One of Radio Humberside’s best-loved and longest-serving presenters has announced he is leaving the station.
David Burns, better-known simply as Burnsy, announced his departure on Twitter, and on his show, referencing Frank Sinatra and saying “The BBC has told me I won’t be needed as a presenter”:
“And now the end is near…”
It’s all gone a bit Francis Albert and the final curtain is going to close on my time on The Burnsy Show @RadioHumberside .
Lots of love to my producers and colleagues who face a very uncertain and unsettling time.#savebbclocalradio pic.twitter.com/f4cPnoZCqG
— David Burns (@bbcburnsy) April 24, 2023
Burns is currently the presenter of the mid-morning programme at BBC Radio Humberside, and has hosted daytime shows on the station since mid-2011. He is also the channel’s regular commentator for Hull City’s games – it was not clear from his statement whether he would continue to cover the team following the end of his show, which he said he did not yet have a date for.
In May 2011, the station’s sports team of Burns, John Tondeur, Matt Dean, Mike White and John Anguish won a Sony bronze award in the Best Sports Programme category for their coverage of Grimsby Town’s relegation.
Burns’ departure comes as the BBC implements planned cuts to local radio which were first announced last October. Under the proposals, dedicated local programmes would end after 2pm on weekdays, with content then shared regionally until 10pm and nationally overnight.
BBC Radio Humberside would share an editor with BBC Radio York under the restructure, with some programmes also shared with the broadcaster’s Lincolnshire station. Other regional programming is expected to be shared between Humberside, Leeds, York, Sheffield and Lincolnshire.
Around 48 jobs are expected to be lost across local BBC teams as a result of the proposals according to the NUJ, although the corporation has emphasised that they would be countered by new jobs in its digital news services and the creation of 11 new investigative reporting teams.
Many BBC staff have taken industrial action to protest the cuts in recent weeks, including in Hull, where presenters picketed the broadcaster’s Queens Gardens offices as part of national action in March.
Those on strike included Burnsy, who said at the time he said: “The plans have caused a lot of upset among BBC local radio staff.”The plans have caused a lot of upset among BBC local radio staff. Local radio pulls in an audience of around five and a half million across the country. Match Of The Day has an audience of two and a half million, it’s all about perspective.”
Politicians, celebrities and BBC staff alike have criticised the cuts – most recently, BBC Look North’s Jeff Brown declined to host the show on Friday night “in line with the industrial action.”
A BBC spokesperson said: “We cannot comment on individual contracts. Many of our presenters will continue to present on local radio at the end of this process in new presenter/producer roles but we appreciate change like this is really difficult and we are supporting our teams closely through this.
“Our aim is to achieve a better balance between our local online and broadcast services at a time when millions of people increasingly turn to their mobile first for news and information. The changes see no reduction in funding or overall staffing levels across our 39 local bases in England.”
