Tag: news

Coronavirus: ‘trusted and accurate’ BBC News

BBC News has outlined its initial plans for how it will continue to offer its audiences trusted and accurate news throughout the Coronavirus crisis.

Director of News, Fran Unsworth, says: “These are unprecedented and difficult days. Trusted, accurate information is vital in a public health emergency and the BBC has a key role to play. We will continue offering our audience a continuous news service on TV, radio and online but this will look a bit different in the weeks ahead.

“Like many organisations we are unable to have all our staff on site due to the Coronavirus outbreak. We are therefore making some changes to what we do to streamline our output to ensure we can work with fewer people and protect the staff who are at work.”

TELEVISION

We will be making some visible changes to our output to focus on the latest news, information, live events and audience questions in the coming days. Breakfast, News At One, News At Six and News At Ten will continue to perform a vital role on BBC One, while we make some changes to support our continuous news channels.

We will be making some visible changes to our output to focus on the latest news, information, live events and audience questions in the coming days.

From tomorrow we will be moving to a core news service on the BBC News channel in the UK – with fewer branded programmes. This core service will replace some scheduled programmes on BBC Two including Politics Live and Victoria Derbyshire. We will be talking to these teams about how they can support the core operation, which will also provide live coverage of major news conferences and government briefings to BBC iPlayer, TV and News online.

There will also be a reduction in branded programmes on BBC World News – and more integrated working across live TV output behind the scenes. Some Persian TV programmes will be suspended.

Newsnight and The Andrew Marr Show will remain on air but will be operated by fewer technical staff; while The Andrew Neil Show, Newswatch and The Travel Show will be suspended. HARDtalk will also be suspended from next week.

Question Time will be broadcast at 8pm every Thursday without a studio audience for a period. From next Thursday it will be broadcast from a fixed location each week. Audiences will submit questions and we are particularly keen to hear from those in vulnerable groups.

RADIO

We believe we can protect much of our regular, trusted output at this point – though we are keeping the situation under close review and will be making some initial changes.

On World Service English, The World This Week will be suspended from tomorrow, with World Update and Weekend suspended from next week.

In the UK, radio summaries on BBC Radio 2, 3, 4 and 5 live will be brought together into a single output from 1am on Friday, with 6 Music using the same script. There will be shared production and output on Asian Network and Newsbeat from tomorrow. The Week In Westminster on Radio 4 (Saturday mornings) will be suspended after 21 March. We are making some other changes to radio studio usage and working methods to protect our staff.

DIGITAL

Over the last few weeks we have seen unprecedented use of our digital news services in the UK and around the world – with high consumption of our live pages, explanatory journalism and in-depth reporting. We will be making some changes to the way our teams are organised to sustain these vital services – and to ensure we can distribute important information via social media.

As a result of this we will be focusing content on the accounts that reach the widest number of people, drawing in effort from across the BBC to support our social media activity, and suspending posts on some smaller accounts over the coming days.

PODCASTS

Newscast will change into a daily edition of The Coronavirus Podcast. Americast, Beyond Today and The Next Episode podcasts will be suspended.

Earlier this week the BBC set out how it will ensure it keeps the nation informed, educated, and entertained in unprecedented times.

Director-General Tony Hall said: “We all know these are challenging times for each and every one of us. As the national broadcaster, the BBC has a special role to play at this time of national need.

“We need to pull together to get through this. That’s why the BBC will be using all of its resources – channels, stations and output – to help keep the nation informed, educated and entertained. We are making a series of changes to our output to achieve that.

“We will continue to deliver all the essential news and information – with special programming and content.

“We also will do everything from using our airwaves for exercise classes for older people, religious services, recipes and advice on food for older people and low-income families, and should schools close, education programming for different age groups. We will also be launching a whole new iPlayer experience for children. And of course there will be entertainment – with the ambition of giving people some escapism and hopefully the odd smile.

“Clearly there will be disruption to our output along the way, but we will do our very best.

“It will take time to emerge from the challenges we all face, but the BBC will be there for the public all the way through this.”

The BBC is announcing a wide-ranging package of measures today.

Our core role is to bring trusted news and information to audiences in the UK and around the world in a fast-moving situation, and counter confusion and misinformation.

In particular:

  • We will do everything we can to maintain Breakfast, the One, Six and Ten and ensure they continue to perform a vital role on BBC One
  • We will broadcast a weekly prime-time Coronavirus special on Wednesdays on BBC One, and move Question Time to 8pm on Thursdays, with call-in audiences and remote guests.
  • We will record a daily edition of the Coronavirus podcast, and film it where possible for News channel use in the UK and abroad.
  • We will bring listeners the most up-to-date information on Coronavirus through 5 Live. 5 Live will be answering listeners’ questions with regular phone-ins.
  • We will focus local radio breakfast and mid-morning output on news, open phone lines and expert advice for local communities between 6am and midday.
  • Under the umbrella Make A Difference, every local radio station will join up with local volunteer groups to help co-ordinate support for the elderly, housebound or at risk, making sure people know what help is available in their area.
  • We will keep Newsround bulletins on air throughout the day on CBBC.
  • We will delay the planned closure of the Red Button text news and information service.

We will help people in the UK deal with the impact of the crisis on their own lives, by providing advice, education and support.

Initiatives include:

  • Using The One Show as a consumer programme show for all aspects of the crisis. This will include health and well-being advice, keeping fit and healthy eating tips, as well as links to other BBC output that can help and support.
  • In BBC One daytime, Health Check UK Live will directly address the concerns of viewers who are in isolation, offering tips on how to keep healthy and happy at home.
  • Making BBC Homepage the BBC’s bulletin board supplying clear information – the answers to all the key questions, with public information, health advice and recipes.
  • Launching a virtual church service on Sunday mornings across local radio in England, led initially by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
  • Subject to outside broadcast capacity and our partners, we will aim to broadcast a weekly Sunday morning church service on BBC One, and explore how to support other religions and denominations, including in the run-up to Ramadan.
  • We will work with partners to get older age group exercise routines and other fitness programming into people’s homes on TV or radio.
  • We will retarget the BBC Food website around collections of recipes and advice on what can be made with essentials, especially for older people, and for low-income families.

In the event that schools are shut down, and subject to further work and discussions with the Department for Education, devolved administrations and schools, we are exploring:

  1. A daily educational programme for different key stages or year groups – with a complementary self-learning programme for students to follow, broadcast on BBC Red Button and made available on demand on BBC iPlayer.
  2. Expanding BBC Bitesize content, with our social media running daily troubleshooting Q&As focusing on a different subject each day.
  3. Increasing our educational programming on BBC iPlayer, bringing together the best from BBC Bitesize, BBC Teach and the wider BBC portfolio where educationally appropriate.
  4. Creating two new daily educational podcasts for BBC Sounds, one for primary and one for secondary.
  5. BBC Four and BBC Red Button devoting a block of programming each weekday evening to show programmes that support the GCSE and A Level curriculum. In Scotland, the Scotland channel will support the Scottish NQs and Highers in daytime.

We will keep people entertained, providing laughter, escapism, companionship, shared experiences and a sense of connection to the outside world.

Initiatives include the following:

  • We will bring back many favourite shows, allowing people of all ages to escape into some top-quality entertainment both on our channels and on BBC iPlayer. New boxsets going up shortly include Spooks, The Missing, Waking The Dead, French And Saunders, Wallander and The Honourable Woman, as well as more from BBC Three.
  • We will be launching an exciting new iPlayer experience for children, offering a wide range of entertaining and educational series. It will be easy to use and easy for them to find what’s relevant to them.
  • Radio 1, Radio 2 and Radio 4 will provide the information, explanation and escape that millions rely on. On Radio 4, we will dig into our rich archive of drama with such well-loved titles as The Complete Smiley, all of the novels by the Bronte Sisters, film noir classics by Raymond Chandler, and reassuring favourites as Rumpole and Wodehouse. We will be sharing popular podcast dramas with a wider radio audience for the first time by broadcasting the award-winning Forest 404 and The Whisperer In Darkness. We will also hope to provide some joy and laughter by running classic editions of I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue and Just A Minute.
  • We will do the same in BBC Sounds, looking at bringing back classic sport, comedy and drama, as well as exploring using the BBC’s programme index to allow audiences to search thousands of online archive radio programmes.
  • We will aim to create live fund-raising events, to raise money for coronavirus good causes.
  • At a time when British culture is having to close its doors, the BBC, through iPlayer and Sounds, can give British culture an audience that can’t be there in person. We propose to run an essential arts and culture service – Culture in Quarantine – that will keep the Arts alive in people’s homes, focused most intensely across Radio 3, Radio 4, BBC Two, BBC Four, Sounds, iPlayer and our digital platforms, working closely with organisations like Arts Council England and other national funding and producing bodies. This will include guides to shuttered exhibitions, performances from world-class musicians and comedy clubs, new plays created especially for broadcast featuring exceptional talent, poetry and book readings.

450 jobs to go as BBC News plans to ‘modernise’

BBC News has outlined plans to ‘modernise its newsroom to respond to changing audience needs, ensure it is providing a truly universal service, and complete its £80m savings target’. The National Union of Journalists say the resultant job cuts are ‘part of an existential threat to the BBC’.

The BBC remains the UK’s most trusted and most consumed news service – but audience behaviour is changing rapidly, with audiences for linear TV continuing to decline, especially amongst 16-34 year-olds.

The BBC newsroom will be reorganised along a ‘story-led’ model, focusing on news stories more than on programmes or platforms. This is designed to reduce duplication and to ensure that BBC journalism is making as much impact as possible with a variety of audiences, rather than stories only appearing on one outlet or platform.

The new way of working will mean a changed focus for the news agenda, to ensure it is tailored to subjects that matter most to the audience.

The changes mean there will be a reduction in the overall number of stories covered.

There will be further investment in digital news, with a new version of the BBC News app, which will be more intuitive, more visual, and with increased personalisation.

More BBC journalists will be based outside London in future.

Fran Unsworth, Director of News and Current Affairs, says: “The BBC has to face up to the changing way audiences are using us. We have to adapt and ensure we continue to be the world’s most trusted news organisation, but crucially, one which is also relevant for the people we are not currently reaching.

“We need to reshape BBC News for the next decade in a way which saves substantial amounts of money. We are spending too much of our resources on traditional linear broadcasting and not enough on digital.

“Our duty as a publicly funded broadcaster is to inform, educate, and entertain every citizen. But there are many people in this country that we are not serving well enough.

“I believe that we have a vital role to play locally, nationally and internationally. In fact, we are fundamental to contributing to a healthy democracy in the UK and around the world. If we adapt we can continue to be the most important news organisation in the world.”

As part of the reorganisation, and having carefully considered the audience data, the BBC is also proposing to make the following changes to its output:

  • As confirmed last week, the Victoria Derbyshire programme on television will close later this year. We will continue to produce the kind of journalism the show has been making, but it is no longer cost-effective to produce for TV
  • There will be a reduction in the number of films produced by Newsnight, which will lead to post closures. The programme will stay at the same length and timing and will continue to deliver high quality journalism on the day’s events and beyond
  • There will be post closures at 5 live driven by the changing listening habits of the audience and demand for digital content
  • World Update on World Service English will be closed, alongside other schedule changes. This is in addition to the changes to Asian language services outlined last year
  • There will be a review of the number of presenters we have and how they work

The different changes to how BBC News will work will lead to an estimated 450 job losses.

Firm plans for post closures relating to the new ways of working will be put forward before the summer, following further trials of the new model.

BBC News needs to save £80m by 2022. This is driven by pressures across the BBC, including the last licence fee settlement. BBC News has already saved about half of this amount and the changes announced today should complete the savings.

The BBC will maintain the ring-fenced spending on the BBC World Service and the changes announced today do not directly affect the services being funded by the UK Government.

The latest announcement from the BBC brings the total number of job losses proposed in the World Service, radio and News to more than 500, says the NUJ. This amounts to an ‘existential threat to the BBC at the same time the corporation faces an ideological attack from the heart of government’.

Following the 70 jobs losses at the World Service, announced at Christmas, a further 380 will go from News and 60 from Network Radio.

The proposed impact on programming includes the closure of the Victoria Derbyshire show, with some roles retained to continue similar digital content under the BBC News brand. Newsnight will lose 12 posts, halve production of its four weekly in-depth films and reduce spend on investigative journalism. Twelve posts will go at 5Live. There will be more sharing of radio bulletins across the BBC, with a loss of 12 posts. Five news presenter posts will be cut.

There are also plans to fundamentally change the way in which journalism and news programming is created, with further pilots over the next three months planned for a new operational model that the BBC estimates will lead to 300 further job cuts. BBC News division has already made £40m savings and today’s proposals are intended to reach the division’s annual £80 million share of £800million of BBC-wide cuts.

Michelle Stanistreet, NUJ general secretary, said: “These damaging cuts are part of an existential threat to the BBC, and a direct consequence of the last disastrous, secret licence fee deal the BBC agreed with the government. This is before the impact of taking over responsibility for the over-75s licences kicks in.

“Against this backdrop, the BBC’s very existence is being threatened with public service broadcasting under unprecedented threat. If the government goes ahead and decriminalises non-payment of the licence fee, we know the impact will be further losses for the BBC of around £200m a year and increased collection costs of £45m.

“Such a politically motivated move – dressed up as concern for the mythical imprisonment of vulnerable members of society – will serve to undermine one of the UK’s strongest success stories, emasculating a brand renowned and respected across the globe.

“The BBC is the single biggest driver of the creative economies, and a vital part of the British economy. If there is a desire to change the licence fee model, then that should be properly considered and consulted upon, with no changes until a credible alternative is found, one that fulfils the BBC’s public service values and the key principle of universality. The government should be supporting and properly resourcing the corporation – an organisation that wields significant soft power across the globe – instead of indulging in ideological retribution.

“That is why the next BBC director general must be a champion for the corporation, someone capable of fighting for this broadcasting powerhouse, someone able to stand up against any future political interference. The BBC’s detractors and competitors in the media are scenting blood – we’ve all seen the headlines and read the opinion pieces with unnamed sources dripping poison. We can all see which way the wind is blowing.

“The corporation faces a truly tough time. The NUJ will do all it can to defend public service broadcasting and protect our members’ jobs from these politically-motivated attacks. And that includes refuting commentary that seeks to link overdue settlements to women who have been discriminated against and unlawfully denied equal pay with job cuts – a crass and ill-informed red herring.”
Paul Siegert, NUJ national broadcasting organiser, said:

“Today’s announcement is just the latest in a decade of cuts made by the BBC. The proposal for more than 500 posts to go in the next 12 months will put those remaining at the BBC under even more strain, with increased workloads and further workplace stress inevitable. The NUJ has requested that the BBC provides an Equality Impact Assessment of these cuts and shares it with the unions as soon as possible.

“We have major concerns that the new ways of working planned across the BBC’s News Division could lead to a fall in quality and would urge the BBC to ensure they are audience-informed and not audience-led. It is the duty of a public service broadcaster to offer something different rather than simply chasing an audience like their commercial rivals.

“The NUJ remains opposed to any compulsory redundancies and urges the BBC to work with the unions in ensuring the staff who are at risk can be redeployed. The BBC’s redeployment policy and processes must be taken seriously and there must be an immediate freeze on external recruitment.”

Tracy Brabin MP, Labour’s shadow digital, culture and media secretary, responding to BBC News jobs cuts, said: “High-quality and investigative journalism is what the public rightfully expect from the BBC and these cuts will send shockwaves around the Corporation and journalism in this country.

“BBC News already faces huge challenges, in particular a low viewership among under-35s and working class communities. That it is now cutting award-winning programming such the Victoria Derbyshire Show and BBC Radio News – both of which bring news to audiences that others can’t reach – raises serious concerns about the impact of the cuts the BBC are having to carry out. My thoughts are with those who work hard to provide public service broadcasting and face uncertain futures today through no fault of their own.”

Refresh for Radio Scotland’s news programmes

Radio Scotland’s weekday news programmes are getting a new look as the schedule gets a refresh.

The daily flagship programme Good Morning Scotland, which sets the news agenda of the day, will see long standing anchor Gary Robertson joined by a voice already familiar to Radio Scotland listeners, Laura Maxwell. Continue reading Refresh for Radio Scotland’s news programmes

Cairncross Review: a level playing field for UK journalism?

  • Online platforms should have a ‘news quality obligation’ to improve trust in news they host, overseen by a regulator
  • Government should explore direct funding for local news and new tax reliefs to support public interest journalism
  • A new Institute for Public Interest News should focus on the future of local and regional press and oversee a new innovation fund

The Cairncross Review into the future of the UK news industry has delivered its final report, with recommendations on how to safeguard the future sustainability of the UK press. Continue reading Cairncross Review: a level playing field for UK journalism?

Spring volunteer sessions at Granton Castle garden

Dear Friends Group members and supporters, 

Lots of changes happening at the walled garden as we start on our second growing season.
Twenty new fruit trees have been added to the community orchard over the last year to complement the existing heritage fruit trees which sprung back to life in 2018.
Regular volunteer sessions are back on at the garden on the usual days of Sunday and Wednesday.
New time from Wednesday 23rd January: 10am start – 12pm finish. 

Lazy Sundays with same start time of 11am – 1pm.

We will be carrying on with some woodland management, landscaping and designing some newly opened areas of the garden this spring and hope to add some more creative activities for the spring, extra volunteering days, wee glasshouse and a working composting toilet!
Best wishes, 
Kirsty Sutherland
on behalf of the Friends Group

—

Postal Address
Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden
c/o North Edinburgh Arts, 15a Pennywell Court
Edinburgh EH4 4TZ

Trinity Academy publishes school magazine

writers block

Trinity Academy pupils have produced the first edition of The Writers’ Block, a new school magazine.

S6 pupil Callum Watson, who edits the magazine, is already looking forward to the follow up issue and is inviting contributions from the school community. Good luck with the new venture, Trinity!

The-Writers-Block-Issue-1

February NEN’s out now!

NEN Feb front pageThe February NEN is with our distributor now and will be delivered over the coming week.

If you just can’t wait to see a copy of your community newspaper, click on the link below for the electronic edition … hope you enjoy it!

NEN February15

STV Edinburgh gets ready to roll

STV_Edinburgh presenters_Nov11_ghp_67New city TV channel STV Edinburgh will launch next Monday (12 January) at 7pm with the first ever broadcast of The Fountainbridge Show.

Also included in the launch night schedule are Edinburgh’s Murder Mysteries at 9pm, STV Edinburgh News at 10pm and Peter & Roughie’s Football Show at 11pm.

Popular archive programming will return to the STV Edinburgh schedule on Tuesday 13 January with the very first episode of Take the High Road at 5.30pm. STV Edinburgh will also broadcast one hour of non-English speaking content per week with Polish drama, Czas Honoru (Days of Honour), beginning on Friday 16 January, with subtitles.

STV Edinburgh will be on air midday to midnight each day with an entertaining mix of news and features, live and interactive formats, and quality acquired and archive programmes.

Paul Hughes, channel editor for STV Edinburgh said: “The response from local people to the launch of the brand new channel has been fantastic. We’ve been inundated with requests from local bands and chefs from the capital who want to appear on the The Fountainbridge Show which is really encouraging ahead of launch.

“STV Glasgow launched to a terrific reception last June and we anticipate the people of Edinburgh will welcome this new platform that will reflect everything going on in the city on a daily basis.”

The Fountainbridge Show will be presented nightly from the studio by former Heart and Real Radio breakfast show host, Ewen Cameron and broadcaster and presenter Hayley Matthews. The Fountainbridge News will air from 6.30 – 7pm every evening, followed by The Fountainbridge Show from 7 – 8.30pm.

Ofcom announced the award of licences to STV for Glasgow and Edinburgh in January 2013. STV Edinburgh will be delivered in partnership with Edinburgh Napier University, offering students the opportunity to work in a live television environment. STV has also submitted applications to Ofcom to deliver local TV in Aberdeen, Ayr and Dundee.

STV Edinburgh will broadcast on Freeview channel 23, Sky channel 117 and Virgin channel 159 and will be available to watch live on the STV Player. Ahead of the channel’s launch, viewers will be asked to retune their televisions to pick up the Freeview signal for channel 23.

Pictured: George Ward, Hayley Matthews, Zara Janjua and Ewen Cameron.