Dear Supporters

Almost 20,000 of you have signed my petition - many thanks to you for your support.

Your support is having an impact, because this week,  Chris Burns, BBC Head of Audio and Digital, wrote to me with an update on their plans inviting me to a meeting with them and the Director of Local Production for BBC Local.

In the letter I received they said that there are no plans to 'reduce commitment' to  Black and Asian 'content' but that they have announced plans to change when these programmes are scheduled and that that big stories , music and cultural programming  will be on Monday evenings for Asian communities and Friday evenings for African and Caribbean communities. 

They say that:  "following detailed research and planning and conversations with our teams, we have established future plans for these shows".

They refer to 'community programmes' which is more general than the specialist Black and Asian programmes that our campaign is about. 

You can read more about the BBC's plans here: 

Having heard from some of those impacted by these changes there are many concerns.  I have been advised that  BBC staff who are employees, working on Black and Asian programmes having to reapply for their own jobs.   Many of the workers on these programmes are freelance and for them the situation is even more precarious because they have to wait until the internal recruitment has concluded and then apply in competition with others for positions advertised publicly, so against a much wider pool.  Therefore for all of the workers concerned, their jobs and futures are at risk and as you can imagine it is a very worrying time.

The BBC say in their letter to me that they have carried out detailed research  and conversations but it is not clear who they have spoken to, if any meaningful consultation has taken place, including with trade unions and I am concerned that those directly impacted may not have been given the opportunity to directly input. I have also asked about equality impact assessments (EIAs) and it would appear that neither workers or the public have been consulted on these. I cannot find any published by the BBC online on these issues either, so have written asking if they have conducted any and to see copies if they have.

In addition to the above concerns,  the change of terminology to community programmes rather that specialist, is a watering down of  specialist Black and Asian programmes.  I have also been made aware that the plan is for programmes in different regions  to be merged, covering huge geographical areas, this raised concerns that it will lead to a loss of  focus on local issues, people and events for the existing regions, again watering down and reducing content and the number of events and interviews that can be covered if two regions are being reduced to one.  This impacts for example on coverage for the arts, music, local campaigns  as with a single programme covering two regions, there will be a reduction  in what can be included.

This could mean that local performances - theatre and concerts for example and interviews with artists based in one region -  would be competing for time on air against those in another region. Such coverage can be really important to the careers of Black and Asian artists and gaining audiences  and income generation for performances and are important to local people in being informed of events and being able to support local  artists and initiatives.

I have been advised  that moving from a Sunday night to a Friday night raises concerns too,  as Friday is a popular night for people to  go out to events as it is the start of the weekend so it will drastically reduce the number of listeners. Plus it impacts on finding out about events happening on the weekend in advance. Those impacted would prefer flexibility for when shows are aired to cater to local and cultural needs.

Given the number of concerns and the worry for workers on these programmes about their future employment / engagement, it is important to keep up the pressure and show your support.

For anyone impacted I would recommend that they contact their trade union if they are a member, which might be BECTU or NUJ so they can ensure their concerns are represented individually and collectively.  

Some ways in which you can continue to support this campaign:

•  Contact your local BBC radio and ask them to carry out an Equality Impact Assessment, as a local listener you should also be consulted.
• Send messages of solidarity to local presenters and teams
• Share this petition with your networks and on social media. We are using the hashtag #StopBBCBlackAsianradiocuts

Many thanks for your support. I will send you an update following the BBC meeting.

Best Regards

Zita

Zita Holbourne

National Chair BARAC UK