THE BBC is now ‘part of the headwinds’ threatening commercial local news, Ofcom has said.
For the first time the communication watchdog has acknowledged the national broadcaster is contributing to the difficulties websites such as the Manchester Evening News are facing.
Ofcom said the BBC’s move to cut back on local radio and invest heavily in creating online local news in direct competition to existing publishers ‘may be displacing commercial page views to some degree’.
“We recognise that increased BBC online local news forms part of the headwinds facing local publishers,” it writes in its Review of Local News in the UK, published last week.
But Ofcom said the BBC wasn’t solely blame for an overall decline in page views in local news. Instead it pointed to longer-term trends such as news avoidance and changes to referrers such as Google and Facebook.
It said evidence to date showed ‘weak’ links between BBC expansion and local news challenges, saying this was because it was hard to separate BBC activity from other factors, such as ‘changing attitudes to news, social media and search engine algorithms and policies towards local news’.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der December 03, 2024-Ausgabe von Manchester Evening News.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der December 03, 2024-Ausgabe von Manchester Evening News.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
How much will it cost?
IN 2019, when Boris Johnson visited North Manchester General Hospital, he said that the work would cost around £500m. But under the Conservatives, the government did not confirm exactly how much money the hospital would actually get for the ambitious plans.
BIGGER THAN JUST A HOSPITAL
The government has confirmed that the urgent rebuild of North Manchester General Hospital WILL go ahead.
'Too long with the remnants of a workhouse'
FOLLOWING his statement in Parliament, Wes Streeting took questions from MPs.
SOBERING THOUGHTS
As millions continue with Dry January, LISA SALMON asks the experts how alcohol affects the brain and how stopping drinking could help reverse damage
Canal 'attacks' arrest made
A SUSPECT has been arrested following a number of reports of a man 'threatening and assaulting' members of the public on a canal path.
Is slow pee a big problem?
Q: We have an eight-year-old male Labrador cross. He seems to be taking longer than normal to pee. We'd like to know what the causes could be, and what investigation might be needed.
Trump back in charge
DONALD Trump was yesterday sworn in as the 47th President of the United States, promising a \"revolution of common sense\" and taking charge as Republicans assume unified control of Washington and set out to reshape the country's institutions.
Search for the stolen babies
IT is a scandal that doesn't bear thinking about - this special follows the astonishing plight of mothers whose babies are believed to have been stolen at birth.
Heed call to ditch your phone in the morning
SCROLLING through a mountain of holiday selfies on Instagram first thing in the morning might feel harmless, but this instinctive behaviour can have hidden consequences. Here's why making screen-free mornings a priority should top your 2025 resolution list.
EASY DOES IT
The simple healthy habits to start right now
