Along with Justin Tomlinson MP, I have written to the BBC Director General about my concerns for the audiences served by BBC Radio Wiltshire. The letter reads:
Dear Tim,
We are writing to you to express our concerns about the BBC's planned changes and what this will mean for loyal audiences, local licence payers, and services, particularly the planned changes relating to BBC Radio Wiltshire services.
BBC Radio Wiltshire is an extremely popular and much-loved radio service here in Swindon.
We are particularly concerned that these plans will result in the loss of many local experienced and knowledgeable presenters, who will be replaced by regional presenters, whose areas will be vast. This will mean that local content will not be relevant and actually not ‘local’ for listeners here in Swindon and indeed across the country.
We have been informed that none of the proposed regional programmes, on weekdays or weekends, will be coming from Wiltshire, except for STFC live commentary, which is extremely concerning.
The cuts to local radio could also result in the loss of local stories, with fewer reporters, and those who lack knowledge about local areas, due to the size of the newly proposed regions. If a breaking news story happens in either the North or South Swindon constituency, how will it get covered?
We are very concerned about the implications for local news, and for the teams' abilities to reflect life in local communities. BBC Radio Wiltshire does this so well currently, and we do not want to lose this vital community asset. Currently, local radio, including here in Wiltshire, outperforms other parts of the BBC, especially in news.
The importance of local radio cannot be underestimated, it brings so much more than news, at its best, it is companionship, support, celebration and exploration of local life.
BBC Sounds is extremely challenging to use when trying to locate local content and we believe that these planned changes will make it even more difficult to use.
When radio stations change their schedules, we are also worried about the wider implications, including the decline of audiences, which could potentially result in cuts to even more local services.
Therefore, we would urge you to reconsider these plans to allow more locally-based programming via our much loved and valued BBC Radio Wiltshire.
Yours
The Rt Hon Sir Robert Buckland MP Justin Tomlinson MP
Member of Parliament for South Swindon Member of Parliament for North Swindon
