Spotlight presenter Justin Leigh to leave the BBC

Yes, it's a public sector cap that will be applied to the BBC. That together with the generous terms offered to BBC News staff over the summer explains the stampede.

BLOODBATH ON THE 630 SOFAS!

We have some sad news to share with you. Harry will be leaving Look North next week after more than 40 years at the BBC.

We’ll be saying goodbye next Wednesday at 18:30 and we hope you’ll join us in wishing him good luck for the future. pic.twitter.com/vFiKjcSEKk

— BBC Yorkshire (@BBCLookNorth) October 13, 2020

SOME PERSONAL NEWS - as they say these days
As you know, Inside Out closed, along with my post. So it’s with a very heavy heart, after almost 23 years, I'm leaving the BBC. Here's a statement thing and a photo of me looking positively into the middle distance and the future😉 pic.twitter.com/QH02kTbNFe

— David Whiteley (@DavidWhiteleyTV) October 13, 2020

Of course the BBC didn’t have to make cuts in this area, they could have made cuts elsewhere

But they know the viewers are too loyal and they take those viewers for granted, the ITV equivilent has already seen cuts and doesn’t provide the same depth of coverage as the BBC does, so they know the ratings won’t be effected.

And in the case of local radio, there isn’t really an alternative with ILR practically dead, so they know the listeners will stick around even with ridiculously long programmes and presenters moved all over the place

Woah. We're going to be seeing some huge casualties from this if Harry's leaving.

Can anyone copy and paste the article for non subscribers?

It's reasonable to just be some key parts though, not the full article if it's behind a paywall.

I wonder if any local ITV editors are considering approaching any of the displaced BBC presenters, to front their 'And Finally..' fluff spots ?

Edit: And as someone on DS has pointed out, Granada News have a vacancy for a main presenter

In line with Asa's guidance, some snippets only:

"BBC insiders said there had been a deluge of applications from staff who believed that this might be their last chance to get a six-figure payout. The government is drawing up plans to cap exit payments from public sector bodies at £95,000.

...

"BBC staff are divided about the exodus. Colleagues described (Ross) Hawkins as a "gem" who could not be replaced. One source told The Times, however, that the corporation could lose some "dead wood" without a decline in quality."

The thing I don't understand about these regional cutbacks is they seem to be about taking things from every region when surely the more sensible thing (if cuts have to be made here) would be to reduce the number of English regions. That way you could maintain the same level of output across larger regions.

It's not like the BBC wouldn't have a strong case here. There is a huge population imbalance between the regions and the sub-opt subregions (other than Channel Islands) don't really have much justification - there are far more logical sub-regions (Merseyside) that don't have an opt-out.

With the standard government regions becoming more and more commonplace in everyday life and both main political parties pledging (if incredibly vaguely) to implement some form of regional devolution, it would be perfectly rational for the BBC to rejig the regions to better reflect the standard regions (although granted this isn't perfectly possible due to terrestrial transmitter patterns).

In my book, it would be better for the BBC to have nine fully-staffed regions rather than thirteen-and-a-half cut-back regions.

I’m curious to know who’ll leave levy live a lot of reporters are based there

The problem with this idea though is the same one ITV faced back in 2009, how do you do that with the limitations of the transmitter network? In 2009, ITV combined Westcountry & West into one super region, and nowadays, we're back to having seperate programmes, albeit under the same ITV News West Country brand. Whilst prior to 2009, both shows would have been live at 6pm, now one is live and the other is recorded before hand, because they closed Plymouth. I don't think reducing the number of English regions is feasible or even desirable.



Again, the limitations of the transmitter network.



The standard government regions are far from being more and more commonplace. Heck, I only see them in relation to government stuff, otherwise, those regions are totally meaningless.