P H otograp 09·03·10 Week 10 THE BBC NEWSPAPER explore.gateway.bbc.co.uk/ariel H: D omini C L ipinski /PA wire Richard Sambrook reflects on a long a news career Page 10 TIME TO LISTEN: ◆ ‘Public consultation means what it says,’ declares Mark Thompson amid continuing controversy over his plans SELLING THE STRATEGY ◆ Staff question DG ◆ Website can’t do ◆ Davie defends plans about review everything, says for Asian Network and proposals Page 2 Huggers Page 3 6 Music Page 4 > NEWS 2-6 WEEK AT WORK 7 OPINION 10 MAIL 11 JOBS 14 GREEN ROOM 16 < 216 News aa 00·00·08 09·03·10 a 09·03·10 News 3 STRATEGY REVIEW OUTREACH: a WORRIES Room 2316, White City Nobody 201 Wood Lane, London W12 7TS Q A 020 8008 4228 & WHERE YOU ASK THE QUESTIONS else IS Editor Candida Watson 02-84222 Why close 6 Music when it serves journalism on the Asian Network What about jobs? Where will any cuts be applied to We will want to keep control of crit- DOING THIS an area the commercial sector and that has come to benefit the en- I know the strategic change of local radio; are they planning more ical brands like Top Gear and oth- Deputy editor currently has no interest in? tire BBC. We’ve struggled to use a sin- direction around the web and ra- shared output and when will the ers. Radio Times is not BBC brand- by Claire Barrett Cathy Loughran 02-27360 The director The issue with 6 is it doesn’t reach gle radio network to reach what is an dio, in particular, mean uncertainty changes start? ed but there’s a clear link with the Chief writer a very big audience and it is quite incredibly diverse audience. There is for staff, but this is about investing This is planned as a re-distribu- BBC in the public’s mind. HIP HOP DUO RIZZLE KICKS attended a Sally Hillier 02-26877 general spent an expensive. If you built it up it no other audience we would attempt in new content and programmes tion within local radio. We want But over time the strategic direc- song writing session on the BBC Blast Features editor would be competing more to serve with a single radio station. and it will mean new opportunities to shift money to spend more on tion of Worldwide will be away from tour and are now recording their first Clare Bolt 02-27445 hour last week aggressively with mainstream com- We will work hard to ensure that the and jobs being created. The 600 fig- local newsgathering and a little things like magazines and into dig- album. AJ Odudau came through Blast’s Broadcast Journalists mercial radio. Dropping any BBC money and talent from the Asian ure is reasonable to use for the are- more on getting the key journalis- ital. We don’t know what the pre- creative traineeship to become a present- Claire Barrett 02-27368 answering staff service is a painful and difficult Network is used elsewhere. We look as of the BBC which might be affect- tic ‘shoulders’ of the schedule, ie cise solution is going to be. What- er for BBC Switch. And Bristol woman Adam Bambury 02-27410 decision but in our view it is better to local radio, network radio and tv ed but the net effect will be much breakfast, drivetime and midday, ever we end up doing with them, Fliss, who was living in a car, moved from Rumeana Jahangir 02-27630 questions about to go ahead with two strong music to ensure we reflect our very diverse smaller. It’s going to happen over as good and as strong as we possi- the success story of these magazines three months on a Blast radio production and the people who work for them AV Manager stations [Radios 1 and 2]. Asian audiences. years, and I believe our chances of bly can... We know that really local scheme into a job in Boots and a perma- dealing with all of the job issues relevance is critical to the local ra- is going to go on. nent address. Peter Roach 02-24622 the details of the How much pressure will it take to What is the timetable and process largely through redeployment and dio audience in those key day parts; The legacy benefits of the BBC’s youth Art editor strategy review, persuade you to keep 6 Music? to establish clarity over the 25 vacancies and people deciding to elsewhere we think slightly more Where is the £600 million we keep creativity service are multi-faceted and Ken Sinyard 02-84229 Public consultation means what it percent cuts to online? leave are very good indeed. shared content will still be relevant hearing about coming from? deep rooted, says Myles Runham, head of Digital Design Executive as it became says. It’s appropriate we listen. But This is the biggest single change, the and we can do it with the resourc- We hope to shift about 3 percent of interactive learning. ‘What Blast is trying to David Murray 02-27380 we are here to serve 26m house- biggest movement of money and Why close Switch? Justify your es we’ve got to a higher standard. the licence fee, about £110m, out do is have a meaningful impact on people’s clear that much holds and the business of how you strategy in the proposals. We want reasons for closing Blast The hope is by moving the money of the costs of running the BBC lives. Whether we can do that through around we’ll improve the quality, into content. Guest contributors this week balance licence fee spend inevita- to do it carefully and properly, over We are fundamentally a broadcast- broadcasting is a tougher argument.’ is still to be bly might leave some people feeling time, involving content divisions er, rather than an educational out- stem some of the audience losses, The reductions in some services But it’s an argument that underpins hard done by. But if you don’t have with FM&T in the decisions. We want reach. We have to ask, to what and do it within the resources we [such as] acquired programming, Mark Thompson’s proposal to axe the GEORGIE BEVAN brings the younger worked out. that potential the danger is of the to focus our website. It’s enormous, extent is it part of our mission to have available. the website, will get you to nearly service. The dg believes that more of the audience viewpoint to News BBC ossifying. We need the flexibil- with hundreds of top level be involved in that and can we ever another £100m. target 13-19 year-old audience can be planning. Page 14 Here are a ity to invest in some parts and take domains... When we come to web put enough money into Blast or Is Radio Times going to be sold The other £400m is already reached through programmes. money for others. I ask those who original content we will focus it Switch to reach enough young peo- off? Are BBC Magazines going to in budgets locked into different Runham argues, though, that ‘to MICHAEL VOSS on treading selection of the are passionate about 6 to step back round our five categories, so when ple? We don’t have the money to be sold, and when? channels and services, and we reach the hard to reach you have to go a delicate path with the Cuban and look at the totality of services. you look at the web you know you are build Switch into a really credible Magazines have an incredible herit- want controllers, commissioners out and find them – both in physical and authorities to organise live tv from questions – going to get great journalism, great resource, and even if we were to age in the BBC; we have a very suc- and other staff to focus on mov- virtual communities’. Havana. Page 15 Does the closure of the Asian content for children and so on. We have it we would be bumping into cessful magazine business. It’s abso- ing that money into high quality It’s what BBC Blast has been doing for and answers Network not reinforce the view in are going to work our way – with the Channel 4. lutely not about a fire sale, or even content which backs up our prior- inner cities that the BBC is a white, teams – through what that means on Broadcast services to the public that there is going to be a straight- ities. For example on BBC One can middle class organisation? the ground and how we can ensure must come first. We’ll still do out- forward sell-off of the magazine we shift towards really significant Ariel mail I don’t accept that. Over recent what we spend on the web goes to reach but, in future, more of it will division – that would not be a home grown drama, like 5 Days, [email protected] years we’ve put more money into those priority areas. be done through partners. good idea. like last year’s Occupation? Ariel online explore.gateway.bbc.uk/ariel BBC Jobs 0370 333 1330 Jobs textphone 028 9032 8478 BBC Jobs John Clarke 02-27143 ERIK HUGGERS INSISTS THAT TOO MANY SITes JUST DON’T CUT IT ONLINE: REACTION Room 2120, White City, London W12 7TS Advertise in Ariel the last six years. An online team of 12 Ten Alps Media 020 7878 2313 runs the Blast website which provides interactive tips and tools for young cre- www.bbcarielads.com TEAMS ARE LEFT to WONDER atives, portfolio space for them to up- Printing THE DAYS OF DOING load content, messageboards and advice Garnett Dickinson Group WHERE THE AXE MIGHT FALL on media opportunities.