BBC Look North’s Jeff Brown took to Twitter over the weekend to explain his ongoing absence from the regional news programme on BBC NE and Cumbria.
He explained: ““For those asking why – once again – I wasn’t reading the news on Look North tonight @BBCNEandCumbria it’s in line with the industrial action being taken by @NUJofficial in response to proposed cuts to BBC local radio.”
For those asking why – once again – I wasn’t reading the news on Look North tonight @BBCNEandCumbria it’s in line with the industrial action being taken by @NUJofficial in response to proposed cuts to BBC local radio.
— Jeff Brown (@JeffAB61) April 21, 2023
Brown and other BBC journalists, including his regular co-host Alison Freeman, are protesting £19m of cuts planned for local radio stations. The BBC insists it is not imposing cuts as local budgets will stay the same, and says the £19m of money from broadcast services is being moved towards online and multimedia production. Members of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) in BBC newsrooms across England have protested at the move. Brown’s co-host Freeman has also previously tweeted her support for industrial action over the perceived cuts:
I won’t be presenting @BBCLookNorth tonight. Along with @NUJofficial colleagues across the country we are refusing to act up in senior roles due to the way cuts are being made to local BBC services. I’ll still pop up on other bulletins. pic.twitter.com/iAr7nVT1aP — Amanda Harper (@amandaharper01) March 31, 2023
The BBC confirmed that the show had gone ahead as usual in Brown’s absence.
