Bannister’s indie wins BBC ‘all England’ slot
EVENING shows on BBC local radio across the North West will be made by a new independent production company set up by former BBC executive Matthew Bannister.
BBC Merseyside, Radio Lancashire, Radio Cumbria and Radio Manchester will all take the three-hour “all England” show from 7pm-10pm, opting out only for breaking news and live sport.
All 39 local radio stations will carry the show as a cost-cutting measure to help save around £8m, or 10%, from the annual local radio budget.
Wire Free Productions, set up by Bannister and former BBC Asian Network head of programmes Husain Husaini, will deliver the show to a potential audience of 1.7 million from January. The company was selected from a shortlist last week.
The contract has a guide value of £150,000, although this doesn’t include “talent” fees to cover the cost of the presenter.
Mr Bannister, 5 Live presenter and former Radio 1 boss, said: “I can’t think of a better way to launch our new journalistic production company, Wire Free Productions, than being given the opportunity to make this programme for all the BBC’s Local Radio stations.
“Husain Husaini and I both started our careers in local radio. We know it is a much loved service for millions of listeners – and we’re really looking forward to creating a new and very special show for them.
“The programme will be an engaging and lively companion to their evening – bringing the very best of each day’s output on BBC local stations to a much wider audience and making connections between communities in different parts of the country.”
As schedules stand it will replace shows dedicated to Irish, Jewish and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender audiences in Manchester. It will also replace a repeats show broadcast on three evenings and some sports coverage.
In Merseyside it will affect folk music, football and current affairs shows, as well as a programme aimed at the Chinese community. Lancashire will lose shows aimed at anglers, and folk and blues fans, and Cumbria will axe shows featuring sport, classical music and music from the 1960s.
