The Director General & board of management of the bbc will soon announce the revised budgets/plans for bbc local radio. Here in the capital we have 24/7 speech/music/sport radio provided by bbc London 94.9fm. Many shows are under threat & plenty of rumours rife about what show may stay or go.
Many respondents to the bbc trust consultation complained about the loss of the afternoon shows however considering more people are up & about in daylight hours I would expect this to be the case. So what of sports coverage here in the capital, what of the late show & over night radio which run on extremely low budgets. I fear the loss of sports/late-night & overnight shows not because of cost but rather the need to protect 'other' slots.
People protested to 'save bbc London 94.9' not a particular slot. I know difficult decisions will have to made but those decisions should start with a guarantee the bbc will continue to provide a 24/7 licence fee funded radio station here in the capital, not a 6 till 7 that'll keep them quiet for now because it won't keep me quiet !
I therefore kindly request that you email/write a letter to your MP, your London Assembly Member, your local councillor & ask them to ensure that the bbc will continue to provide London with the resources/finance to allow bbc London 94.9fm to broadcast on a 24/7 basis. You may wish to cut/paste the template email below.
Dear Sir/Madam,
Can you please ask the Director General Mark Thompson of the BBC to ensure that bbc London 94.9 fm is adequately resourced/financed so that it may provide a speech/music/sport based radio service on a 24/7 basis.
I'm concerned that many shows later at night are still under threat even though their costs are far less than those made in daylight hours. Many Londoner's work nights & I feel the bbc maybe about to surrender late night/over night radio to the commercial sector.
Thank you,
Add your name...
Please do 'Get Vocal 4 bbc Local' radio by emailing your elected representatives. Click on the link www.savelocalradio.co.uk in the side bar of this blog where you'll find contact details for your local MP.
Thank you,
John Kennedy.
'Never give in, Never give up'.
'Get Vocal 4 bbc Local'
------------------
