This petition was initially started to save the David White Saturday evening show, which was under threat.
As I’m sure many people are aware, the BBC have just announced plans to merge shows across various regions, meaning cutting of local services. The details are here -

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-63455192.amp

This means that all content after 2pm on BBC Radio Cornwall is under threat of being withdrawn. The David White show is one of the shows that faces being axed.

 

Cornwall is a unique place to live.

There are villages that are intertwined with people and history, all joining up to make a wonderful county.

You can often walk down the street and strangers will exchange greetings with each other.

You can listen to presenters on the local radio station and you will always have something in common with them. There will be at least one thing that you can relate to.

They often feel like they’re part of your family, their voice filling your home on a regular basis. They form part of the community where strangers become your friends, your friends become your family and your family becomes a part of Cornish history.

Only now, we’re expected to give up a part of that family.

Why?

Because the BBC have announced cuts as part of a money saving exercise.

Many shows on BBC Radio Cornwall could be set to be axed and become replaced with shows that will be played out across all local stations.

A centralised show.

Nothing personal.

No links to the presenter.

Just a show that will play out across the country.

How can that be right?

How can we allow this to happen?

The David White show has a massive following, with people across the world tuning in.

It sees people from different places all coming together. These people make friends on social media, share stories and jokes, post photos and interact, because the show brings them all together. They’ve formed walking groups, book clubs and a large number of them have found friendship, where they supported each other through the pandemic and beyond. 

It’s interactive and it’s personal. It makes even the loneliest people feel that they’re a part of something. It makes them feel like family.

The savings made would be minuscule to a large corporation like the BBC.

You only have to look at the salaries of the top ten earners of the BBC to realise that cutting shows like this is not actually a worthwhile exercise.

Radio Cornwall is a part of our county.

In my own personal case, my parents listen and in turn, so do I and now, so do my children. This isn’t exclusive. It happens to so many generations of people who live in Cornwall and in many cases, those who’ve moved out of the county too.

The minute you have a centralised show that’s impersonal, people will retune to a different station.

More often than not, they won’t tune back in again.

Do we want to allow this to happen and for the listener ratings of Radio Cornwall to fall? Because they will, and what will be axed next?

Before we know it, there won’t be a BBC Radio Cornwall anymore.