years.

And research by the NUJ has found that at least 418 local newspaper journalist jobs have been cut in the last 17 months alone.

To tackle a “democractic deficit” in local news provision the BBC has agreed to spend £8m a year on measures which include funding 150 local democracy reporters who will share their work with all local media.

Acting NUJ general secretary Seamus Dooley said of the BBC survey: “This survey makes grim reading, but it confirms what our chapels and members on the ground have been warning – the BBC is losing touch with regional audiences.

“Year-on-year cuts at the BBC have led to many local TV and radio offices closing. Reporters are becoming disconnected from local communities. There are huge logistical problems for reporters covering breaking news stories and the loss of regional identity and affinity is also very significant.

“The BBC has a duty to provide a nationwide news service to a consistent standard. No region or community should be short changed. It is ludicrous that at the same time as major savings – with potential job losses – are having to be found in regional TV and radio, the BBC is embarking on an £8m scheme to fund reporters to cover councils in commercially-owned newspapers.”

A BBC spokesperson said: “We’re proud that we have 39 Local Radio stations, 12 regional TV news programmes and 42 local websites offering original journalism right across England and the Channel Islands. It’s a public service no one else provides.

“Our local news partnership will create 150 new journalist jobs to cover local councils and public services. It was a commitment agreed as part of our new charter and is designed to support local democracy.”

BBC district office cuts (source: responses to NUJ survey):

At BBC Essex the Southend and the Colchester office was closed some years ago. The story count collapsed on the breakfast programme. It’s now just a phone in, with news in the bulletins. Pretty much all the staff at BBC Essex are now office-based, except one or two reporters.

Shropshire: The one district office (Telford) closed around five years ago. The staff were absorbed into the general pool of news reporters. Now, with fewer staff there is less content all-round of the county.

Lancashire: There used to be four district studios (with ISDN and a full-time reporter) a decade ago. Now there is one studio and only two full-time district reporters (plus two part-time).

A decade ago at BBC Radio Gloucestershire there were three district reporters. Gloucester & Forest of Dean (the reporter worked from home). Cheltenham & Tewkesbury (the office was at the UCAS building in Cheltenham). Stroud & Cotswolds (the office was at Stroud DC & then in their car). Now they’re all gone and there is one political reporter covering all six constituencies, although the post has been vacant since the end of September.

Radio York has one district office left in Scarborough. The Harrogate office was closed in March 2012. The Northallerton office (also used by BBC Tees) was closed a month earlier. Reporters are no longer assigned districts and work on individual stories set by the news editor apart from Scarborough, reporter Mike Kemp.

BBC Oxford: The district in Banbury was lost in 2008, as well as the district reporter, which has meant less coverage in the north of the county. Banbury is about 30 minutes from Oxford. There are no district reporters and it makes it a challenge to ensure the coverage is not too Oxford-centric.

Sussex and Surrey have not had a district reporter for well over a decade.

In the North East of England the Newcastle, Durham and Sunderland offices closed in 2011. Durham closed because the council wanted its office back and then the reporter worked from home, as did the Sunderland/Wearside reporter. When the Durham reporter retired in 2013, the post lapsed.

In Suffolk, the Bury reporter was lost a couple of years ago. The Lowestoft reporter now works from home.

In Norfolk, the Great Yarmouth office is in process of closing and the reporter will be moved to Norwich and work from their car or Norwich (a two-hour round trip).

In Cumbria, Barrow has one full-time and one part-time reporter (two days a week). In its heyday, many years ago, staff included a receptionist, producers, presenters, reporters etc. The office door is now locked unless guests are expected. Whitehaven office is closing, with a microphone point being installed in another building, but there has been no reporter there for several years. Reporters are now sent out from Carlisle to cover west Cumbria stories. It’s an hour’s drive from Carlisle to Whitehaven.

Humberside has two district reporters, one for NE Linconshire, based out of the soon-to-be-closed Grimsby studio (cost £1.5m – 15 years ago). It will soon move to new smaller premises in Grimsby College. The Bridlington reporter lost his base and works on the road covering East Yorkshire. There was also once a Scunthorpe studio and a reporter, both have now.

BBC Radio Solent used to have a full-time reporter on the Isle of Wight a decade ago and the Bournemouth and Poole reporters were lost last year.

The BBC has submitted this response to the claims made in the NUJ survey: “Our policy is to limit the spend on property so we can invest in journalism. New technology enables us to cover different parts of the country in different ways, without the need for reporters tethered to desks in certain locations. We’re confident our coverage of local news is as comprehensive as it has ever been. In some cases, through digital innovations, some areas are getting more coverage than before. We have also invested in more than 25 new local political reporters over the last 6 years.”

It also offered these clarifications:

Essex: the offices referred to have been closed for some time with no reduction of the coverage in the area. It was an editorial decision to cover fewer stories better at Breakfast which is proving successful.

Norfolk: our reporter will still be working and reporting from Great Yarmouth every day.  It will not compromise our coverage of the area.

Newcastle: the office is open and is where the radio station continues to be based.

“The Wearside/County Durham reporter now works from home and his BBC vehicle, using his laptop, comrex and iPhone to broadcast and file flexibly from across the patch in ways that were inconceivable just a few years ago.  BBC Newcastle’s commitment to Sunderland was demonstrated only two days ago when the station kicked off its coverage of the triggering of article 50 with a full outside broadcast from the Café Bungalow in Sunderland using the Verv satellite vehicle, utilising the latest satellite technology.

“In Lancashire, we still have a room at the N-Vision HQ from which our reporter covers stories on the Fylde coast. Technology enables us to cover that part of the world as well as ever before.

Cumbria: We have given extensive coverage to stories from the West of Cumbria. We have given more coverage to the ongoing issues at West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven than any other story over the last two years.

Radio Humberside has just increased district reporters from 2 to 3 which means the station now has a dedicated Hull reporter.

Grimsby: We are creating a base in Grimsby and are also looking to expand to cover North Lincolnshire.”

BBC presenter Dan Walker to 'personally mentor' journalism scholarship students at former university

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BBC Breakfast presenter Dan Walker will personally mentor two journalism students from the University of Sheffield under scholarships worth £20,000.

The Dan Walker Journalism Scholarship is open to post-graduate students at the university, where Walker himself studied a masters in Broadcast Journalism before starting his career at a local radio station.

Scholarship winners will receive “financial support” from the university as well as work experience opportunities and “personal mentoring” from Walker, the university has said.

Walker joined BBC Breakfast last year. Earlier in his career he reported for BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sport before going on to present BBC’s Match of the Day and Final Score programmes.

He said: “I’m delighted to team up with my university to try and help two people each year start out in an increasingly competitive industry.

“I don’t want potential candidates to feel that the cost of an education has prevented them from getting the job they have dreamed of.

“Ever since I trained as a journalist I’ve been passionate about keeping the door open for others. This is my way of helping.”

Professor Marie Kinsey, joint head of the Department of Journalism Studies at the University of Sheffield, added: “[Dan’s] experience, particularly in the world of sport, will be an invaluable help to people wanting to establish a career in journalism.

“It will build on the experience of news and current affairs and grounding in the issues facing journalism that the department provides.”

The scholarship will be available to UK or European Union students taking either MA Broadcast Journalism or MA Print Journalism at the University of Sheffield in 2017-18.

The scholarships are part of the University’s 100+ Sheffield Postgraduate Scholarship scheme, which aims to offer more than 100 scholarships worth £10,000 each, funded by a number of donations from previous alumni.

Potential applicants can apply online.

Picture: BBC

Amol Rajan to present BBC Radio 4's The Media Show

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Amol Rajan has been appointed as the new presenter of BBC Radio 4’s The Media Show.

Former Independent editor Rajan takes over from Steve Hewlett, who died of cancer in February. Hewlett had presented the show since its launch in 2008.

Rajan became the BBC’s first media editor in November last year and has become a familiar voice to listeners on Radio 4 in recent months. He is also a regular host on BBC Asian Network’s The Big Debate.

Andrea Catherwood, who has presented the show since Hewlett’s death, will continue to host “some editions” of the weekly programme which airs Wednesdays at 4.30pm,  the BBC has said.

Rajan, who starts May 10, said: “It’s a thrilling time to cover the revolution in media – one that I have lived through over the course of my career.

“In particular, the impact big technology companies are having on not just the media but society more broadly is immense, and warrants scrutiny.

“I have been addicted to The Media Show for years and am genuinely humbled at the prospect of sitting in Steve Hewlett’s chair. He was a giant of broadcasting and I will do my utmost to maintain the very high standards he achieved.”

Gwyneth Williams, controller of BBC Radio 4, said: “The best journalism is needed now more than ever as we seek to see our way through spin and fake news.

“Amol Rajan is a fine journalist and I know he will take the programme forward with ambition and drive. I am pleased to welcome him to a new, regular home at Radio 4.”

Picture: BBC

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