BBC Northern Ireland
Management Review
2013/14

Management Review 2013/14 – Northern Ireland

BBC Northern Ireland will
work to further develop
the range and appeal of its
local and network content –meeting the needs of our
local and UK-wide audiences
If you wish to find out more about
the BBC’s year – including full financial
statements and performance against
other public commitments – then please
visit www.bbc.co.uk/annual report

Contents
01
02
04
14
15
16

National Director introduction
Two minute summary
Service performance
Key priorities for next year
Northern Ireland management
Contacts

Management Review 2013/14 – Northern Ireland

Front coverSons and Daughters Gala Concert

Management Review 2013/14 – Northern Ireland

National Director
introduction‘‘We want to continue todeliver more public value
by creating great content,
encouraging innovationand developing ourpartnerships and staff.’’

As the BBC approaches its 90th anniversary, of local broadcastingin Northern Ireland, we can reflect on a busy and productive year
during which our programmes and services enjoyed broad appeal,
critical acclaim and some of the highest levels of audience approval.

This year, we also increased the volume and value of locally
produced programmes for BBC network television. We want toachieve more in this area; bringing real benefits for BBC audiences
and the wider economy in Northern Ireland.

In many ways, it was a remarkable year with lots of memorable
events and programmes. A stand-out moment was the Sons andDaughters opening concert of Derry~Londonderry, UK City of
Culture with magical performances from Derry’s world-classtalent led by Phil Coulter. It was an honour to be such a big andcentral part of it.

All this activity is prioritised against a background of ongoing
financial challenges and rapid development in new technology.

We and BBC Radio Foyle in particular were at the heart of thecultural programme, bringing spectacle and excitement toaudiences throughout Northern Ireland and to the rest of the
UK producing more than 50 projects on television, radio andonline with some great partnership working along the way.
Among the highlights, the Radio One Big Weekend, Music City Day,
the all-Ireland Fleadh and Pure Culture on BBC Radio Foyle
dedicated to City of Culture content. A BBC Radio 4 Reith Lecturefrom artist Grayson Perry came from The Guildhall and our
closing concert ‘A Year in a Night’ attended by BBC Director
General, Tony Hall was broadcast live from St Columb’s Hall.

As the next BBC charter approaches, our strategy will involve
continuing to focus on audience value and to do that, we want tosecure the future of local content and services on digital platforms;
making our programmes more widely available; extend the range
and appeal of what we do and ultimately the approval of ourlicence-fee payers.
We want to ensure our staff and suppliers can give their creative
best and to develop and extend our existing partnershiparrangements to make the licence-fee investment in Northern
Ireland work even harder for the benefit of the BBC, the wider
creative sector and our local audiences.

This activity showcased the range and impact of what the BBC
can achieve in serving audiences and our important role insupporting new talent and ideas.
In addition to UK City of Culture, other significant programming
included Proms in the Park, the G8 Summit, President Obama’s
and other world leaders’ visit to Fermanagh and the World
Police and Fire Games. We launched the first returning
network TV drama series set in Northern Ireland, The Fall; a
new contemporary television strand, True North; and marked
Spotlight’s 40th anniversary with a special programme andInvestigative Journalism conference.

Management Review 2013/14 – Northern IrelandPeter Johnston
Director, BBC Northern Ireland01Management Review 2013/14 – Northern Ireland

Two minute summary
BBC Northern Ireland aims to provide something of value for everyone in thecommunity through a broad range of programmes and services which inform andstimulate debate, celebrate and support cultural and sporting life, and reflect local
interests and experiences for audiences within Northern Ireland and across the UK.
Hours of local television output by genre in 2013/2014
These totals describe local programming on BBC NI television
during 2013/14; 86 hours of this output (with a value of £5.46m
Gross and £5.35m Net) was commissioned from the local
independent sector.

Hours of BBC Radio Ulster/Foyle output by genre in 2013/2014
These totals describe the volume and type of programming
provided by BBC Radio Ulster/Foyle. Much of this output involves
listener interaction. Continuous output in this categorisation
includes specialist music and other strands.

Genre

Genre

Hours of programming produced

Hours of programming produced

Comedy, Entertainment and Music

34

Continuous output

News and Weather

391

News and Weather

3541

Current Affairs

30

Sport

513.1

Sport

70

Factual and Factual Entertainment

72

Drama

4.6

Children’s and Education

17

City of culture

Spotlight

50

40

Audience – The Fall

Appreciation –Groundbreakers

4.308m91

Individual BBC projects across
television, radio and online

Average audience for the BBC Two network
drama made by BBC Northern Ireland
Management Review 2013/14 – Northern Ireland

4826

Years on air for BBC NI flagshipcurrent affairs programme

Appreciation index for the series of four documentaries
looking at the lives of four key historical Ulster figures02

Management Review 2013/14 – Northern Ireland

Two minute summary
Approval for the BBC in Northern
Ireland (mean score out of 10)

6.73
6.51

Average weekly reach of BBC NI
television (% of the population)

34.0

33.7

6.62

Average weekly adult reach of Radio
Ulster/Foyle (000s)

533

532
520
33.0

2011/122012/132013/142011/12Source: ART/Kantar

2012/13

Source: BARB

Local BBC television output totals (Hours)
These totals describe the hours of BBCNI television programming
for local audiences. The volume and profile of our output isaligned against relevant Service Licence and SoPPs commitments
and the BBC’s Public Purposes. These totals can fluctuate overtime as a result of the cost/type of programme beingcommissioned, the timetabling of programme deliveries, etc.

760

2011/122013/14738

761

2012/132013/14

Source: RAJAR

BBC Radio Ulster/Foyle output totals (Hours)
These totals describe the hours of programming on BBC Radio
Ulster/Foyle. The volume, profile and content of our output arealigned against the station’s Service Licence and the BBC’s Public
Purposes. These totals can fluctuate over time as a result of cost/
type of programme being commissioned, the timetabling of
programme deliveries etc. The reduction in hours was due to thestation closing transmission at midnight during the previous
review period.

9,470
9,256

656

2010/112011/122012/132013/14

Management Review 2013/14 – Northern Ireland

2010/112011/12

8,899

8,880

2012/132013/1403

Management Review 2013/14 – Northern Ireland

Service performance
Television, radio and online – bringing the stories of
local people to audiences at home and across the UK.

BBC Northern Ireland Television
A deep connection with the needs of local audiences is the basis
on which BBC Northern Ireland has developed its television
programme strategy. It is a rolling calendar of programme making,recording and reflecting key moments and events in a society thatis always changing.

Reports ranged from coverage of Derry~Londonderry, UK
City of Culture’s year long programme to the biggest security
operation ever mounted locally for the G8 summit, President
Obama’s visit to Belfast, the Haas talks, the World Police and Fire
Games and tributes to Seamus Heaney. And we also looked at thecontinuing effects of the Troubles on individuals and communities.

Audiences demand quality content from the BBC and have highexpectations of our mix of programme styles and approaches.
Impartiality, integrity and authenticity are defining features of
our television output and are the basis on which its success has
been built. Our output provides a trusted source of news andinformation and a showcase for local stories, talent and creativity.

Special investigations looked into a rural child sex abuse caseinvolving a family of brothers and dozens of children and an
exclusive report on the barbaric ‘sport’ of cockfighting. Our
weather presenters gave interpretation of some of the severest
winter conditions to hit our shores with reporters and TV crews
broadcasting dramatic images live from some of the worst
affected areas.

Northern Ireland audiences have a strong appetite for news andcurrent affairs. The news gathering capability of BBC Newsline andinvestigative strength of Spotlight provide debate, analysis andexploration of issues affecting the whole community and theimportant stories of the day.
Within a highly competitive news environment, BBC Newsline’s
combined bulletins reach on average 55% of the population.
From across Northern Ireland, our correspondents and district
reporters used their specialist skills and local knowledge todeliver stories on health, education, security, policing, justice,business and the economy interpreting a rapidly changing news
agenda and following, all the major political, community and civic
stories of the year.

Donna Traynor presents BBC Newsline

Management Review 2013/14 – Northern Ireland

Spotlight conducted a major investigation into claims of politicalinterference in the running of the Housing Executive, which
won the current affairs category at the Celtic Media Festival,
and reached its 40th anniversary. The programme’s track recordin ground breaking journalism was reflected in a special edition,
Spotlight at 40. Archive-based and presented by Declan Lawn,
it looked back at some of its most significant investigations with
contributions from Jeremy Paxman, Gavin Esler and Alex Thomson.

Declan Lawn among the archives as Spotlight reaches 40

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Management Review 2013/14 – Northern Ireland

Service performance
The milestone was also marked by a special Investigative
Journalism Conference on why investigative journalism matters.
Media commentator Steve Hewlett and RTÉ’s Miriam O’Callaghan
hosted the one day event in BBC Blackstaff Studio A. Contributors
included Sue-Lloyd Roberts, Heather Brooke, Michael Crick,
John Sweeney, Stacey Dooley, Roger Bolton, John Ware, Darragh
MacIntyre, Susan O’Keeffe and Professor George Brock.
Other Spotlight investigations included the controversy
surrounding ‘On the Runs’, revelations about a Belfast Accident
and Emergency department and an exclusive interview withformer property developer, Tom McFeely.
The Nolan Show returned to our screens to probe the issues thatmatter, the stories of the week and the people who make theheadlines. The programme ranged widely reflecting on theconcerns of the elderly, serious problems in the health service
and abortion law in Northern Ireland.
Describing, explaining and analysing the work of the Assemblyand Executive remains a central part of our work. The View
completed its first year reviewing the week’s political eventsfrom Stormont and Westminster and was complemented by
Stormont Today, Sunday Politics, Inside Politics and our online service,
Democracy Live.
Sporting fixtures and achievements remained popular across our
output. BBC Sport Northern Ireland was the host broadcasterfor the final of the RaboDirect Pro 12 rugby tournament. The
game, between Leinster and Ulster, was played in Dublin andshown live by BBC Northern Ireland and five other broadcasters
across Scotland, Wales and Italy. Monthly analysis of our top 20
programmes confirms rugby’s popularity with our local audienceswith Ulster Rugby Live as the most watched programme on
BBC Two NI.

The Stephen Nolan ShowManagement Review 2013/14 – Northern Ireland

There was also comprehensive coverage of Gaelic Games acrossradio and television. All eight matches in the Ulster Championshipwere broadcast live on BBC Radio Ulster, with seven shown liveon BBC Two NI, and one other fixture shown later, in full. Allgames involving Ulster Counties in the All-Ireland stages of theChampionship were also broadcast live on BBC Two NI and BBC
Radio Ulster, as Tyrone made it to the All-Ireland semi-final.
We delivered domestic soccer, popular highlights programmingaround international soccer and international motorcycle road
racing events including the North West 200. Our sports news
reporters continued to follow the success of our local golfers athome and abroad, broke exclusive news of the Irish Opencoming to Royal County Down, and led the way with investigative
features including the controversial sale of the Belfast Giant’s
Ice Hockey team.
The 40-year career of veteran broadcaster Jackie Fullerton was
captured in a special programme, Jackie’s Golden Moments.

Stephen Watson at Ravenhill Stadium, the home of Ulster Rugby

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Management Review 2013/14 – Northern Ireland

Service performance
Derry~Londonderry, UK City of Culture opened with style andcelebration in a spectacular Sons and Daughters gala concert withsome of the city’s world class talent coming home to give magical
performances led by Phil Coulter. The year-long programme of
events attracted large and appreciative audiences.

Other large-scale television events throughout the year included
Proms in the Park from the Titanic Slipways with special guest,
soprano Katherine Jenkins and the St Patrick’s Day concert fromthe Waterfront Hall produced by BBC NI and featuring the
Ulster Orchestra.

BBC Radio Foyle played a lead role in assisting BBC Northern
Ireland with its partners to produce over 50 supporting
programmes and events. This investment showcased the history,
heritage and energy of life in the North West to regionaland UK-wide audiences and contributed to a significant culturaland creative legacy by providing a platform for new andemerging talent.

Our relationship with a range of local organisations including
the BBC’s Writer in Residence at Queen’s, CSV media training
programme and the National Museums of NI who host the
BBC archive at Cultra and the Ulster Orchestra, helps to extend
the reach and impact of what we do.

Locally and nationally, we were present on television, radio andonline throughout to capture some truly amazing broadcasting
moments in a rich portfolio of documentaries and series
including, Pure Culture, a daily weekday show on BBC Radio Foyle
dedicated to City of Culture content. Programmes, among a
broad range of commissions,included a landmark history
programme, Carlo Gebler’s The Siege.
The Radio One Big Weekend attracted 35,000 young musicfans with an estimated 6 million tuning in on Radio 1 and 1Xtra,
2.3 Million on BBC Three and 1 million live on the Red Button.
We also had Music City Day from dawn to dusk and captured
the music and craic from the all-Ireland Fleadh in news coverageand English and Irish language TV documentary programmes.
BBC Director General, Tony Hall attended the finale concert,
A Year In A Night in a live broadcast from St Columb’s Hall which
reviewed City of Culture standout moments with performancesfrom Soak; the Clameens and members of the Music Promise
Programme and other special guests under the award-winning
direction of Frank Gallagher.

We want to do more in this area and have a developing relationshipwith Libraries NI. It hosted BBC outreach events in Ballyclare,
Omagh, Larne, Lisburn, and Ballymena during which membersof the public could find out more about the work of the BBC.
Once again, audiences in Northern Ireland contributed
generously to the BBC’s Children In Need appeal, raising £818,070.
150 children from four local schools joined 2,000 others acrossthe UK to perform Gary Barlow’s ‘Sing’ live to the nation.
BBC Northern Ireland featured programmes around significant
historic events including Dive World War Two – Our Secret History.
This two-part series presented by Jules Hudson followed a diveteam in search of the forgotten shipwrecks of the Battle of theAtlantic on the sea bed off the coast of Northern Ireland.
We are also supplying content to the epic four-year, BBC-wide
World War One season and have commissioned a number ofprojects, including Ireland’s Great War and The Man Who Shot theGreat War which explore aspects of Ireland’s involvement in WW1.

BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend, part of Derry~Londonderry UK City of Culture

Management Review 2013/14 – Northern Ireland06Management Review 2013/14 – Northern Ireland

Service performance
BBC Northern Ireland is also participating in one of the mostambitious, large scale BBC Nations and Regions initiatives,
World War One at Home, which on television, radio and on-line isgiving a permanent home to some 1,400 surprising local stories
from familiar places across the whole UK and Ireland.
The legacy of our more recent past was explored in a numberof important documentaries, which generated significant political,
press and public interest and debate.
The Disappeared, directed by award-winning film maker Alison
Millar and presented by Darragh MacIntyre told the story of
those killed and secretly buried by the IRA and the effects ofwhat happened on their relatives. In addition to BBC One NI,
the programme was also broadcast on BBC Four and RTÉ
attracting a combined UK and Irish audience of around 1 million.
Critically acclaimed, it won Best Documentary at the2014 Irish Film and Television Awards (IFTA’s).
Paisley: Genesis to Revelation, two exclusive and historicallyimportant programmes from veteran journalist and broadcaster,Eamonn Mallie captured Ian Paisley’s memoirs in a series of lengthy
interviews. The two programmes had a combined audience
reach of 330,000, almost one quarter of the Northern Ireland
adult population. The second programme achieved an average
audience of 280,000 and delivered one of the highest everrecorded shares for a BBC Northern Ireland programme at 51%.
Bright Brand New Day told the story of the Reverend David
Latimer’s historic address to the Sinn Féin Annual Conferencein Belfast 2011 during which he called for a day of ‘hope andtransformation’ and in The Far Side of Revenge, a group of local
women with politically diverse views and backgrounds joined
Teya Sepinuck’s pioneering Theatre of Witness.

Darragh MacIntyre presents award-winning programme, The DisappearedManagement Review 2013/14 – Northern Ireland

In Discrimination: They Think It’s All Over, Michael McDowell andTim McGarry took a serious but also entertaining look back at the
introduction of equal opportunities legislation in Northern Ireland.
Recording and reflecting contemporary life as it evolves inNorthern Ireland is also an important part of our remit. It adds
to our programme mix and helps diversify the schedule.
Building upon the success of single documentaries in this area,
BBC Northern Ireland commissioned a bespoke new television
strand, True North. It launched with the Miraculous Tales of Mickey
McGuigan, a mesmerising and beautifully filmed exploration ofcures and miracles.
Other remarkable stories about individuals and community life in
the series included, The Life and Times of Master Hamilton, The Wall,
Run, Grandad, Run and The Last Minyan, about the disappearing
world of Belfast’s Jewish Community.
A special preview screening, part of a BBC NI programme ofaudience engagement initiatives, heralded the arrival of another
innovative programme in the form of Five Fables, an ambitious
re-telling of stories that were written half a millennium ago by
the medieval Scots poet, Robert Henryson.
They explored themes familiar to many of us from the tales of
Aesop. This series was developed for television by local animationcompany Flickerpix with the close involvement of Seamus Heaney,
who was still working on the project at the time of his death in thesummer of 2013. It featured an original music score by Barry Douglas
and was narrated by Billy Connolly. All these talents combinedwith stunning images to create a very special viewing experience.

Ian Paisley’s memoirs are recorded in Paisley: Genesis to Revelation07

Management Review 2013/14 – Northern Ireland

Service performance
Five Fables was supported by the Ulster-Scots Broadcast Fundalongside other programmes, including Stumpy’s Brae, a new
drama for BBC NI television, which used Ulster Scots to re-create
the soundscape of rural community life.
The Irish Language Broadcast Fund helped support televisioncontent ranging from music, drama to sport and history allof which forms an important part of our BBC Two weekdayschedule. Content included the return of Scúp, Colin Bateman’sseries set in an Irish Language newspaper office which also aired
on TG4. It’s A Blas followed William Crawley’s efforts to learn
how to speak the Irish language, which won an Aisling Awardand country singing star Daniel O’Donnell hosted a series ofconcerts from the Town Hall in Newry, Co. Down in Opry an Iúir.
Other high quality, distinctive factual and entertainment
programmes were strategically placed into the schedule to cater
specifically for the tastes and interests of local audiences. This
content ‘uniquely of this place’ adds value to the performanceof the BBC in Northern Ireland.
Watch Over Me, a hard hitting observational documentary series
followed staff at the Forum Against Substance Abuse (FASA),
Northern Ireland’s only community based organisation tackling
drugs, alcohol dependency, suicide and self-harm and a new
five-part documentary series, Barristers gave viewers a uniqueand unprecedented insight into our legal system.
A six-part series, Jigs and Wigs reflected on the world-wide
phenomenon of Irish Dancing twenty years after Riverdance;
and a century after ‘Danny Boy’ was first published, Danny Boy:
The Ballad That Bewitched the World uncovered its astonishing past.

The Miraculous Tales of Mickey McGuigan for True NorthManagement Review 2013/14 – Northern Ireland

The death of Seamus Heaney was marked in a range of different
ways, including an evening of programmes co-scheduled withBBC Four. We also marked the death of actor, James ‘Jimmy’ Ellis
made famous for his role in BBC programmes, Z Cars and theBilly Plays but also an accomplished writer of short stories – someof which had been broadcast on BBC Radio 4.
Celebrating pioneering people from our past, William Crawley
examined the legacy of Ulster Scots scientist Lord Kelvin in The
Man Who Shrank the World while Margaret Mountford retraced
the steps of Isabella Tod, one of the most prominent Victorian
campaigners of women’s rights in Ulster’s Forgotten Radical.
In comedy, drama, entertainment and the arts, returning series
included Monumental; the ever popular panel show, the Blame
Game, The Arts Show and local student drama 6 Degrees andPatrick Kielty hosted a one hour comedy gala Funny on the Foyle,with Roy Walker, Tim McGarry, Jake O’Kane and Colin Murphy
as part of Derry~Londonderry UK City of Culture.
These genres provide an important development platform for
emerging acting and writing talent which is further enabled by ourwork to improve the portrayal of our region across the BBC’s
UK-wide networks through increasing the supply of locally-madenetwork television programmes.
We are building a strong portfolio of commissions in drama,
factual, entertainment, day-time and current affairs to achieve
our 3% target of total network television expenditure by 2016.

Barristers gave insight into our legal system08

Management Review 2013/14 – Northern Ireland

Service performance
Psychological thriller, The Fall and police drama, Line of Duty for
BBC Two network television, both of which were filmed entirely
on location in Northern Ireland were re-commissioned forsecond series and are building a portfolio and reputation for us
in the genre of crime drama. The Fall was one of BBC Two’s top
performing dramas in recent years with a total audience reachof 8 million. It picked up three awards, including Best Drama,
Best Actor and Best Original Score at the 2014 IFTA’s.
The second series of Line of Duty achieved a very strong average
weekly audience of over 3 million and 12% share, significantly
out-performing the slot average. It has been commissioned fora further two series.
Belfast based production teams were also behind the making of
27.5 hours of new day-time television for BBC One. With 20 new
episodes and 10 update programmes, Wanted Down Under wasa major new production for BBC Northern Ireland.
Regularly attracting 2 million viewers, this series, in its eighth run,hooked viewers on watching families making life changing decisions
about escaping the vagaries of the UK’s weather. for a new life
thousands of miles away in Australia or New Zealand.
The series was stripped across the week Monday to Friday andwas followed in the morning schedule on BBC One by anotherlocally produced network series Real Lives Reunited; a ten parthuman interest series that puts disaster survivors back in touchwith the heroes who saved them.
BBC Northern Ireland’s factual and features teams produced
more inserts for The One Show, Sunday Morning Live, Points of View
with Jeremy Vine, whilst current affairs are now making morethan a quarter of the BBC’s Panorama programmes and specials
with reporters Darragh MacIntrye, Mandy McAuley and Declan
Lawn making regular network appearances.

The Fall with Jamie Dornan and Gillian Anderson

Management Review 2013/14 – Northern Ireland

Panorama programmes for BBC One included investigations into
Amazon, The Truth Behind the Click, tax avoidance, cancer, thework of the family courts and stories from Russia and Bangladesh.
Songs of Praise commissioned programmes around calendar
events including Derry~Londonderry, UK City of Culture and
St Patrick’s Day. Both came from The Guildhall, with additional
programmes from Belfast and County Fermanagh.
For BBC Two, we produced Dan Snow’s History of the Congoand History of Syria for This World, The Hidden World of Britain’s
Immigrants by Feargal Keane and The Greatest Knight, the firstbiography of medieval knight, William Marshall.
Four one hour programmes, India: A Dangerous Place to Be A
Woman, Generation Ceasefire, Prostitution and Christmas on Benefits
made by BBC Northern Ireland were broadcast on BBC Three.
Local programmes, Love and Death in City Hall and Dan
Cruickshank’s beautifully crafted, Written in Stone series about
Ulster architecture migrated to BBC Four with Danny Boy: The
Ballad that Bewitched the World also being screened. The BBC One
NI commission, The Music Promise, co-commissioned by CBBC
and renamed Hit the Stage matched children with music mentors,
including pop star Katy B.
All this activity is bringing additional inward investment into the
local creative sector where we are taking a more strategic andtailored approach to working with independent companies andNorthern Ireland Screen to create a vibrant and sustainable film
and television industry. We want to build the volume, impact andsustainability of network television made here and to increase
its many benefits.

Adrian Dunbar as Superintendent Ted Hastings
in the second series of Line of Duty

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Management Review 2013/14 – Northern Ireland

Service performance
BBC Radio Ulster/Foyle
BBC Radio Ulster/Foyle embraces every aspect of communityand cultural life in Northern Ireland. Its reach and popularity
remain unparalleled in wider BBC terms, with community
connection at the core of its appeal.
Pre-dominantly speech-based, BBC Radio Ulster/Foyle
programmes provide a showcase for local talent, diversity
and creativity. Specialist and mainstream music, news andinformation, entertainment and hard hitting investigations are
all part of the service it provides. Listeners’ voices permeate
its output and our relationship with them has been enhanced
through a programme of outside broadcasts and events.
Good Morning Ulster is established as BBC Radio Ulster’s news
agenda setting programme of the day. It hands over to Stephen
Nolan’s weekday show which provides, a forum for debate,
investigates community issues and holds policy and decision
makers to account.
Important stories covered issues affecting health and social careprovision in Northern Ireland. They included powerful personal
stories about the needs of older people, abortion law andemergency care in local hospitals. They generated significant
levels of audience interaction and intense political debate andmade use of our specialist journalists and links between BBC
radio, television and online.
Routinely, we cover political developments in Today at theAssembly and Inside Politics and report on the full range of issues
affecting social, economic and community life in our news andcurrent affairs programmes, Good Morning Ulster, Talkback andEvening Extra.

The Good Morning Ulster team, Conor Bradford, Karen Patterson
and Noel Thompson

Management Review 2013/14 – Northern Ireland

Community news also featured in Your Place and Mine and thework of its network of local correspondents. This long running
Saturday morning programme moved from Belfast and is now
produced and broadcast live from BBC Radio Foyle with Pure
Culture moving to a weekly half hour on Friday nights also from theNorth West. Relocation of content reaffirmed our commitment
to BBC Radio Foyle as a regional production base.
Outreach events are an important part of BBC Radio Ulster’swork. It helps provide a point of connection with people andevents across the region. Presenters and production teams
from Talkback, Good Morning Ulster, the Saturday Magazine andGardener’s Corner regularly take to the road to engage withaudiences, with Hugo Duncan ever popular for his own brandof entertainment.

Pure Culture with Sarah Brett and Michael Bradley

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Service performance
Social media and technological innovations including BBC Radio
iPlayer enable us to get close to our listeners. It makes ourcontent accessible in new and different ways while plannedscheduled changes allow us to respond to an always changing
media environment and to fulfil our ambition to develop newtalent and ideas. During this period, Kerry McLean took over the
BBC Radio Ulster 3pm-5pm afternoon slot, Monday to Thursdaywith Gerry Kelly bringing in the weekend on Friday afternoons.
Named Radio Station of the Year at the Celtic Media Festival,
BBC Radio Foyle played a key role in covering Derry~Londonderry
UK City of Culture celebrations with specially commissioned
programmes and events. A new show, Pure Culture was launched
and a purpose built studio set up in Ebrington as part of BBC
Radio Foyle’s role in showcasing local talent and helping to bringwhat was happening in the North West to a region-wide
audience. The average weekly reach of BBC Radio Foyle
programming in 2013 is the highest on record.
For one day in June, BBC Radio Ulster/Foyle combined its
schedules for Music City Day broadcasting over 19 hours ofmusic from dawn to dusk and there was additional engagement
throughout the year from programmes including Sounds Classical,
Across the Line, Arts Extra, Your Place and Mine, Gardener’s Cornerand Sunday Sequence.

Specialist music across the BBC Radio Ulster schedule is celebrated
in many forms, live recordings, documentaries, performancesand concerts and through established programmes including,
ATL, Strike Up the Band and Sing Carols. John Anderson exploredNorthern Ireland’s world renowned choral tradition in Sing Out
and in Shifting Sands Colum Sands undertook a four-part seasonalmusical journey.
BBC Radio Ulster/Foyle’s documentary portfolio reflected theregion’s diverse cultures and traditions and encompassed new anddeveloping expressions of community life. Content ranged widely,
capturing unusual stories about extraordinary events and people
and celebrating music, sport, language, landscape and the past.
Our Rivers journeyed along six of Northern Ireland’s mostimportant waterways, Rail Baggage boarded the Belfast to Dublin
train to explore the experiences of cross-border travellers and,Letting the Walls Speak, followed the journey of composer Mark
Anthony Turnage and Paul Muldoon commissioned to write acantata to mark 400 years of the building of Derry’s City Walls.
Bronagh Gallagher returned to the City of Culture to explore its
astonishing musical heritage and history in The Town I Loved So Well.

The Radio Ulster Documentary strand included investigations,
historical features and original thinking on topical issues. Soundtracks
with Adrian Dunbar looked at Northern Ireland’s love affair withWe also provided extensive coverage of the World Police andcinema and Revolutions Per Minute brought back to life some of theFire Games, the many developments and discussion points around best records of the last fifty years.
the G8 Summit in County Fermanagh and once again broadcast
History is a major theme for the BBC with BBC Radio Ulster/Foyle
Proms in the Park live from the Titanic Slipways with the Ulster
participating in World War One at Home to mark the centenary
Orchestra and guests.
of the 1914-1918 war through stories and events linked to places
To engage diverse audiences and to make classical music accessible
across the UK and Ireland. A more contemporary documentary,
to a wider community, other innovative projects with the Ulster
Building on the Past looked at controversial plans to build a peace
Orchestra included a New Year’s Viennese Concert live from thecentre at the Maze prison site.
Millennium Forum in Sounds Classical and Love is in the Air
Valentine’s Day concert from the Ulster Hall.

Afternoons with Kerry McLean
on BBC Radio Ulster

Management Review 2013/14 – Northern Ireland

BBC Northern Ireland in partnership with the Ulster Orchestra delivered unique broadcasting
moments including Proms in the Park and a New Year’s Viennese Concert

11

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Service performance
Archive recordings on BBC Radio Ulster were a highlight of
BBC MacNeice Week, marking the anniversary of the poet’s death
and accompanied a week long programme of special events
celebrating his life and work.

A portfolio of Irish Language and Ulster-Scots output helped
diversify and enrich the schedule and included the docu-drama
Feall Fuilteach – Scéal Mhaolra Seoighe which won best Radio
Documentary at the Celtic Media Festival.

Tribute programmes also reflected the enormous contribution
made by Seamus Heaney to literature, broadcasting and the arts.
Radio Heaney, featured highlights of his many years as a presenter
while in Heaney SJ, Marie Louise Muir visited St Columb’s College
in Derry to find out how its most celebrated past-pupil would
be remembered.

Arts Extra rounded up cultural and entertainment events inNorthern Ireland with William Crawley presenting The Book
Programme. Morning Service, Sunday Sequence and Sounds Sacredreflected the place and importance of religion in local society
and we launched a new series on contemporary Christian music.

Innovation and renewal is the lifeblood of broadcasting, withradio playing an integral role in the development of new formats,shows, talent and ideas.
The Hole in the Wall Gang, creators of topical sketch show,
A Perforated Ulster produced Number 2’s, a brand new sitcom set
in the corridors and meeting rooms of Stormont. Panel show,
Bad Language made a first appearance as did Guards, a two-part
comedy about the surreal life and times of a policeman posted
to the fictional Irish border village of Ballycranna.

BBC Radio Ulster/Foyle’s historic role as a meeting place anddebating chamber of the airwaves is something which we want todevelop over the next period. We will continue to celebrate andexplore community, cultural and ethnic diversity, showcase talentand ideas, make use of our rich archive and play an enabling role in
the arts and creative industries.
Our priority will be to maintain BBC Radio Ulster/Foyle’s reach,relevance and enduring relationship with local audiences, in the
midst of rapid changes in technology, listening habits and local society.

Our sports radio teams broadcast more than 400 hours oflive output across the year. Coverage included the Ulster andAll-Ireland Championships in Gaelic Games, Ulster’s Heineken
Cup matches and Ireland’s internationals in rugby, every NI
international football match and marathon live broadcasts fromthe NW 200 and the Ulster Grand Prix. The team also produced
a documentary about the British Lions and legendary Irelandrugby international Brian O’Driscoll ahead of his final tour.

BBC Radio Ulster celebrated the life of Seamus Heaney

Management Review 2013/14 – Northern IrelandMarie-Louise Muir presents BBC MacNeice Week

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Management Review 2013/14 – Northern Ireland

Service performance
Digital, community and events
Digital developments continue to transform our work, creating
new ways of making, connecting and thinking about broadcasting.
Following our Creative Collisions event last year run by BBC NI’s
Technology Operations Department, we continued to build acollaborative technology outreach programme with theNorthern Ireland Science Park, Department of Education andLearning with the involvement of local companies, universities
and colleges.
This helps to share media technology knowledge and builds local
skills. Currently we are working to develop a visual component
on mobile devices for BBC radio content which could ultimately
provide a building block for new types of content.
Our cutting edge technologies enabled increased provision in
local and network TV and Radio and improved our capability
in coverage of large scale events such as sport and the elections.
Our work is also having impact further afield with technology
solutions provided to the World Service, Persian TV, BBC
Children’s and BBC Sport during the Sochi Winter Olympics.
Going forward we want to continue to work to secure thewidest availability of local BBC services in a fast moving digital
environment across PC, TV tablet and mobile devices and tounderstand, through continued research how audience tastes
and interests are adapting to technological change.
Online and related developments including the availability of
most local programmes on the BBC’s iPlayer and BBC Radio
iPlayer is extending choice and enhancing the services we provide
to local audiences. There have been some remarkable resultsin this area. During the review period, there were 2 million
downloads of BBC Northern Ireland television programmes,
figures which have more than doubled over the last three years.
Large numbers of users also avail of our website bbc.co.uk/ni
which updates audiences with important information, coverageof sporting and major news events. Around 2 million uniquebrowsers came to BBC Northern Ireland online content each
week, an increase of 25% on the previous year.
Social media is also transforming our work and the pace andfrequency of our interaction with audiences. Immediacy andspeed bring with it risk and opportunity and requires theconstant revision and application of BBC editorial standards andguidelines. Audiences expect the BBC to be a consistent andtrustworthy source of impartial, reliable news and information
across all programmes and platforms.

Management Review 2013/14 – Northern Ireland

Our work in promoting learning and media literacy continued
with content produced for all BBC platforms. This, included
projects such as Stargazing – This Year, with a major public eventat the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, live streamed schools
programme, Mission Control presented by Barra Best and Starry
Night on BBC Radio Ulster.
The Summer of Wildlife campaign encouraged audiences to getcloser to our extraordinary wildlife and included a programmefor BBC One NI, Wild on Water, presented by Karen Pattersonwith accompanying online activities and a family focused eventat Castleward.
Projects supporting the local school curriculum included Bitesize
History, English Literature and Irish for GCSE students. Politics
and citizenship were also on the agenda in a live webcast fromthe Assembly featuring five MLA’s and one hundred pupils on theanniversary of the Belfast Agreement. The Radio One Academy
brought creativity and employability workshops and sessions
to One Big Weekend in Derry~Londonderry UK City of Cultureand BBC News School Report continued to provide hands on
experience and unique opportunities for students to produce
and present stories on issues of importance to them.
During this period, the BBC Local Apprenticeship Scheme (LAS)
opened for applications. It followed Director General Tony Hall’s
pledge to open up the BBC to people from the broadest possible
range of backgrounds. The scheme, for non-graduates, 18 andover leads to a Level 3 apprenticeship in Broadcast Journalism.
It means two 15 month placements for BBC Radio Ulster/Foyle.
This is in addition, to the BBC NI and industry led Aim Hightrainee scheme, which in its third year has been successful increating many employment opportunities.
We continue to support initiatives such as the Belfast Festivalat Queen’s and the Belfast Media Festival which made its maiden
voyage to the North West as part of Culture Tech and the
Derry~Londonderry, UK City of Culture programme. The BBCtechnology operations stand proved to be one of the mostpopular among aspiring future media professionals.
Formal and informal collaboration with a range of partners
continues to produce some remarkable broadcasting moments,
events, conversations, exhibitions and training opportunities.
It extends the reach, value and impact of what we do. It is ourambition going forward to seek out new co-operative ways
of working.

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Management Review 2013/14 – Northern Ireland

Key priorities for next year
This is a period of real transformation for BBC Northern Ireland.
There are challenges ahead, but also exciting opportunities.
Network
We will increase the volume, value and range of network
television programmes produced in Northern Ireland, working in
partnership with the independent sector, and will seek to explore
development opportunities in network radio.
Partnerships
We will seek to develop new partnership opportunities as ameans of extending the creative and other benefits of BBC
investment in Northern Ireland.
Local
We will seek to maintain the reach, relevance and editorial
ambition of BBC NI’s local programmes and services, making useof new formats and talent and taking account of audience
feedback and research.
Value
We will continue to pursue a managed programme of savings andefficiencies across all aspects of our work, aligning effort andresources against core BBC purposes and priorities, and seeking
always to provide value for money and for local licence fee payers.
FutureWe will continue a review of our property and technicalinfrastructure to meet the needs of modern broadcasting, secure
our presence on digital platforms and enhance consumer choice
by extending the range and availability of local content on new
platforms including BBC iPlayer and BBC Radio iPlayer.

Management Review 2013/14 – Northern Ireland

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Management Review 2013/14 – Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland management

Peter Johnston
Director BBC NI

Steve Carson
Head of Productions BBC NIMark Adair
Head of Corporate & Community Affairs

Jeremy Adams
Head of TV Current Affairs

Kathleen Carragher
Head of News & Current Affairs

Fergus Keeling
Head of Radio

Susan Lovell
Head of Television Commissioning

Mark Taylor
Chief Operating Officer

Kathy Martin
Head of Marketing,Communications & Audiences

Management Review 2013/14 – Northern Ireland

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Management Review 2013/14 – Northern Ireland

Contacts
If you wish to find out more about the BBC’s year – including
full financial statements and performance against other public
commitment – then please visit www.bbc.co.uk/annualreport.
If you want to know more about how the BBC is run, then please
visit www.bbc.co.uk/abouttheBBC. BBC Audiences Services is
our audience’s virtual front door to the BBC.
If you have a question, comment, complaint or suggestion about
BBC programmes and services, then please write to us here.
BBC Information
PO Box 1922
Darlington DL3 OUR
Telephone: 03700 100 222*
(Lines are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Calls maybe
monitored or recorded for training purposes.)
Textphone: 03700 100 212*
Website: www.bbc.co.uk/feedback
To find out more about BBC Northern Ireland and our services,
programmes, activities and events visit us atwww.bbc.co.uk/northernireland*0370 numbers are called ‘UK wide’ and cost no more than calls to 01 or 02 geographic
numbers.

Management Review 2013/14 – Northern Ireland

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