Sean: a Celebration

[gradus]

Its the sheer stupidity of treating SR in this way when an amicable solution seems to have been available by exercising a little patience.

[Ein Heldenleben]

That wasn't the point. It was that if he was offered a Sunday slot the number of possibilities (excluding PP and JRR) were small.

There are two ways of thinking about this: as an exercise in worker-management relations BBC practice is and always has been terrible. It trades on its reputation and the fact that many people want to work for the BBC and that gives management the upper hand which they misuse (that's my analysis, by the way, not a factual account of the situation). The other point, though, is that an employee on (a) fixed term contract(s) with their employer, once they reach normal retirement age, can't expect to be offered successive contracts for as long as the employee wants to go on working.

I don’t think you’re right . Management practice in the BBC is not “terrible.” I worked there on and off there for forty years as producer, manager and later freelance and, talking to my many friends in the public and private sector it’s no better or worse than many - there are however many differences between managing in the BBC and other large organisations. As objective measures the BBC loses very few days to strike action, doesn’t lose many employment tribunals and has low staff turnover though staff survey results are often average.

These are some features of the BBC that not every large organisation faces ..

1. The vast number of different roles and job descriptions. I think an analysis showed there were over 500 different jobs in the BBC. Some of them like music balancing are very highly specialised.

2. at the same time there is a lot of job confusion and role blurring . Very often people don’t know exactly what their job is. That’s been further confused by multi skilling and very vague job descriptions.

3.Constant year on year cuts, Don’t laugh but I think the BBC doesn’t have enough managers - it’s light particularly at the crucial editor and exec producer level - and that’s why they have editorial problems .

4.Constant media scrutiny that no other large organisation experiences which makes managers very timid.

5, The many different types of employee contract which has led to all the problems over presenters falling under IR35 as a consequence of

6. Inconsistent and sometimes erroneous HR advice . That is a big problem.

I personally dont think Sean should go but very very few people in the media still work at 77 - there aren’t many left at 57 to be honest . Once you are over 50 you’re pretty much in the firing line and by 55 you usually get a tap on the shoulder and a generous offer.
.By the way in law there is no “normal “retirement age any more .
When I joined you had to retire from the BBC at 60 if staff - now there are people working into their late sixties sometimes taking their BBC pension at the same time, I personally think that’s wrong particularly when so many of the youngsters are now freelance with no proper pension at all . It’s also is quite common in Universities and sixth form colleges I’m told .

[LMcD]

That wasn't the point. It was that if he was offered a Sunday slot the number of possibilities (excluding PP and JRR) were small.

There are two ways of thinking about this: as an exercise in worker-management relations BBC practice is and always has been terrible. It trades on its reputation and the fact that many people want to work for the BBC and that gives management the upper hand which they misuse (that's my analysis, by the way, not a factual account of the situation). The other point, though, is that an employee on (a) fixed term contract(s) with their employer, once they reach normal retirement age, can't expect to be offered successive contracts for as long as the employee wants to go on working.

It was probably hoped - or indeed assumed - that he would turn down any Sunday slot. I always suspected that Sean has more backbone than Alan Partridge!

[french frank]

I'm not sure whether Sean could have been offered the chance to become the host of Private Passions, as it is not a BBC Studios production.

That wasn't the point. It was that if he was offered a Sunday slot the number of possibilities (excluding PP and JRR) were small.

There are two ways of thinking about this: as an exercise in worker-management relations BBC practice is and always has been terrible. It trades on its reputation and the fact that many people want to work for the BBC and that gives management the upper hand which they misuse (that's my analysis, by the way, not a factual account of the situation). The other point, though, is that an employee on (a) fixed term contract(s) with their employer, once they reach normal retirement age, can't expect to be offered successive contracts for as long as the employee wants to go on working.

[LMcD]

The Sean Rafferty situation is just another example of the shabby regime that runs the BBC. Another specific example was Ken Bruce on Radio 2 but also on the way News staff were demoted or removed from the roster on television, and the treatment of Local Radio staff, particularly those who had been giving good loyal service for many years. Of course the former Culture Secretary who starved the BBC of funds in freezing the Licence Fee really gave momentum to the BBC to make cuts whic to me seemed to benefit the managers morethan the listeners and viewers, particularly older listeners.

An admirable summary of what's been going on (and may - unfortunately - continue)
I'm not sure whether Sean could have been offered the chance to become the host of Private Passions, as it is not a BBC Studios production.

[Old Grumpy]

Yeah well the thing is : I was TOTALLY wrong and he is in fact a very experienced journalist and presented live news and current in Northern Ireland which is no walk in the park.

Which explains why he is the best live interviewer on R3 by a country mile and should stay on In Tune.

[french frank]

I am interested that the BBC says it offered him a new weekly programme,(so not a move to part-time In Tune presenting then) but it was turned down - what form did it take I wonder?

‘We’d love you to stay on the radio, on Sundays’. That cuts down the possibilities. I assume it wasn't the offer to take over Private Passions or Jazz Record Requests.

It all seems very clumsy, given that SR's contract was due to finish early next year anyway. It does make me wonder if perhaps this is a distraction from something else that is planned.

I think they're mostly on fixed term contracts so the offer would have been a new contract presenting something else (perhaps it was Tom McKinney's Breakfast slot from Salford!)

[Ein Heldenleben]

What in this context is a "journalist"? According to his Wiki "Early Career" section he was involved in News and Current Affairs broadcasting in NI before moving into arts broadcasting.

Yeah well the thing is : I was TOTALLY wrong and he is in fact a very experienced journalist and presented live news and current in Northern Ireland which is no walk in the park.

Which explains why he is the best live interviewer on R3 by a country mile and should stay on In Tune.

[Old Grumpy]

I wonder what the alternatives were ? His skill is very much live studio . He is one of the few R3 presenters who I’ve heard do relatively challenging interviews with politicians- perhaps surprising as he doesn’t have a journalist background (until now) . There are established journalists on R3 who don’t do them as well as he does.

What in this context is a "journalist"? According to his Wiki "Early Career" section he was involved in News and Current Affairs broadcasting in NI before moving into arts broadcasting.

[Serial_Apologist]

Which may have been at least part of the issue? If that version of In Tune is no longer what the likes of Sammyboy wants, then that would apply to the long-standing presenter as well, especially if the other presenter is KD - so very much the epitome of "refreshed R3".
I am interested that the BBC says it offered him a new weekly programme,(so not a move to part-time In Tune presenting then) but it was turned down - what form did it take I wonder?
It all seems very clumsy, given that SR's contract was due to finish early next year anyway. It does make me wonder if perhaps this is a distraction from something else that is planned.

Which we'll all hear about once it's fate accomplished.

[oddoneout]

Let’s face it Sean WAS and IS In Tune.

Which may have been at least part of the issue? If that version of In Tune is no longer what the likes of Sammyboy wants, then that would apply to the long-standing presenter as well, especially if the other presenter is KD - so very much the epitome of "refreshed R3".
I am interested that the BBC says it offered him a new weekly programme,(so not a move to part-time In Tune presenting then) but it was turned down - what form did it take I wonder?
It all seems very clumsy, given that SR's contract was due to finish early next year anyway. It does make me wonder if perhaps this is a distraction from something else that is planned.

[cloughie]

The Sean Rafferty situation is just another example of the shabby regime that runs the BBC. Another specific example was Ken Bruce on Radio 2 but also on the way News staff were demoted or removed from the roster on television, and the treatment of Local Radio staff, particularly those who had been giving good loyal service for many years. Of course the former Culture Secretary who starved the BBC of funds in freezing the Licence Fee really gave momentum to the BBC to make cuts whic to me seemed to benefit the managers morethan the listeners and viewers, particularly older listeners.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

It’s all pretty sickening. I’m no fan of SR, but if they really needed to cull, it was the wrong place to start, but KD a rather obvious alternative.

[Serial_Apologist]

I wonder what the alternatives were ? His skill is very much live studio . He is one of the few R3 presenters who I’ve heard do relatively challenging interviews with politicians- perhaps surprising as he doesn’t have a journalist background (until now) . There are established journalists on R3 who don’t do them as well as he does.

Surprising??? I'm surprised you're surprised. Journalists have their own pre-defined boundaries around what is questionable or not, generally targetting personality rather than the system deciding they're in or out, and those highly paid to administer it.

As with case of Lammy's "wrong class running Britain", those in the lower echelons of the BBC should gang together in support of the likes of Rafferty (and unwarranted changes to the character of Radios 3, 2, 1 or whatever). OK, the BBC would have the power to then sack the lot of them - plenty of willing obedients waiting in the wings for prestigious jobs; so what to do. Picket Broadcasting House, picket Manchester HQ, bring the entire show to a halt until the big jobs concede. And if the courts injunct or the boys and girls in blue break up your action, there lie the lessons to be learned about class society. There was a TV discussion on this very issue this morning - what was missing was the angle of CLASS - since humankind overran earth's carrying capacity and learned to store or save up for a rainy day, somebody had to guard the surplus and by using the power conferred privileged themselves off the rest who actually created wealth by transmogrifying base materials into product by building kingdoms and private armies around themselves. Lammy probably restricts his idea of class to nice people by virtue of experience at the bottom versus rich bastards who live in their own world. An ounce of Marxism would clarify all this, pointing out the the ruling class are COMPELLED to treat the lowest in this way (while placating the middle layers with blandishments and favours) or otherwise go under - the truth being that they are educated to for toughness, many CEOs now being classified as psychopaths, and constantly at DAGGERS DRAWN with each other to remain competitive and profitable, this being the sole criterion of what holds them together as a class.

Reform the system? P*ssing in the wind or trying to make water run uphill. Choose your own metaphor

[Ein Heldenleben]

Well, please continue to post even when you’re not angry

I think that applies to all of us !