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South Today axed as BBC refocuses on digital-first
26/05/2022
The popular nightly TV news programme from Oxford launched in 2000
The only TV local news service dedicated to our area is set to be axed later this year. The BBC’s popular South Today programme from Oxford will end in November.
The announcement was made on the BBC’s own news pages this lunchtime.
South Today is presented by Geraldine Peers and Jerome Sale and has aired each weekday evening since 2000 from a studio in Summertown. 18 staff are employed to produce the programme, which airs at 6.30pm and again after the 10pm news.
From November the regional news programme from Southampton will be shown.
A BBC spokesperson said: “We’re proud of our Oxford service, which has served viewers well and produced some great journalism.
“We need to make tough choices as we change our services in line with audience needs. The Oxford service is one of our lowest performing programmes and viewers already get news broadcast from Southampton at other times of the day.
“We’ll maintain a presence in Oxford.”
ITV axed “Central News South” – their local news service from Abingdon – back in 2006.
The news came as the BBC announced a raft of changes designed to build what the broadcaster described as “a digital-first public service media organisation”.
The plans will bring £500m of annual savings, with £200m used to contribute to a £285m annual funding gap. The BBC will reinvest £300m to drive a digital-first approach, through changes to content and output and additional commercial income.
Other changes to the corporation include no longer broadcasting smaller channels such as CBBC and BBC Four in favour of online offerings. Changes in BBC local radio will bring more shared programming.
Director-General Tim Davie told staff: “This is our moment to build a digital-first BBC. Something genuinely new, a Reithian organisation for the digital age, a positive force for the UK and the world.
“Independent, impartial, constantly innovating and serving all. A fresh, new, global digital media organisation which has never been seen before.
“Driven by the desire to make life and society better for our licence fee payers and customers in every corner of the UK and beyond. They want us to keep the BBC relevant and fight for something that in 2022 is more important than ever. “To do that we need to evolve faster and embrace the huge shifts in the market around us.”
Published: by Banbury FM Newsteam
Les Parker On 26/05/2022 at 5:42 pm
More cuts by bbc.why don’t they make it a pay as you view site. They wouldn’t last long bbc repeat repeat repeats that’s all you do.
That’s why I watck netflix and prime.
Olive springall On 26/05/2022 at 8:18 pm
What am I paying a licence for I wish I could opt out of my bbc licence and have sky that as a o.a.p.newly widow I had to give up
Jill Cheeseman On 26/05/2022 at 8:25 pm
Southampton news won’t give local news for north Oxfordshire
Mrs E Bryant On 26/05/2022 at 11:00 pm
Totally agree. They seem y focus on one region at a time, and with such a vast area to cover, not much local news to us, will be reported
J On 26/05/2022 at 9:56 pm
What do we pay our licence for. I want to hear local news not for other regions. BBC you should be ashamed you have gained more revenue in making OAPs pay for a licence and now your removing loads of products