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BBC
Announces plans to improve Broadcasting Services & Resources for the County
of Dorset
At the last encouraging meeting of the Dorset Broadcasting
Action Group (DorBAG) and the BBC in Dorchester, attended by Oliver Letwin MP -
Chairman, Mike Hapgood – Head of BBC South, & Jane McCloskey – Head of BBC
South West, the BBC announced that it is planning several initiatives that are
aimed at providing better, more focused services for the County of
Dorset:
1)
On television, BBC
Spotlight will be holding the ‘Children in Need’ programme this year in Weymouth
Sea Life Centre on Friday, 20th November. DorBAG asked the BBC if they
can broadcast this programme on BBC South and BBC West simultaneously, so that
all residents will be able to see it.
The BBC replied that because these types of events are transmitted live,
and BBC South will be holding its own event, they would be unable to transmit
the Weymouth event. & nbsp;
However they will promote it on air before the ‘Children in Need’ day
& it will be available on the BBC Dorset web
site..
2)
The BBC announced it
is to recruit three new appointments for Dorset, as the BBC Trust is now
supporting more ‘Regional’ output:
a.
A ‘Producer
level video journalist – this will
be a senior position in Dorchester
b.
A local political
reporter responsible to BBC South – again in
Dorchester
c.
BBC South West is
also recruiting a shoot/edit operator
in
Exeter, but who will have his/her main focus on Dorset.
At the
meeting, the BBC management agreed to investigate why the excellent BBC Dorset
web site (www.bbc.co.uk/dorset) is not mentioned on BBC
Spotlight, BBC South or on the ‘Big Breakfast Brunch’ (the latter, on a specific
Dorset only radio programme every Saturday morning [103.8FM]. The latter refers to BBC Radio
Solent & not the BBC Dorset web site!).
3)
The
Dorset Broadcasting Action Group very strongly supports the BBC Management which
is working on these new initiatives, and welcomes their present proposals. However, it continues to
emphasise with senior management within the BBC, and the BBC Trust itself, that
while this is an excellent start, we must all continue to work to ensure that
Dorset receives a Countywide service. To this end DorBAG would like to
see the following:
a.
Dorset
folded into one BBC Region (presently split three ways) such that the county is
the responsibility of just one Senior Region BBC Manager, with full budgets to
properly serve the County.
b.
To
provide Dorset local news and events coverage on Television, simultaneously
transmitted to every household in the County, rather than being split between
three separate programmes from Plymouth, Southampton and Bristol, as is the
present case.
c.
The
re-introduction of a full BBC Radio Dorset service, as an addition to BBC Radio
Solent, which presently only reaches the east of the county, and is not
dedicated to Dorset – except, of course, on Saturday
mornings."
___________________________________________________________________________
4) At
the same meeting at which David Farwig of Digital UK attended, the following was
minuted:
a. David Farwig reported
that Stockland Hill is now all digital. They are aware of a small number
of problems (some with quite strange effects) and they are liaising with Ofcom
to resolve them.
b. In some places,
neighbours are on either all digital, or analogue, but this will be resolved
when the area is totally switched to digital in 2012 in time for the
Olympics.
c. Many complaints
have been received regarding ITV3 & 4 being dropped after the
30th September re-tune. This is even more confusing
when ITV has said it is to introduce even more TV channels! David explained this was nothing
to do with Digital UK, but believes the decision was made by Freeview. With no contact details on the
Freeview web site, there was confusion as to whom to complain. Oliver Letwin will follow this up
with the Secretary of State.
d. David Farwig was asked
to advise Oliver Letwin the percentage of households in Dorset that are on
relays.
e. It was reported that there is a conflict of
transmitters using the same frequency for some channels between Cerne, Stockland
Hill and Rowridge. David to
investigate.
We are definitely encouraged by the BBC's announcements,
although we continue to press for re-instatement of BBC Radio Dorset , local TV
news for all of Dorset, and a new studio for the staff (as the one in Dorchester
is really not suitable, especially as more people are recruited).
We continue to lobby regarding the loss of ITV3 & 4 on
local TV relays. We find this loss totally unacceptable.
For more information e.g. who is on the Executive Committee, current and past
activities and issues, how to improve your reception etc., see www.dorbag.org.uk
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