Journalists and supporter gather outside the Radio Foyle station in Derry to protest over cuts to jobs and programmes. Pix by Steve Bradley
The protest was held after BBC NI announced on Tuesday that it was axing eight jobs at Radio Foyle and was also cutting the Breakfast Show along along with news bulletins.
Those attending outside the station on Northland Road included the National Union of Journalists, a number of other unions and journalists themselves.
It comes after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has confirmed he will speak to the BBC after the corporation in Northern Ireland confirmed plans to cut programmes at Radio Foyle in the coming months.
Mr Sunak was answering a question from SDLP leader Colum Eastwood during Wednesday’s Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons.
Mr Eastwood, the MP for Foyle, asked Mr Sunak to act in order to “defend this very important local broadcasting service”.
“Yesterday BBC Northern Ireland announced cuts to programming and jobs at BBC Radio Foyle that in my view will leave the station totally unsustainable,” he said in the Commons.
“The BBC charter places an obligation on that organisation that allows audiences to fully engage on local issues. This decision in my view is a very clear breach of that obligation leaving license fee payers outside the greater Belfast area without proper local programming.
“Will the Prime Minister act to defend this very important local broadcasting service?”
Responding, Mr Sunak said: “I believe very strongly in local public broadcasting and indeed the government has taken steps to support local media. I would be very happy to look at the specific issue he raises and bring it up with the BBC when I next see them.”
It comes after it was confirmed Radio Foyle will lose its morning breakfast show, and eight jobs at the station are “at risk” under the proposals.
BBC NI Interim Director Adam Smyth has dismissed the suggestion that the organisation is in danger of becoming too Belfast-centric.
Speaking on Evening Extra, Mr Smyth said what is happening at Foyle is “indivisible” from what is happening in the rest of Northern Ireland and the UK.
