Union slams Ofcom regional cuts
Broadcasting regulator Ofcom has been lambasted by BECTU for approving cuts in ITV regional programming.
In its third review of public service TV broadcasting, published this week, Ofcom confirmed the worst fears of staff across ITV by slashing the amount of non-news local programming the network is obliged to produce.
A current obligation for ITV licence holders to produce three hours a week in their local areas will be cut to one and a half hours, raising the threat of hundreds of job cuts.
"The regulator's decision to give the go-ahead to ITV to cut its non-news output in the English regions by half is a death blow to regional programming across the country. In-house features production for regional audiences is unlikely to survive today's announcement" said Sharon Elliott, BECTU official.
"Since Ofcom launched the consultation on its plans last October, regional programmes have effectively been on a life-support machine" explained Elliott.
The announcement puts at risk an estimated 300 jobs. "Contrary to Ofcom's thinking," said Elliott, "regional programmes, aside from news, are valued by regional audiences, despite the calculated cuts in budgets and airtime which have been intended to portray the sector as weak. Staff working on these programmes will be devastated."
Since the cut in regional output was first proposed late last year, BECTU has argued that Ofcom is failing in its brief, as far as ITV is concerned, to "maintain and strengthen the quality of PSB for the future".
Viewers, MPs, local authorities, programme makers and industry trade unions have all come together in recent months to seek to persuade Ofcom that there is an alternative viewpoint to ITV's and that regional programmes are a vital part of PSB and a key factor in delivering local democracy.
"The debate will continue, particularly in this key pre-election period, as will the fight to ensure that programmes for audiences in the Nations do not go the same way", said Sharon Elliott.
BECTU representatives in ITV regional centres were braced for announcements about job cuts, some of which were expected as early as today, January 11.