Axing of BBC Singers and related cuts

[Joseph K]

Thanks for illustrating my point. BBC News is not “heavily biased.”

Well, the BBC certainly is not independent is it? It is connected to quite an extent to the government of the day. My research says it is biased, about many important things, e.g. the inevitability of austerity. We discussed this on here not so long ago.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Well, the BBC certainly is not independent is it? It is connected to quite an extent to the government of the day. My research says it is biased, about many important things, e.g. the inevitability of austerity. We discussed this on here not so long ago.

Point me in the direction of one BBC reporter who has said “austerity is inevitable “ rather than reporting a politician saying that. They are not the same thing. There are certainly connections with the Government of the day and I think there is quite a bit of internal concern over the current BBC chairman and the possibility that the BBC’s editorial independence might be compromised or perceived to be compromised . But I can’t see any evidence of that in its political coverage. If I have one criticism of the BBC at the moment it is its editorial timidity but it’s very easy for some one who’s left to carp from the sidelines.

Anyway all this is massively off thread…

[Joseph K]

Point me in the direction of one BBC reporter who has said “austerity is inevitable “ rather than reporting a politician saying that. They are not the same thing. There are certainly connections with the Government of the day and I think there is quite a bit of internal concern over the current BBC chairman and the possibility that the BBC’s editorial independence might be compromised or perceived to be compromised . But I can’t see any evidence of that in its political coverage. If I have one criticism of the BBC at the moment it is its editorial timidity but it’s very easy for some one who’s left to carp from the sidelines.

Anyway all this is massively off thread…

[Maclintick]

Point me in the direction of one BBC reporter who has said “austerity is inevitable “ rather than reporting a politician saying that. They are not the same thing. There are certainly connections with the Government of the day and I think there is quite a bit of internal concern over the current BBC chairman and the possibility that the BBC’s editorial independence might be compromised or perceived to be compromised . But I can’t see any evidence of that in its political coverage. If I have one criticism of the BBC at the moment it is its editorial timidity but it’s very easy for some one who’s left to carp from the sidelines.

Anyway all this is massively off thread…

Staying massively off-thread to counter your assertion that BBC News is not biased in favour of the Tories, and to point you in the direction of at least one BBC reporter who said “austerity is inevitable “ rather than reporting a politician saying that. Nick Eardley immediately after Sunak's accession on 25th Oct last year:

"The economic backdrop has changed: Mr Sunak is going to have to agree to spending cuts, and to tax rises"

Eardley's view, not parrotting a politician. There are other examples, Kuenssberg a prime offender, re-tweeting unattributed guff from Tory backbenchers. Studies by the Cardiff School of Journalism and Glasgow Media Group point in the same direction. Defection of disillusioned (?) BBC presenters to other channels, notably LBC -- Eddie Mair, Andrew Marr, Emily Maitlis, Jon Sopel, James O'Brien, Lewis Goodall...I'll get back on topic, now.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Staying massively off-thread to counter your assertion that BBC News is not biased in favour of the Tories, and to point you in the direction of at least one BBC reporter who said “austerity is inevitable “ rather than reporting a politician saying that. Nick Eardley immediately after Sunak's accession on 25th Oct last year:

"The economic backdrop has changed: Mr Sunak is going to have to agree to spending cuts, and to tax rises"

Eardley's view, not parrotting a politician. There are other examples, Kuenssberg a prime offender, re-tweeting unattributed guff from Tory backbenchers. Studies by the Cardiff School of Journalism and Glasgow Media Group point in the same direction. Defection of disillusioned (?) BBC presenters to other channels, notably LBC -- Eddie Mair, Andrew Marr, Emily Maitlis, Jon Sopel, James O'Brien, Lewis Goodall...I'll get back on topic, now.

One sentence taken out of context means nothing - I would need to see the entire report . Nick is a highly respected political reporter . The idea of him being biased in favour of tax rises or spending cuts is ludicrous.

[Joseph K]

One sentence taken out of context means nothing - I would need to see the entire report . Nick is a highly respected political reporter . The idea of him being biased in favour of tax rises or spending cuts is ludicrous.

See #48.

[Vox Humana]

It isn't a question of "pop" versus "classical" music in the context of BBC support, it's the fact that culture in general is being run into the ground as unnecessary. Imagine any government of the 1960s or 1970s of either party saying that the BBC has to institute cuts of 20% across the board. Nobody would have stood for it. What has happened in the meantime? An enormous growth in wealth inequality, made acceptable to the populace by relentless propaganda through the decades around the idea that greed is good and government funding from tax revenues is bad. It's going to take a radical change of consciousness to prevent this process from continuing.

The problem is that Lord Reith's admirable ideal of a public broadcasting service for "all that is best in every department of human knowledge, endeavour and achievement" is long gone. The BBC now has to justify its existence and its funding, the inevitable result of a government attitude (highlighted only a day or so ago in one of the Hancock messages) that believes that the British public is work-shy and therefore needs continual whipping. The inevitable result is a focus on popularity at the expense of mind-improvement. In what universe is this impoverishment of experience, this continual cutting of culture, and particularly of classical music, regarded as progress? In business it would be seen for what it is: evidence of a failing business.

[pastoralguy]

Hear, hear. A shocker.

Absolutely!

[oddoneout]

I may not be one of the BBCS biggest fans, indeed I think my first ever Forum post concerned a less than stellar performance I had just heard, but that doesn't mean I support this decision, far from it. A couple of thoughts sprang to mind straight away - what effect might it have on the composition of new choral music, and(in the light of the ENO/move to Manchester debacle) have any choirs been approached and lined up to fill the gap that will be created, not just in the field of new music.
There is quite a lot in the release linked at the beginning of this thread which doesn't make sense to me, but then I suppose that's always going to be the case when the corporate speak is simply going through the motions of "explaining" decisions made for different reasons than those publicly stated.
This

Enhancing and enabling emerging and diverse choirs is also key to engaging a wider and a future audience

I suspect had a lot to do with the decision making? Tickbox completion as strategy driver.
There is I think a certain irony in this

invest resources in a wider pool of choral groups from across the UK.

given the view put forward on the Forum on several occasions(generally following a less than good performance) that the broadcast dominance of the BBCS was to the detriment of the many other excellent vocal ensembles in the country. Be careful what you wish for?

[Nick Armstrong]

Says it all really

[pastoralguy]

I wonder what’ll happen with Radio 3’s Christmas Carol Competition. It was always the BBCSingers who performed the finalists pieces. Or will the competition be quietly dropped?

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I wonder what’ll happen with Radio 3’s Christmas Carol Competition. It was always the BBCSingers who performed the finalists pieces. Or will the competition be quietly dropped?

That’s one thing I shan’t miss. But the competition’s demise shouldn’t carry the choir with it.

[french frank]

I'd give anything to know who actually came up with the suggestion. Not everyone in the top echelon of decision makers would know anything about the Singers, or know what savings there would be from these cutbacks. But some people certainly would.

I wonder what’ll happen with Radio 3’s Christmas Carol Competition. It was always the BBCSingers who performed the finalists pieces.

Don't quite remember why it happened, but there was an occasion when - under Roger Wright's direction - a group of R3 presenters got together in the In Tune studio to broadcast a jolly sing-song. I'm not 100% sure it wasn't retaliation for some criticism of R3 that had hit the headlines. Not that I'm suggesting …

[RichardB]

In another place, a respected musicology professor has quoted the figure that expenditure on orchestras and choirs constitutes around 0.62% of BBC turnover... so obviously taking an axe to that is not exactly going to have a deep impact on the BBC's finances.

[oddoneout]

In another place, a respected musicology professor has quoted the figure that expenditure on orchestras and choirs constitutes around 0.62% of BBC turnover... so obviously taking an axe to that is not exactly going to have a deep impact on the BBC's finances.

But it's the PR that matters - sends populist message, reinforces the misperception and ignorance.
Just a thought, and I accept that I am inclined to the cynical when looking at such things . The axing of the BBCS makes no sense, so is it a deliberate ploy? Throw it out there, see who(ie big and/or important names) responds, make pretence of reconsidering, sort of relent but attach "well if we don't do this we'll have to do that" conditions, and end up with what management wanted in the first place but dressed up as having listened and re-considered.