BBC Hereford and Worcester's coverage this morning has been disrupted due to strike action. 

Those tuning in to the station have noticed the usual presenters, including Elliott Webb, have not been presenting. 

News bulletins have also included stories from outside of the area.

In its place has been a programme presented by Graham Liver of Radio Lancashire.

The presenter has been explaining, due to industrial action, BBC Hereford and Worcester can not bring listeners the usual programming. 

 

 

 

The action is being taken by the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) over the BBC’s plans to reduce local radio services across England.

Around 1,000 journalists are taking part in the action that began at midnight and is set to end at 11.59 pm tomorrow. 

The strikes follow stalled negotiations with the BBC after journalists took similar action in March. 

Last week BBC journalists passed a vote of no confidence in the BBC Local senior leadership team. 

Paul Siegert, the NUJ’s national broadcasting organiser, said: “Journalists are striking in defence of services that are valued by communities across the country.

“We do not oppose change within the BBC but believe the manner in which the Digital First strategy is being enforced will destroy access to relevant, local radio that so many rely on.

 

Worcester News: HOME: BBC Hereford and Worcester's home in Hylton Road HOME: BBC Hereford and Worcester's home in Hylton Road (Image: Newsquest)

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“This 48-hour strike is about journalists standing up for local radio services, and the public have rallied behind members in their fight to keep local radio local.”

A BBC spokesperson said: “We understand this is a difficult period of change for many colleagues and we will continue to support everyone affected by the plans to strengthen our local online services across news and audio.

“Our goal is to deliver a local service across TV, radio and online that offers more value to more people in more local communities.

“While the plans do impact on individual roles, we are maintaining our overall investment in local services and expect our overall level of editorial staffing across England to remain unchanged.”

Earlier this week we reported the latest RAJAR figures for radio listenership showed BBC Hereford and Worcester reached an average of 84,000 listeners each week in the six months to March.

This was down from around 90,000 in the six months to March 2022.

However, over this period the market share of BBC Hereford and Worcester rose from 7.3 per cent to 9.5 per cent compared to other available stations.