BBC South Today Oxford bulletin to be axed in November

The BBC has announced plans to axe its regional TV news programme in Oxford.

South Today in Oxford is due to end in November and merge with the regional programme from Southampton.

The local bulletins, currently presented by Geraldine Peers and also Jerome Sale, have been a mainstay on TV schedules since 2000.

BBC Nations director Rhodri Talfan Davies said it was a "difficult decision" but he wanted to "strengthen" local online news services.

The Oxford programme is broadcast on weekdays at 18:30 from studios in Summertown for up to 13 minutes and employs 18 staff.

It then hands over to the Southampton bulletin, which is broadcast to the wider region.

Mr Talfan Davies said while the Oxford programme had "delivered some fine journalism over recent years, it attracts a smaller audience than other regional news shows in England".

In an email Mr Talfan Davies wrote that the decision was made "against the backdrop of a licence fee settlement that is frozen over the next two years".

He said there would be "greater focus on the development of local online news and audio content which many of our audiences increasingly rely on".

He added: "We would also retain a strong reporting team in Oxford to contribute to the merged South Today service."

He said while roles were not "at risk of redundancy today", further clarity on the impact of jobs would be provided by mid-July.

Paul Siegert, the NUJ's national broadcasting organiser, called the announcement a "direct consequence of the government's decision to refuse to fund the BBC adequately".

He added: "The two year freeze on the licence fee has left the BBC with some tough decisions to make.

"It's the second restructuring for BBC England in the past two years, and a clear sign that the first process was ill-thought through and poorly implemented."

He said the changes also left the corporation with a "post code lottery when it comes to regional news" and was a "backwards move".

Layla Moran, MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, said South Today Oxford was "greatly treasured by Oxfordshire residents" and a "vital trustworthy news source in a time where fake news and disinformation are on the rise".

She added: "Expecting residents in Oxfordshire and Hampshire to share the same news bulletin is impractical, and I am worried that Oxfordshire news may get squeezed out, meaning we lose out coverage for important local stories."

Oxford's first BBC South Today bulletin was broadcast on 16 October 2000.

Heather McCarthy was the first presenter, with Geraldine Peers taking over in May 2001.

It was the first BBC TV news programme in which all the reporters shot and edited their own stories, a system that still operates today.

The BBC's political correspondents Alex Forsyth and Helen Catt, Ireland correspondent Emma Vardy, and community affairs correspondent Adina Campbell are among journalists who got their big breaks on the programme.

The regional news programme in Cambridge is also being axed as part of the cuts, it was announced.

Follow BBC South on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].