David Burns to leave BBC Radio Humberside after being told ‘I won’t be needed’
Burnsy #Burnsy
One of Radio Humberside’s best-loved presenters has announced he is leaving the station as part of the major cuts in local radio.
David Burns, known to his loyal listeners as Burnsy, announced his departure on Twitter and on his show.
The BBC announced plans to cut back on local radio programmes last October. Under the proposals, dedicated local programmes would end after 2pm on weekdays, with content then shared with nearby stations until 10pm and nationally overnight.
Read more: A16 closed as Air Ambulance lands after serious crash
In a statement, Burnsy said: “The BBC has told me I won’t be needed as a presenter. I am eternally grateful to them for the opportunity, I’ve loved every minute, though the last few months have been unnecessarily painful.”
He added: “I think I made a difference and I couldn’t have done it without you as an audience. Your contributions, your, ideas, your passion for the area made it the multi-award winning show it is. Ta for that. I don’t know what the final show is, I’ll keep you posted.”
Referencing Frank Sinatra, he later added: “’And now the end is near…’ It’s all gone a bit Francis Albert and the final curtain is going to close on my time on The Burnsy Show … lots of love to my producers and colleagues who face a very uncertain and unsettling time.”
Last month, BBC Humberside presenters and staff in the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) took part in a 24-hour strike which led to a number of programmes being taken off air. Andy Comfort, an NUJ rep for the local BBC team, said he and others did not want to see services cut to the bone by sweeping cuts planned for local radio.
Rhodri Talfan Davies, the BBC’s Corporation Nations Director, said radio would remain a cornerstone of local life and plans to shift resources to its online operations would help the broadcaster connect with more people.
Under the plans, BBC Radio Humberside would share an editor with BBC Radio York. Some programmes would also be shared with the broadcaster’s Lincolnshire station. The weekend Great Outdoors programme would be among those lost to regional shows shared between Humberside, Leeds, York, Sheffield and Lincolnshire.
Around 48 jobs are expected to be lost across local BBC teams as a result of the proposals, according to the NUJ. In Hull, presenters and staff picketed outside the broadcaster’s regional office.
Those on strike included Burnsy, who said the planned cuts would affect the way audiences engaged with the BBC. At the time he said: “The plans have caused a lot of upset among BBC local radio staff. Local radio pulls in an audience of around five and a half million across the country. Match Of The Day has an audience of two and a half million, it’s all about perspective.”
Andy Comfort said the strike was about protecting one of the jewels in the crown of the BBC. The NUJ rep said: “This is where the BBC is closest to the audience because we live here too and we love providing a service to our local audiences in Hull, East Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire.
“Everyone here, whether they work for BBC Radio Humberside, Look North, for the BBC website, is really proud to be part of the community and we don’t want to see that service cut to the bone. BBC Local Radio is more than just news and information, it’s companionship and friendship, a lifeline to some of the most vulnerable in our area who might not have digital access.
“These are savage cuts, the BBC say these cuts are to pay for better local digital services, which we support, but we don’t agree that you have to make such sweeping cuts to valued local radio services to pay for it. The BBC has not asked local licence fee payers what they think and they haven’t sat down with staff on local radio stations about how we can provide better digital services without these cuts … we say keep BBC local radio local.”
Mr Davies said the proposals, which include moving £19m from radio to online to create 11 investigative reporting teams, were ambitious and far reaching. He added the plans were about trying to keep pace with changing audience expectations.
Under the plans, sports commentaries would remain local. Burnsy has been the voice of Hull City on the network for decades and it was not immediately clear from his announcement whether he would be staying in that role.
READ NEXT: