Axing of BBC Singers and related cuts

[ahinton]

Broken Britain.

Yes - and perhaps soon to be replaced by Broken Scotland, Broken England and Broken Wales, with NI reuiniting with the rest of Ireland...

[french frank]

This is the full press release:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2023/bbc-new-strategy-for-classical-music

"Taking the difficult decision to close the BBC Singers in order to invest more widely in the future of choral singing across the UK, working with a wide range of choral groups alongside launching a major choral development programme for new talent."

It's hard to see what immediate relevance investing BBC* licence fee money 'more widely in the future of choral singing across the UK' has to do with broadcasting. At best it can only be spreading a few millions more widely and making less of an impact.

*BBC = British Broadcasting Corporation

[Norrette]

Today's culture, break the existing contract, put the staff on zero hours contracts. Shocking!

[EnemyoftheStoat]

This is the full press release:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2023/bbc-new-strategy-for-classical-music

"Taking the difficult decision to close the BBC Singers in order to invest more widely in the future of choral singing across the UK, working with a wide range of choral groups alongside launching a major choral development programme for new talent."

It's hard to see what immediate relevance investing BBC* licence fee money 'more widely in the future of choral singing across the UK' has to do with broadcasting. At best it can only be spreading a few millions more widely and making less of an impact.

*BBC = British Broadcasting Corporation

The arrogance of these people, to destroy something with such a history and replace it with their own vanity project.

[Ein Heldenleben]

This is the full press release:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2023/bbc-new-strategy-for-classical-music

"Taking the difficult decision to close the BBC Singers in order to invest more widely in the future of choral singing across the UK, working with a wide range of choral groups alongside launching a major choral development programme for new talent."

It's hard to see what immediate relevance investing BBC* licence fee money 'more widely in the future of choral singing across the UK' has to do with broadcasting. At best it can only be spreading a few millions more widely and making less of an impact.

*BBC = British Broadcasting Corporation

Once you’ve got through the jargon strewn summary the 53 page BOP report on Classical Music in the UK is well worth reading. It has a lot of data on the financial state of the industry pre and post Covid. In summary things were on the up pre Covid . The pandemic has had a devastating impact on the whole music sector including of course classical .

[Simon Biazeck]

I imagine that the BBCS were already scheduled to appear in several of this year's Proms.

I heard that they weren't... Now there's a smoke signal. Appalling.

[Tony Halstead]

Petition against the closure here: https://chng.it/LVKdstCZBH

We could also do with one against the cuts to the orchestras.

SIGNED

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Although I’ve never been a fan of the BBCS, this is a shocking announcement. Whenever there’s reorganisation involving savage cuts, some people will invariably benefit, alongside the misery of the victims. Time will tell whether this will be the case here.

[french frank]

OIn summary things were on the up pre Covid . The pandemic has had a devastating impact on the whole music sector including of course classical .

I think this was known. But I don't understand why BBC licence fee payers' money is to be used to invest in 'choral singing across the UK' - unless there are plans for programmes in which to broadcast them, of which there are no details. They are decreasing the investment in their own provision which will have an obvious impact.

[RichardB]

The pandemic has had a devastating impact on the whole music sector including of course classical.

That is indeed what "they" would like us to think, that because of the pandemic we can't afford classical music any more. On the other hand we can apparently afford (for example) to subsidise private landlords to the tune of many billions per year, in order to keep "buy to rent" an attractive proposition. Everything is upside down.

[ahinton]

That is indeed what "they" would like us to think, that because of the pandemic we can't afford classical music any more. On the other hand we can apparently afford (for example) to subsidise private landlords to the tune of many billions per year, in order to keep "buy to rent" an attractive proposition. Everything is upside down.

And we can apparently afford all those BBC presenters listed as having salaries in excess of £150Kp.a. none of whom is a composer ha ha ha! The prospect that Gary Lineker is more expensive than BBC singers surely speaks volumes for itself...

[W.Kearns]

So sad.... That the BBC had its own named and dedicated consort gave choral singing everywhere a vote of encouragement. Choirs were valued was the message. It's all very well and worthy to make pledges about investing 'more widely in the future of choral singing across the UK' but it's not the same.

[Ein Heldenleben]

I think this was known. But I don't understand why BBC licence fee payers' money is to be used to invest in 'choral singing across the UK' - unless there are plans for programmes in which to broadcast them, of which there are no details. They are decreasing the investment in their own provision which will have an obvious impact.

They don’t give a figure to the level of cut but if it’s consistent with what’s happened across the BBC it shoukd be of the order of twenty per cent over the last five years or so in real terms . I’d estimate the saving from the singers going to be about £400,000. The orchestral cuts are likely to save more but it’s difficult to quantify without knowing what the “freelance” replacements will cost. Freelances tend to be a lot cheaper partly because of the underlying costs of the BBC pension fund. Precisely the same thing has happened in the Higher and especially Further Education sectors - freelancers have replaced staff position. Just as a comparison the whole of BBC Studios (apart from the bureaucrats) was forced to go freelance five years ago. Literally thousands of staff jobs went.
I don’t think these cuts to music are anything like the scale of those that BBC news has recently undergone. It might sound brutal but this is an inevitable consequence of what’s happened to BBC funding over the last few years. You might not believe it but Radio 3 and Classical Music has been comparatively well protected (until now). TV Arts spending like all factual documentary spend is well down for example.

[Ein Heldenleben]

The BBC’s head of orchestras Simon Webb is on In Tune now . As I thought he won’t put a specific figure on the savings but he says the cuts required are in line with the overall BBC target of 20 percent. Quite a feisty interview.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

And we can apparently afford all those BBC presenters listed as having salaries in excess of £150Kp.a. none of whom is a composer ha ha ha! The prospect that Gary Lineker is more expensive than BBC singers surely speaks volumes for itself...

And GL’s job is only part time.