Exclusive

RADIO 2 QUITS BRUM

11-12-2007

BBC Birmingham staff are reeling from the news that Radio 2 is pulling the plug on its overnight broadcasts from the Mailbox and returning to London. As the Corporation prepares to invest heavily in Manchester, it confirms The Stirrer’s suspicion that it sees the Second City as a broadcasting backwater.

Shows by the likes of Janice Long, Nikki Bedi, Bob Harris and Mo Dutta all come from Brum, adding up – according to the Beeb’s publicity blurb – to a quarter of all the output on Britain’s most listened to radio station.

Not for much longer.

The Stirrer understands that as a part of an ongoing cost-cutting process following the disappointing licence fee review, management at 6Music and R2 are being merged.

Quite how cash will be saved by moving presentation to London isn’t quite clear, but we await the BBC’s official word.

Staff were given the bad news last week, and our understanding is that compulsory redundancies aren’t on the cards – workers will have the chance to switch to London or remain in the Birmingham production pool.

Specialist music will remain in the Mailbox.

No doubt local management - and indeed Birmingham's politicians - will be as gutted as we are that our city can't enjoy the same benefits as our leading provincial rival which is being gifted a major new Media Centre at licence payers expense.