YOUR STATION NEEDS YOU !

Please cut/paste the email below & send to your MP now via email or letter & let them know you want bbc management to save our local radio station.

'Get Vocal 4 bbc Local' radio and email/write to YOUR MP NOW !

Dear INSERT NAME OF YOUR MP,

The bbc trust has held a consultation some bbc London programming will be saved (afternoons) however sports coverage, late night & the much loved overnight slots are still under threat from budget cuts.

There is however hope, BskyB is reducing access charges to the bbc from 2014 by £5.5 million. The proposed budget cut to bbc London 94.9 fm is £1 million. This 'windfall' from BskyB could save 24/7 365 day/night radio here in the capital.

Could you please help & ask the director general of the bbc to plug the funding gap of £1 million with part of the 'BskyB' windfall & that he ensures 24/7 London local radio continues into the foreseeable future.

Thank you for taking the time to read this email.

SIGN WITH YOUR NAME ADDRESS

Cheers JK...
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BskyB ?

Looking up to the Sky...

According to reports in the media section of the Guardian online yesterday the bbc is to receive a reduction in access fees to the BskyB platform from 2014 of £5.5 million.

It is reported that this money will be used by the bbc to further reduce cuts to the much loved bbc local radio network.

Only yesterday I felt the gloom & the doom of a rather large sum of money spent on the 'new' section of Broadcasting House yet out of the blue or should I say from the 'Sky' above we have been sent a life line that may well help to preserve 24/7 speech based radio here in London if bbc management wish this to be the case.

I just hope (and pray) that David Holdsworth grasps this opportunity & ensures that bbc local radio is given the funding & opportunity to continue its unique local brand of broadcasting across the UK & bbc London is adequately funded so it may continue to operate on 24/7 365 day a year basis.

We trusted in Patten but I wasn't expecting anything from the 'Sky' above.

John Kennedy...
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The Billion £ Building...

Yes the 'New' Broadcasting House will be mentioned on air many times over the coming weeks and months but what awful timing by bbc management. They spend £1.04 billion on a building then at the same time they seek to move many parts of the news operation into this trophy building they will be sacking, sorry making staff redundant and probably switching off local radio at either 7pm or 10pm depending on what sports programme the overpaid think we deserve.

I said it earlier in the year that we only scored a partial victory in our campaign to save bbc local radio and to be frank and honest not enough people responded to the consultation. It has been muted by bbc management that a regional radio programme maybe created to fill a gap or gaps, I'll be honest don't bother David Holdsworth it'll only be something else you choose to chop at a later date when you can't manage to balance the books when the next spending round is negotiated with whoever is in power.

Just fast forward to 2013 and just imagine bbc London is off air from 7pm except for the occasional live London football match what will the 'Billion £ Building' mean to you, what will the licence fee actually mean to you when it can be spent on buildings with courtyards and artwork but can't broadcast a local radio show after 7pm ? Whilst you admire the pointless blue neon light shining on the exterior wall you suddenly realise that those in charge of the bbc think more of lamps/lights and chairs than the words spoken by presenters and ordinary people who work hard and pay the TV tax year in and out without question.

Radio will survive and maybe it's up to others to fill the void left by the bbc and maybe just maybe the bbc should seriously consider handing back bandwidth to Ofcom if it can't fund local radio properly out of a £4 billion annual budget.

We can always stare at the 'Billion £ Building'...

BBC London 94.9 fm...

Does London need a 24hr Licence Fee Funded Radio Station ?

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'
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'We Trusted He Delivered'...

'In Patten we Trust'

Lord Patten delivered a much welcome speech last week that made clear to the outgoing Director General of the bbc Mark Thompson that the proposed cuts to bbc local radio need to be scaled.

In light of the bbc trusts announcement it is right that we suspend our demonstration on the 18th February outside Media City, Salford & wait to see what the revised plans mean for bbc local radio up & down the country, but especially here in the capital.

The 18th of February maybe suspended but that doesn't mean our campaign to save local radio (bbc London 94.9 fm) doesn't go on. In fact the opposite is true, we need to harness the political support we gained here in London & ensure that bbc management adequately fund & maintain a 24/7 speech/music/educational station here in the capital. I love bbc radio 5 live but I want to choose when I listen by turning the dial & not when somebody in an office flicks a switch.

Over the coming weeks template email/letters will be posted upon this site & I hope you'll join me & lobby our elected politicians so they ensure that bbc management listen to Lord Patten & the views of listeners/licence fee payers.

Time to 'Get Vocal 4 bbc Local' radio & it's time for our successful campaign to change course & direction.

Thank you all,

John Kennedy.

'In Patten we Trust'...
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A Partial Victory ?

Lord Patten Delivered a 'Partial Victory' to bbc Local Radio Listeners...

'In Patten we Trust' and in my own humble opinion the Chair of the bbc trust Lord Patten has indicated clearly to Mark Thompson/David Holdsworth that 'they' must go back to the drawing board and amend their disastrous plans for bbc local radio.

However I'm saddened to say that the bbc trust still expects cuts to local radio & I just wonder if more people had filled out the consultation and the process was made easier would we be celebrating rather than pondering what the future holds for the many stations & shows that I know so many of you enjoy, even love.

Life isn't easy & I know we are all feeling the stresses & strains of cuts to local services in many parts of our lives. We must therefore be pleased that Lord Patten understands what a vital role local radio plays in each of our communities & we must redouble our efforts and ensure that we don't just cross the gain line & land a try (rugby) but we convert that success into a conversion & place the ball firmly between the uprights.

I know I can be a pain at times & I know many of you probably think I'd wish he just stop going on about this issue. Well we came so close to getting the result we all wanted but failed because I didn't get greater numbers to fill out the consultation. This is however a 'Partial Victory' and you should be proud that you gained cross party support in Parliament because the campaign we ran was right, fair & proper.

Over the coming days/weeks I'll be asking you all to contact your elected representatives by email/letter or even phone, it's time to 'GET VOCAL 4 BBC LOCAL' radio & with the second half of the battle about to begin we must ensure we kick 'Delivering Quality First' firmly into touch !

John Kennedy.
'Get Vocal 4 bbc Local'...
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'In Patten we Trust'...

'In Patten we Trust'...

We have demonstrated, filled in consultation documents and sent a clear message to the Director General of the bbc Mark Thompson that he and the board of management need to reverse the proposed cuts to bbc local radio.

Tomorrow the Chair of the bbc trust Lord Patten delivers a speech where we hope that he will clearly speak up on our behalf and ask Mark Thompson to reverse the cuts programme to bbc local radio. We have placed our trust in Lord Patten and I am sure he understands the strength of feeling that these proposed cuts have generated.

We managed to galvanise cross party support of MP's and the Culture, Media & Sports Minister Jeremy Hunt and win the argument for a licence fee funded local radio service across the UK. Local radio is the crown that holds the Jewels and it saddens me to think that those who have been placed in charge of our bbc thought so little of a service that is enjoyed by millions of us across this land.

Whatever Lord Patten says in Oxford we will have to wait to see how Mark Thompson and the board of management interpret his words/sentiment.

A special thank you so far to all of you who have attended demonstrations/pickets, filled out consultation documents and all @savelocalradio @BBCRadioForum on the twitter.

In my honest opinion this campaign isn't over it's just about to begin so for the next few days maybe you might consider texting/tweeting/emailing and even calling your bbc local radio service, it's time to 'Get Vocal 4 bbc Local' radio...

'In Patten we Trust'

John Kennedy.