UNITED KINGDOM — Journalists from the BBC went on strike on Thursday in protest against the Corporation’s plan to reduce local radio services by almost 50%. Members of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) walked out for 24 hours, disrupting coverage of three parliamentary by-elections.
The BBC plans will result in many presenters losing their jobs or quitting, and have been criticised by the NUJ and members of the public. The NUJ’s national broadcasting organiser, Paul Siegert, said that union members would “much rather be working in newsrooms”, but could not accept the cuts.
The BBC’s Digital First strategy is intended to increase the amount of local news that appears online, but opponents argue that many people still rely on linear radio. Ofcom revealed on Thursday that the number of UK adults listening to the radio had hit a record daily average of 47.7 million.
Older and vulnerable people are said to be particularly reliant on radio as a source of news. The NUJ urged the BBC to ensure that all licence fee payers were included.
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