The BBC is to allow local commercial stations to broadcast news bulletins produced by any of its 39 local radio stations in England and the BBC’s national stations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The announcement follows requests from some stations who have struggled to deliver a full news offer due to pressures imposed by the coronavirus crisis.
The offer is for an initial four-week period and is open to those stations who cannot produce their own local news due to staff illness or isolation.
Ken MacQuarrie, Director, BBC Nations and Regions, said: “We have been approached by a number of stations asking for help and we want to support the local commercial radio sector at this difficult time.
“It’s now more important than ever that reliable news is widely available, but some local commercial stations may see their newsroom disrupted by the impact of the coronavirus and in those instances we’re offering to make our local news bulletins available to them.”
Any station wishing to use BBC local news bulletins should contact Chris Burns via email: chris.burns@bbc.co.uk.
The move follows the Memorandum of Understanding the BBC recently reached with the Community Media Association, an umbrella organisation for 300 community radio stations, which means community stations can use content from the BBC’s local radio stations.
