Vital service or relic? Radio Foyle's 'negligible' listening figures questioned as BBC tight-lipped on costs
Questions have been raised about how the BBC can justify continuing to run a bespoke radio service for the North West, despite its “negligible” listening figures.
The broadcaster says it doesn’t have a figure at hand for how much BBC Radio Foyle costs the licence fee payer – and has not disputed the suggestion that the station has less than 1000 listeners for its programming.
The Londonderry-based service has been defended by the Foyle MP Colum Eastwood – who says his party “will not accept any further erosion of local public broadcasting”.
However, the TUV says “preserving a radio station with negligible listener figures will only add to the impression that the BBC is a relic of a former age”.
The public broadcaster is currently looking at at swingeing cuts to its services across Northern Ireland, believed to be worth in the region of four to six million pounds. The staff reductions have been described as unprecedented, and there could be cuts to programmes.
Radio Foyle will not be protected from these savings, and questions have again been raised withing the corporation about its future.
The BBC has previously told the media regulator Ofcom that “monitoring the performance of Radio Foyle is difficult as its listening figures are too small to be published” on official audience figures and are “instead combined with BBC Radio Ulster”.
The News Letter asked the BBC whether this suggests that Radio Foyle programming is registering less than 1000 listeners, and for its best estimate for the Radio Foyle audience. We also asked how can it justify maintaining a radio service with which the public are barely engaging, and whether this money could be better spent on other services focusing on the North West, such as online / digital services.
A BBC spokesperson said: “We have significant savings to make over the next period. This will affect many different aspects of the BBC’s work in Northern Ireland, including a reduction in staffing numbers.
“A voluntary redundancy process is currently underway and decisions about any necessary changes to local BBC output and services will be finalised in the autumn time. We want to maintain the reach, relevance and distinctiveness of the service that we provide – maximising audience benefit in an always changing world and using BBC resources to best effect.”
The BBC declined to give a figure for the annual cost of maintaining BBC Radio Foyle. Its annual accounts cover a combined expenditure total for BBC Radio Ulster/Foyle.
A TUV spokesperson told the News Letter: “It is telling that the BBC does not dispute the claim that Radio Foyle has less than 1000 listeners. With figures that insignificant how can it possibly be justified?”
The party said the BBC has lost the trust of a large number of people, and said it is “increasingly difficult to justify the BBC tax on everyone in the UK” in an age of choice.
“Preserving a radio station with negligible listener figures will only add to the impression that the BBC is a relic of a former age which can no longer justify its own existence”. the TUV said.
SDLP MP Colum Eastwood said: “I have raised the importance of Radio Foyle with successive British Governments and have consistently opposed attempts to cut this vital local service.
He said Foyle has been “a launching pad” for some of the NI’s finest journalists – while “providing trusted local news, sport and current affairs for generations of listeners”
“Too often, when the BBC looks to make savings, Radio Foyle finds itself in the firing line. We will not accept any further erosion of local public broadcasting and I will continue pressing the BBC to ensure Radio Foyle remains at the heart of its plans for the future.”