Local (radio) websites from the BBC

I don't normally blog about specific BBC projects or work that I'm involved in on the 'day job', you can catch all of that information on the BBC Internet Blog.

However, as my recent trips to Canada (photos pending) and Cornwall have left me feeling very out of touch with the online world then what better way to start the ball rolling again than with a response to this excellent post from Matt Deegan on the current design refresh of the BBC's local websites.

Matt is correct, the local sites are going through a refresh this year which is allied to a migration of the sites onto the same content production system that has been used for some time for the BBC news and sport websites.

Currently only Bristol, Norfolk and South East Wales are live with the new templates but we aim to achieve a full roll-out by the end of the year.

There are many good points in the post relating to the presentation of content and information relating to the local radio station for Bristol on the site. I think we'll be taking quite a few of them on board as we continue to develop the visual design of the templates! (thanks Matt)

It's worth pointing out that we have very recently put our local radio programme information into the BBC Programmes system which delivers schedule and programme information integrated with on-demand and live listening via the BBC iPlayer.

It's a complicated set-up and we undoubtedly haven't yet got the perfect balance between delivering on-demand and live audio via the iPlayer, schedules via the /programmes site, and local news and information on the BBC Local website.

And there's plenty of work to do on finding the best way to visualise this wide ranging variety of content, with it's associated set of BBC brands, without presenting a multi-coloured swap shop style experience to our users.

We want a website that appeals to listeners of the radio station, but we also want to deliver a local BBC service to all license fee payers that live in the Bristol area, irrespective of which radio station they listen to.

Olly Benson and Nick Wallis have commented on the regulatory restrictions around what a local BBC web service can provide but I still believe there is much that we can, and should, do.

So in answer to Matt's original question, Have the BBC just given up on local radio websites?, my answer is absolutely not, but it's a more complicated solution than providing a website for the 162,000 people listening to BBC Bristol on 94.9 and 103.6 FM.

BBC Trust rejects local video proposals

The BBC Trust confirmed today that it has refused permission for a planned BBC Local Video service after concluding its public value test (PVT) into the proposals.



Diane Coyle, BBC Trustee and Chairman of the Strategic Approvals Committee, said:

"The Trust is committed to improving regional and local services from the BBC for licence fee payers but a broadband-only local video news proposal is unlikely to achieve what they want.

"Instead, we believe the BBC's priority should be improving the quality of existing regional services. We recognise that the ways of achieving this may vary in different parts of the UK. We have asked the Executive to come back to us with new proposals later this year which will then be fully scrutinised by the Trust.

The final decision can be read in full on the BBC Trust website.

BBC Trust says No to BBC Local Video

The regional and local newspapers of the UK had an early Christmas present today with the announcement from the BBC Trust that it has rejected proposals from the BBC for adding video content to its network of local websites.
(Disclaimer: I am involved in this proposal as part of my day job at the BBC.)

After strong protests from across the UK newspaper industry and local commercial radio operators and ITV Local, the BBC Trust has refused permission for local video "because it would not improve services for the public enough to justify either the investment of licence fee funds or the negative impact on commercial media."

Sir Michael Lyons, Chairman of the BBC Trust, said,

"We believe the BBC’s priority should be improving the quality of existing services. The public wants better quality regional television news programmes and more programmes of all kinds produced in and reflecting their areas."

"Our decision today to refuse permission for local video means that local newspapers and other commercial media can invest in their online services in the knowledge that the BBC does not intend to make this new intervention in the market."

The full press release from the BBC Trust is here.

Initial conclusions on BBC Local Video proposals

The Ofcom website is today announcing that the BBC Trust's Public Value Assessment (into the BBC's proposals for a new Local Video service) and provisional conclusions will now be published by the 27 November 2008.

Ofcom will submit the Market Impact Assessment to the Trust so that it can be published on the same day.

See my original post on the BBC Local Video Service application and the collated media coverage over the last 5 months.

Media coverage of the BBC Local Video PVT

Here is an updating list (thanks to the miracle that is del.icio.us) of links to media coverage of the BBC's application to provide a local video service on bbc.co.uk.

(Disclaimer: I am involved in this application as part of my day job at the BBC.)

The PVT began on 24th June 2008.

BBC Trust begins public value test into local video proposal

The BBC Trust has today started its public value test (PVT) of the BBC's local video proposal.

(Disclaimer: I am involved in this proposal as part of my day job at the BBC.)

The Trust has published BBC management's application as well as supporting documents, a service description and a full timetable for the PVT.

Details of the public value test (PVT) process can be found here.

Ofcom have also issued a press release on their market impact assessment consultation.

You can read the proposal on the BBC Trust website and any interested party is welcome to submit their thoughts as part of the public consultation - the deadline for responding is 5pm on 22nd July.