BBC Local Reax: BBC ‘Will Consider Options’, Some Breathe Sigh Of Relief

Industry reactions to the rejection of the BBC’s £68 million proposal to add video bulletins to its 65 BBC Local sites…

BBC management statement: “Management believed that the local video proposal would strengthen the BBC’s news coverage for local communities and deliver real value for licence fee payers … The BBC Trust challenged BBC management to instead improve its existing services to ensure audiences across the UK see a better reflection of their local communities. That is a challenge we will pursue with vigour. We will consider a range of options for how we can best achieve this and will return to the trust in due course.” That task will fall to future media and technology director Erik Huggers.

Trinity Mirror (LSE: TNI) CEO Sly Bailey: “We are delighted that the BBC Trust and Ofcom have recognised and confirmed our view that BBC Local plans would have posed a severe threat to the commercial regional and local media marketplace. We can now continue to invest without the fear that a publicly funded giant would be duplicating already existing services. However, we will still be seeking assurances from the BBC Trust that the BBC will not be overstepping the boundaries of their current Service Licence by launching new hyperlocal map-based news services.”

Newspaper Society director David Newell: