Royal bash thrown to thank regional media teams as regional radio shows are cut
The King has praised the work of regional news and media operators this evening, just as the radio industry cuts local and regional programmes.
All of Global and Bauer’s regional radio shows in England have been cut or will end shortly, whilst BBC local radio restructured recently in favour of sharing programmes regionally.
But His Majesty The King, in front of a specially invited audience of media management, praised the work of the sector saying it has a unique and vital role to play in society.
He welcomed the work of local news rooms, which in the radio industry, have also been cut.
The message from His Majesty The King reads:
I have long believed that regional media, in all its forms, has a unique and vital role to play in society, perhaps even more so in these uncertain times.
As I said in a speech to mark the tercentenary of Britain’s first daily national newspaper, back in 2002, the Press, alongside other long-standing institutions, is at the forefront of ‘defining, describing and celebrating the more profound values of our nation’.
Two decades on, when too much focus is given to that which divides us, that role for your whole industry is more important than ever – and it starts from the ground-up, at local level, in your hands.
Your reporting, and the work of all those who support you, helps amplify and reaffirm the rights and responsibilities we all share. It shines a light in dark corners, exposing injustice and wrongdoing. Above all, it helps strengthen our communities, in times of joy and at moments of sorrow.
You won’t always get it right. A free media is one that will and does make mistakes. But at its best, it is a cornerstone of our democracy.
I know how commercial pressures and changing technologies have had a significant impact on your industry. But as the media landscape has changed, so too many of you have adapted and innovated, finding ways of sharing your journalism and engaging audiences in new and creative ways.
It is in everyone’s interests that you should succeed. For without a thriving and financially robust regional media, we would all be the poorer.
Thank you.
Charles R