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Jobs to go at Beeb?

on 21 October 2009 , 3:14 pm 13 | 2 views

The Irish News reports today that major job losses are expected at the BBC in Northern Ireland.

Over on O’Conall St I ask whether it is time for a serious debate about devolving broadcasting policy to the North?

NOTE. Very sorry for the inaccurate headline earlier.

  • jone

    Conall, I think you’ve badly misread that IN copy; if 700 jobs went the BBC in NI would no longer exist.

  • fin

    “BBC executives are expected to inform around 700 staff in Belfast and Derry of major job losses in a series of meetings today.”

    You did misread it Conall.

    I believe Jeffrey Donaldson would be the most experienced person for ‘broadcasting policy’

  • Driftwood

    Let’s hope Steven Nolan is on top of the bonfire.

  • Expenses111

    Conall,

    Looks like you have a habit of reporting wrong information. You said last week that Margaret Ritchie had more than half of the assembly team onside in her election bid.

    Low and behold this appeared by the man who knows Mark Devenport –

    A Tale Of Two Tommies

    Mark Devenport | 11:54 UK time, Friday, 16 October 2009

    When a candidate declares their interest in leading a party, and appears with a phalanx of colleagues behind them, you might reasonably assume that this represents a sense of the backing they expect to get when it comes to decision time.

    So it was with Margaret Ritchie, who appeared in the Great Hall this week together with Alex Attwood, Mary Bradley, Dolores Kelly, Carmel Hanna, Tommy Burns and Tommy Gallagher. The MLAs duly nodded in the background as the Social Development Minister declared her intention to succeed Mark Durkan.

    The minister claimed to have the backing of “at least 50%” of the SDLP’s Assembly party. A supporter later explained that if you counted out Ms Ritchie, Mr Durkan and the other likely candidate deputy leader Alasdair McDonnell that left 13 MLAs, and given there were 6 politicians at Ms Ritchie’s launch that was almost half of the team.

    However a rumour has been going around Stormont that the two Tommies didn’t know they were going to be bit part players in a Ritchie leadership bid and, in fact, might be leaning towards Dr. McDonnell.

    — Well Conall???

    In an attempt to get to the truth of the matter, I’ve been speaking to sources close to the Tommies, who told me that as the phalanx set off down the stairs they did know what the minister planned to announce.

    But whilst I understand that Tommy Gallagher is a firm Ritchie backer, I am led to believe that Tommy Burns remains open to persuasion, friendly with both the Minister and Deputy Leader and not yet decided between them.

    Let’s hope he makes his mind up when it comes to the vote at the party conference in February, although given that it’s a secret ballot, will we ever know exactly what he decides?

  • Apologies for the incorrect headline. Doing this on ythe blackberry and unable to correct at the moment. Will do so as soon as I have access to a pc later today.

  • exile

    Conall has previous on misrepresenting the facts. He failed to respond when repeatedly challenged on the vacuous nonsense he spouted in the aftermath of the Lisbon II vote.

  • Expenses111

    I am not surprised. I have challenged him on various issues and he has bottled it.

  • stooping low

    one would have thought that a guy supposedly at the heart of the PR industry in n. Ireland – as well as having been the SDLP’s very own Goebels – would have had the sense/insight to know that 700 job cuts at BBC NI sounds a bit odd.

    I bet he feels like a right clown now

  • Peter Fyfe

    Have you saw the qualitry of NI made TV? Hope northern exposure is the first to go. Whoever made that, never deserves to work again. And the arseholes will put Chilsey on at an even worse time on a sunday night. No more broadcasting control for Belfast, that’s one bit of devolution I will never support.

  • jomax

    Expenses 111 and all the other Provo sock-puppets. It’s like what John Hume said years ago about the Provisional Movement: if they can murder and bomb and rob, character assassination and lies is no problem for them. You’re scared of CMcD and that’s why you hate him.

  • Expenses111

    Jomax,

    What a load of dribble from you. Just because I challenge Conall on an issue I am a provo. It is quite clear your mind set is stuck in the 1970’s.
    Conall has spread lies just like the SDLP so it is time he faced up to it or is he stuck behind muppets like you to answer for him

  • Tom

    “You’re scared of CMcD and that’s why you hate him.”

    Why would anyone be scared?

    This all seems like internal SDLP feuding, over McDevitts backing for ritchie under the nose of his south belfast colleague, McDonnell. Is he the “kingmaker”?

  • That’s a bit Stoopid

    scared of an individual allegedly at the heart of NI’s PR industry who couldn’t figure out that 700 redundancies at BBC NI sounded a bit, well, odd? Aye, proper quaking I am. The real Shinners on this site must still be laughing