NORTHERN IRELAND
MANAGEMENT REVIEW
2011/12a

01 Introduction
02 Two minute summary
04 Service performance 2011/12
12 Looking ahead 2012/13
16 Key priorities for next year 2012/13
17 Contacts
18 BBC Northern Ireland management

Cover image
New television drama from BBC Northern Ireland – 6Degrees.

INTRODUCTION“We have a responsibility toreflect, describe and explain
the whole of community life
in Northern Ireland.”It has been a year of challenge
and remarkable achievement –technical, creative and editorial.
We can report on another busy andsuccessful year for BBC Northern Ireland.
Our services retained their popularityand broad appeal, connecting withaudiences in different ways across theschedule. We delivered several new drama
projects for television and radio; provided
extensive coverage of the Assembly
election and The Queen’s visit to the
Republic of Ireland; extended our businessand economics journalism; explored life incontemporary Northern Ireland throughdocumentary series and debate; createdlarge-scale music and entertainment events;
and brought local voices and talent to aregion-wide audience through an ambitious
programme of outside broadcasts.

We also continued our work to grow thevolume and value of network programmesthat are made in Northern Ireland. Current
affairs, factual, drama and comedy
programming were all part of this mix –attracting appreciative audiences and much
critical success.
Like so many other organisations, this has
also been a period of real financial challenge.
We have faced some difficult choices andwill need to make further reductions in
expenditure and staffing over the coming
years. None of this is easy. Our concern,
however, has been, and will remain, to avoid
any adverse impacts on the service that
we provide to local audiences. We playa central role in cultural and community
life in Northern Ireland and are confident
that we can make an even more effective
contribution to local society and the wider
BBC. Making this ambition a reality will bea key priority for my teams in the next
12 months.

Peter Johnston
Director, BBC Northern Ireland

1

TWO MINUTE SUMMARYBBC Northern Ireland aims to provide something of value foreveryone in the community through a broad range of programmes
and services which inform and stimulate debate, celebrate andsupport cultural and sporting life, and reflect local interests andexperiences for audiences within Northern Ireland and acrossthe rest of the UK.

Hours of local television output
by genre in 2011/12

Hours of BBC Radio Ulster/Foyle
output by genre in 2011/12

These totals describe local programming on BBCNI
television during 2011/12; 65.75 hours of this output(equivalent to 34% of qualifying non-news hours with avalue of £5.15million) was commissioned from the local
independent sector.

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 thiscategorisation includes specialist music and other strands.

Genre

Genre

Hours of programming produced

Hours of programming produced

Comedy, Entertainment and Music

19

Continuous Output

5,098

News and Weather

393

News and Weather

3,715

Current Affairs

29

Sport

443

Sport

75

Factual and Factual Entertainment

54

Drama

5

Children’s and Education

13

2

Average weekly 15-minute reachof BBC One in Northern Ireland

Average weekly 15-minute reachof BBC Two in Northern Ireland

Reach is described as a percentage of the total population
who consumed BBC television programming over a
specified time period (in this case 15 minutes). These totals
reflect the continuing popularity of BBC television, but also
the effect of competition from other broadcast services
on digital platforms.

Reach is described as a percentage of the total population
who consumed BBC television programming over a
specified time period (in this case 15 minutes). BBC Tworemains the primary channel for much of our sports andminority language programming. It is also used to giveaudiences another opportunity to see local programmes.

09/10
10/11
11/12

73.3%
77.8%
77.3%

49.7%
49.2%
49.4%

09/10
10/11
11/12

Average weekly reach for
BBC Radio Ulster/Foyle

Average weekly unique browsers of
BBCNI Online (millions)

Reach is described as a percentage of the total population
who consumed local BBC radio services in Northern
Ireland. These totals represent an average of the quarterly
audience figures that were produced by Rajar across thereview period. BBC Radio Ulster/Foyle retains its placeas the region’s most popular station.

These totals describe the average number of weekly
unique browsers during April each year on the
BBCNI website.

09/10
10/11
11/12

35.3%
36.3%
36.5%

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 is aligned against relevant Service Licenceand SoPPs commitments and the BBC’s Public Purposes.
These totals can fluctuate over time as a result of thecost/type of programme being commissioned, thetimetabling of programme deliveries, etc.

09/10
10/11
11/12

627
656
760

09/10
10/11
11/12

0.66
1.01
1.27

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 are aligned against the station’s Service Licenceand the BBC’s Public Purposes. These totals can fluctuate
over time as a result of the cost/type of programme beingcommissioned, the timetabling of programme deliveries, etc.

09/10
10/11
11/12

9,514
9,470
9,256

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SERVICE PERFORMANCE –TELEVISION, RADIO AND ONLINE 2011/12
We provide programmes and services across radio, television andonline – bringing the stories of local people to audiences at home
and across the UK.

BBCNI television
BBCNI television provides a reflecting
mirror to local society. All aspects of life arecaptured in its programmes. These include
people and events from Northern Ireland’s
past and ever-changing present; celebrationsof local achievement and diversity; news
and current affairs; and documentarystrands. Quality, distinctiveness and editorial
ambition are central to all of this work.
BBCNI-produced programmes delivered
large audiences across the year – helping
to enhance and extend the appeal of BBC’s
services at local level.
Our news programmes remain a trusted,and popular, source of information, reports
and analysis. Major stories and developments
in recent months have included: coverage of
1

1. Exploring history with
Dr Eamon Phoenix in
Ninety Year Nation.
2. Celebrating a comedy genius– Frank Carson.

42

the Assembly and local government
elections; policing, security and justice issues;
the challenges facing the health sector; The
Queen’s first visit to the Republic of Ireland,
including extended live coverage of key
events; the Irish Presidential election; Ian
Paisley’s decision to retire from active
ministry and his subsequent illness; and theeffect of autumn flooding on communities
in Fermanagh. Our specialist and district
reporters brought range, depth and a
succession of story exclusives to BBC
Newsline; business and economics coverage
was enhanced with the creation of a new
editor role and team; and we madeeffective use of social media in finding
new ways to connect with, and involve,
our audiences.

Northern Ireland

We followed the work of the Assemblyand Executive with a new-look Sunday Politics
and launched Stormont Today with a revised
editorial brief and time slot. Other
developments are planned in this area aspart of a phased refresh of our politics
output. These will seek to optimise theimpact and benefits of BBC investment,
building on established strengths andexpertise. Long-form interviews,
commentary and debate will remain
essential features of this mix, but we’ll
also want to try some new and different
approaches, including changes in presentation.
Spotlight brought audiences a range ofstories from behind the news headlines,
including investigative reports on the widereaching effects of the downturn in the
housing market; local views on Scotland’s
debate about independence; alleged failingsin the work of the Police Ombudsman’s
office; alcohol misuse; and the internal
workings of the Orange Order. Our skills
and reputation in current affairs journalism
have also helped to secure an increasing
number of commissions for BBC network
television, including Panorama investigations
into FIFA, car insurance fraud and politicalfunding, and This World programmeson the Vatican, Wikileaks and the placeof Mormonism in the USA.
We explored the legacy of a community
dispute in Ardoyne in Holy Cross – Ten Years
On and were given a revealing insight into
marching bands and the lives of Shankill
families in an acclaimed observational
documentary, The Men Who Won’t Stop
Marching. Community experiences werealso the focus of a popular, and much talked
about, series filmed over an extended
period in Ballysally. The Estate told thestories of local people and described someof the triumphs and challenges of everyday
life. Consumer concerns from across theregion were highlighted in a returning seriesof In Your Corner; 6Degrees provided a fastpaced and engaging depiction of college life
at a fictional Belfast campus; we looked atpolitical and other changes in society with
Denis Murray’s reflections on his 20 year
career as the BBC’s Ireland Correspondent;
and we got an alternative perspective on
events surrounding the outcome of theSaville Inquiry in Bloody Sunday: The
Long Wait.
Commerce (and dogged optimism) in the
midst of conflict were profiled in an
affectionate documentary about Belfast’s
Europa Hotel, and we looked at John
Hume’s pivotal role in local politics in a
specially commissioned film biography. Social
history was the theme of Those Were The
Days, an archive-based series about changes
in technology, culture, home life andbusiness, and we had some powerful
television nostalgia with repeat screeningsof Graham Reid’s iconic Billy Plays. The
events and terrible human cost of the
Belfast Blitz were captured in a programme
coinciding with its 70th anniversary andwe journeyed further back in time with
Neil Martin in Plandáil, a series about
the background, workings and effectsof the Ulster Plantation.

5

SERVICE PERFORMANCE CONTINUED

Domestic architecture and design were thetalking points in a returning series of Houseof the Year; gardening enthusiasts were given
inspiration (and perhaps just a little envy)
in Get Up and Grow; wildlife and the naturalenvironment were explored in Wild Week
Live, an ambitious multi-platform initiative
which involved broadcasts and reports
from Castle Espie and other locations;and we looked at the many different
aspects of rural life in Luí na Talún.
Sruthanna explored our coastal waters andrivers in a kayaking odyssey; we travelledhalfway around the world in Mini Adventure,
which re-created the audacious road trip
which three young men from Northern
Ireland had undertaken in 1962; and weheard about the experiences of Irish people
who went to 1960s London in search ofwork in Men of Arlington. Military stories
were re-told in a powerful, and affecting,tribute to Ranger Aaron McCormick(who died in Afghanistan on Remembrance
Sunday 2010) and in The Long Walk which
dealt with the work of army bomb disposal
teams in Northern Ireland.
Out of the Blue showcased arts eventsand creative talent in a new series of live
1

6

interviews and film reports; music-making
and competition were profiled in Pipe
Dreamers, a revealing look at the training
and dedication involved in pipe bands; anddance was the big preoccupation for agroup of young people in Tattoo Debut.
Performance and artistic ambition werealso explored in Wanabees, which featured
aspiring ‘girl band’ Voodoo, and we had aplentiful supply of first-class traditional musicin Imeall Geal. A specially assembled choirof young people were to the fore in ourcontribution to the BBC’s network
programme for Children in Need, helping
to raise £750,000 in Northern Ireland.
We had music and entertainment on
a grand scale in an outdoor performancefrom the grounds of Bangor Castle for
BBC Proms in the Park.
Local sporting fixtures, events andachievements were reflected in a seriesof live broadcasts and documentary
programmes. We covered the Schools’ andMacRory Cup Finals, the progress of Ulster
teams in the GAA’s All-IrelandChampionship, domestic and internationalsoccer, and Ulster rugby. Motorcycle road
racing continues to provide spectacle and1. Meeting our audience – BBCNI
Director, Peter Johnston.
2. A Serenade to Music – BBCNI
and the Ulster Orchestra.

2

appeal and we complemented our
dedicated (cross-platform) coverage of
the North West 200 with a documentaryon the history and wider community
significance of this annual event in How theNorth West Was Won. And we chronicled
the world-beating achievements of golfers
Darren Clarke and Rory McIlroy in two
observational documentaries, making useof unique access to these sportsmen andtheir families.
Comedy remains an essential part of our
local programme mix on BBCNI television.
Sketchy with Diarmaid Corr and his castof exotic characters made a return to ourscreens and the genius of Gerry Anderson
took animated form once again in On the Air.
We paid tribute to the talents of Sean
Crummey and Frank Carson – both ofwhom died during the year – and brought
comedy to BBC network audiences with
Ask Rhod Gilbert.
Our developing portfolio of network
television output also included a series ofshort films for The One Show; topical debate
about religious and ethical issues in Sunday
Morning Live; four editions of Songs of Praise;the story of Hanz Litten and his challenging
of Adolf Hitler, told through drama andan accompanying documentary; and Planetof the Ape Man – Battle for Earth.

1

BBC Radio Ulster/Foyle
BBC Radio Ulster/Foyle embraces every
aspect of community and cultural life inNorthern Ireland. Its reach and popularity
remain unparalleled in wider BBC terms,
with community connection at the core of
its appeal. Its programmes provide a forum
for debate and a showcase for local talent,diversity and creativity. Specialist andmainstream music, news and information,entertainment and hard-hitting
investigations are all part of the service it
provides. Listeners’ voices are everywherein its output and our relationship with themhas been enhanced through outside
broadcasts and the increasing use of social
media by programme production teams.
Our news programmes on BBC Radio
Ulster/Foyle provide listeners withimmediate and comprehensive coverageof breaking stories. They also include thebackground analysis which helps to explain
what’s happening and the sometimes
complex issues, circumstances and choices
facing politicians and policy-makers. Radiocan respond flexibly to fast-changing stories
and remains an important source of
information about local events. It also
provides easy access to national andinternational stories through the BBC’s
global network of reporters andcorrespondents. All of this is part of2

1. Audience interaction at the BBC’s
Festival of History and Broadcasting.
2. Showcasing volunteer
opportunities at Getting Involvedin Broadcasting House.

7

SERVICE PERFORMANCE CONTINUED

our daily news offering on BBC Radio
Ulster/Foyle.
BBC news values may be constant, but thestyle and format of our programmes isalways evolving. We made several editorialchanges over the last year, including a new
focus on business issues in Good Morning
Ulster and the introduction of short andregularly updated sports bulletins acrossthe schedule.
We also provided extended election
coverage and reported on the social andeconomic issues that are increasingly
dominant in local political debate. Major
news stories included the effect of theeconomic downturn on local businesses
and families; the Executive’s Programme
for Government; the challenges facing
the health and education sectors; andthe impact of clerical abuse within the
Catholic Church.
We need to remain responsive to thischanging news agenda and the diverse
needs of the audiences we serve. Muchof this is routine, but we will also be initiating
a further series of changes in our news andpolitics output over the coming period.
1

1. Personal journeys, different
perspectives – Wilson Magwere
in A Different Drum.
2. Unique talent – Gerry
Anderson’s animated look-alikein On the Air.

8

2

These will seek to deliver savings (required
as a result of the new licence fee
settlement), whilst at the same timesafeguarding the essential elements on
which the success and credibility of ournews programming is built.
Hugo Duncan travelled widely with a seriesof outside broadcasts, many of themcoinciding with community festivals andevents; Starry Starry Night encouraged us
to look heavenwards in an extended live
programme about all things astronomical;
and we celebrated the BBC’s musical andfinancial partnership with the Ulster
Orchestra in a special concert from the
Ulster Hall and through an ongoingprogramme of recordings and events.
Your Place and Mine brought local stories
to a regional audience through its networkof reporters; Wild Week Live prompted
listeners to find out more about the great
outdoors; Mark Patterson looked at coastal
communities, habitats and pastimes in Shore
Stories; and Gerry Anderson provided
a sardonic commentary on everyday life
in his weekday exchanges with listeners. We
also dusted off the BBC’s radio archives
with a local dramatisation of Bram Stoker’sDracula and got closer to arts and cultural
events in the North-West with a new
weekly edition of Arts Extra from BBC
Radio Foyle.
Lively interviews, debate and (occasional)
controversy were a feature of Stephen
Nolan’s programme and we explored
religious and ethical issues in Sunday
Sequence. Eamon Phoenix was our guide fora walking tour through the past in Hidden
Histories and we looked at key events in thedevelopment of Northern Ireland in Ninety
Year Nation. The relevance of partition in
Ireland for contemporary UK politics was
explored by Stephen Walker in The Break
Up; and Titanic memories were evoked in
Titanic Letters, with readings from a stellar
cast of local celebrities.
Events from more recent history were thefocus for John Bennett in The Gathering; the70th birthday of Broadcasting House in
Belfast was heralded by a week-long seriesof displays and events; musical nostalgia was1

indulged by Linley Hamilton in Swing Backto the 60s; and Saturday Magazine went
underground with an archaeological dig at
Castlerock as part of the BBC-wide Hands
on History initiative.
New and emerging musical talent was givena platform on many different programmes,
including Across the Line and Radio 1
Introducing. Elsewhere, we heard about theexperiences of a Zimbabwean musician
who’s now making a new life for himself
in Belfast in A Different Drum and we
explored local cultural traditions anddiversity in A Kist o Wurds and Blás. Big
and appreciative studio audiences joined
us for returning series of The Blame Gameand It’s William Caulfield So It Is... and we
broadcast Sean Crummey’s last recording
for Folks on the Hill shortly before his
untimely death. We also marked the lossof David Dunseith in a series of featuresand programmes reflecting his wideranging contribution to local broadcasting.
2

1. Sporting success – Rory McIlroy
and BBCNI’s Stephen Watson.
2. Arts Matters – Sir John Tusa
delivers the annual BBC LouisMacNeice Memorial Lecture at
Queen’s University.
9

SERVICE PERFORMANCE CONTINUED

We consolidated recent changes to BBC
Radio Foyle’s schedule and have beenencouraged by an uplift in its listening figures.
New opportunities and strong
performance were also the theme in our
network production for BBC radio.
Programming in this area included a Music
Nation Concert for BBC Radio 3 involving afirst-time collaboration between the Ulster
Orchestra and RTÉ Concert Orchestra;readings, documentaries and dramas for
BBC Radio 4; music profiles anddocumentaries for BBC Radio 2, including
programmes about Glenn Campbell,
Nirvana and the Riverdance phenomenon;
and a special Edinburgh Festival appearance
by The Blame Game on BBC Radio 4 Extra.
Digital, community and events
Harnessing the benefits of new technology
for BBC audiences and ensuring that these
are widely accessible is always work inprogress. Digital developments aretransforming our work – creating new waysof making, connecting and thinking aboutbroadcasting. Planning is now well advanced
for digital television switchover on an islandwide basis in October 2012; the BBC’s
network of transmitters for digital radio has
1

1. Songs of Praise and Titanic
Commemorations –Eamonn Holmes.
2. Titanic: A Commemoration inMusic and Film from Belfast’s
Waterfront Hall.

10

2

been further extended in Northern Ireland;
our services have become available on anever-increasing number of platforms andmobile devices; and the BBC iPlayer is
helping to transform the way in which
we consume television programmes.
We have completed a re-structuring of the
BBCNI teams involved in producing learningand online content. This will allow us tomake some savings (consistent with BBC
Trust requirements) but will also facilitate
the pooling of skills and expertise in waysthat reflect new editorial priorities for theseareas. A review of the BBC’s programme
and related websites has been completed
and a series of changes affecting local online
content are planned over the next few
months. Our work in promoting media
literacy will continue, including initiatives suchas BBC School Report which this year involved
pupils from over 50 schools acrossNorthern Ireland; the creation of materials
that support the needs of the local school
curriculum and which also engage a wider
audience in learning experiences; andcommunity engagement activities linked to
the BBC’s local and network programmes.

We celebrated the achievements and legacy
of local Schools Broadcasting in an
exhibition and booklet coinciding with its
50th birthday; created dedicated online
resources linked to the North West 200
and Titanic commemorations; facilitatedcommunity debate about the role ofjournalism in local society in a series oflunchtime events organised through theBBC’s Writer in Residence at Queen’s;
unlocked the BBC’s local programmearchive with a programme of illustrated
screenings and talks; welcomed over 30,000
people to BBCNI programme recordings
and events; provided 140 tours of
Broadcasting House in Belfast; profiled local
volunteering opportunities in a special eventwith Volunteer Now and 47 local charities
in Studio 1; took our interactive BBC
Experience to communities acrossNorthern Ireland in partnership with
Libraries NI; and hosted an ambitious
three-day Festival of History and Broadcasting.
1

We also worked with Creative Skillset
and industry colleagues to deliver the
Belfast Media Festival (which this year
included a speech by BBC Director
General, Mark Thompson) and playeda key role in the creation of a new trainee
scheme, Aim High. It provides placement
and training opportunities for emerging
production talent and attracted over 1,000
applications. The first cohort of trainees are
now working with BBCNI and are actively
involved in all aspects of the production
process – learning the skills that will help
them to secure the BBC’s programmemaking future in an increasingly digital world.

2

1. The Men Who Won’t Stop
Marching.
2. Championing Consumer
Concerns – In Your Corner.

11

LOOKING AHEAD – 2012/13
This is a period of real transformation for the BBC.
There are challenges ahead, but also exciting opportunities…
Local BBC services remain popularwith audiences. Maintaining their appeal into
the future will require constant innovation
and renewal. Broadcasting must always belooking ahead, seeking out fresh ideas andbetter ways of doing things. Our work
must be responsive to changes in thesociety we serve and the needs of BBC
audiences. It must also be characterised bycreative and editorial ambition and a clear
sense of purpose – reaching for newopportunities and using digital technologies
to enrich and extend our programming.
None of this is without challenge anddifficulty. Budgets are limited and we haveto prioritise effort and resources in waysthat will allow us to deliver the BBC’s core
purposes to the highest possible standards.
We can’t do everything, but remaincommitted to providing something ofvalue for everyone in Northern Ireland– reflecting community life in all its different
aspects and diversity. Audience support,
1

partnerships and the dedication of BBC
staff will make all of this possible.
We have faced some stretching financial
targets over the last period, deliveringsavings estimated at 23% of our local budget
since 2008/09. The BBC’s current licencefee settlement (which is frozen until 2016)
will require further savings of c15% over the
next few years. Additional post closures areinevitable and we will need to find more
efficient ways of working – reviewing how
teams are structured and our output
produced. Some programme formats maychange as these savings take effect(sometimes for straightforward editorial
reasons) but we are confident that any
adverse impacts on the scope of our service
offering can be kept to a minimum.
We have some particular challenges aroundthe BBC’s infrastructure in Northern
Ireland (much of our property andequipment needs updating to meet therequirements of digital broadcasting).

2

1. Creating opportunities, changing
lives – BBC Children in Need.
2. Remarkable stories of everyday life
– The Estate.
3. Fifty years of Schools Broadcastingin Northern Ireland – Poet,
Michael Longley.
123

Addressing these investment needs is
becoming urgent and will soon be
unavoidable. Finding solutions to all of thishas been made difficult in the context of
the BBC’s wider financial constraints, butsuch work will be a priority for us over the
coming 12 months.
BBCNI plays a key enabling role within
the creative industries in Northern Ireland.
We want to maximise our contribution inthis area, and to explore how we can work
collaboratively with others in growing this
sector – with all of the benefits that thiswill involve. Some of these developments
should also allow us to make the licence fee
work even harder. We will also support
the identification and development of new
creative and production talent throughthe Aim High scheme and the placement
opportunities that we are able to provide
through our long-term partnershipwith CSV.
Other priorities for 2012/13 will include:
BBCNI’s work to support digital televisionswitchover in October 2012; the ongoingrefresh of our schedules and programmes,
paying close attention to audience feedback
and performance; the development/delivery of programmes about significant
historic events and their contemporary
resonances; coverage of Titanic-related
events and commemorations; local andnetwork plans to reflect, and contribute1

to, events in Derry-Londonderry as theUK’s first City of Culture in 2013; thegrowth of network production activity for
BBC television and radio, with an emphasis
on increased cultural representation andlonger-term sustainability; the developmentof new partnerships and community
outreach activities; and work to secure
the widest availability of local BBC services
in a fast-changing digital environment.
Journalism
News and current affairs is a defining aspectof the BBC’s work in Northern Ireland. It
attracts large and appreciative audiences
and reflects some of our core public
purposes. We will want to retain theseestablished strengths, whilst also reviewing
the format and presentation of our news
output. BBCNI’s politics programming willchange (reflecting a requirement for savings,
but also a new editorial brief); we will
describe and explain major civic eventsand anniversaries; we will provide in-depth
reporting and analysis of the Assemblyand Executive’s work; we will profile local
involvement in the London Olympics,
and all of its associated activities; and wewill want to develop the volume and rangeof locally-produced network current
affairs programmes.

2

1. Arts news, stories and events– Out of the Blue.
2. People from our Past
– BBC Archive Talks.

13

LOOKING AHEAD CONTINUED

Knowledge, music and culture
We work hard to provide programmesthat extend understanding and horizons
and which reflect the diversity of creativeand cultural life in Northern Ireland. BBCNI
is a major sponsor of writing, performing
and production talent. Our work nurtures
skills, creates employment and opportunityand brings local achievements to a wider
audience. It provides a theatre and meeting
place of the airwaves – a shared spacefor encounter and celebration.

1

We will seek to develop the impact andvisibility of our Irish and Ulster-Scots
programming on local television; ruralcommunities will be the focus of Farm Week
on BBC Radio Ulster; musical achievement
will be celebrated in The Great Northern
Songbook; we’ll find new ways to unlock theBBC’s programme archives, across all
platforms; Stephen Nolan will bring live, andlively, topical debate to local television withan extended series of studio-based
discussions; we will relaunch the BBC’s local
portfolio of websites and online learning
resources, following the establishment of
our new Digital, Knowledge and Learning
Department; we will continue to reflect
Troubles legacies and their effect on local
communities; contemporary life will be
explored through drama, documentaryand debate; and we will work to secure
the longer-term future of the BBC’sfunding and broadcast partnershipwith the Ulster Orchestra.

1. Making a dramatic difference– Too Late to Talk to Billy
anniversary programming.
2. In Defence of Politics –Peter Riddell makes his casein Blackstaff’s Studio A.
2

14

Ambitious drama and comedy
BBCNI drama for radio and television has
a deserved reputation for critical success.
Output totals have increased in the recent
period and we will want to build on thisachievement, focussing on opportunities
to develop local cultural representation.
Over the next period we will: deliver The
Fall, an ambitious new network television
drama about the lives of two hunters;
create a radio drama within a week as partof Fact to Fiction for BBC Radio 4; andproduce a cross-BBC network adaptationof Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere. Our comedy
programming will include returning seriesof The Blame Game and It’s William Caulfield
So It Is… and we’ll also want to identify
some new formats, writing and performing
talent. Gerry Anderson’s plasticine lookalike will also make a return appearance on
BBCNI television in On the Air.

1

Events that bring audiences
together
Our work involves an extensive
programme of outside broadcasts,
recordings and events. All of these
activities help us to connect with audiences
and add to the impact and value of ourprogramming. Much of what we do in thisarea involves partnerships with local festivals
and organisations. It also includes events thatare reflective of Northern Ireland’s uniquecultural diversity. Over the next period wewill deliver a large-scale concert as part of
BBC Proms in the Park; we will contribute toCity of Culture events in the North-West;we will provide extensive coverage of the
Irish Open and other sporting fixtures andevents, including the NW200, GAA, rugby
and soccer; we will broadcast from theRoyal Ulster Agricultural Show (which
has been a feature of our television
programming since the mid-1950s); we will
join celebrations to mark the Belfast Festivalat Queen’s 50th birthday; and we’ll continue
to take BBC events and programmes tovenues throughout Northern Ireland, witha big emphasis on audience involvement
and participation.

2

1. Journalism Matters – the BBC’s
Justin Webb talks about his
work as part of BBCNI’s Writerin Residence initiative.
2. Musical Partnership –the Ulster Orchestra on
BBC radio and television.
15

KEY PRIORITIES FOR 2012/13
Across all our services – television, radio and online – BBC
Northern Ireland will put quality first as we work to meet theneeds of our home audiences and to grow our network audiences.
Network
We will increase the volume, value and therange 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.

Local
We will seek to maintain the reach,relevance and editorial ambition of BBCNI’s
local programmes and services, making useof new formats and talent and taking
account of audience feedback and research.

Partnerships
We will seek to develop new partnership
opportunities as a means of extending thecreative and other benefits of BBC
investment in Northern Ireland.

Value
We will continue to pursue a managed
programme of savings and efficiencies
across all aspects of our work, aligning effort
and resources against core BBC purposes
and priorities, and seeking always to provide
value for money for local licence fee payers.

16

CONTACTS

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17

BBC NORTHERN IRELAND
MANAGEMENTPeter Johnston, Director

Mark Adair, Head of Corporate
and Community Affairs

Jeremy Adams, Head of Television
Current Affairs

Kathleen Carragher,
Head of News

Lawrence Jackson, Head of HR
and Development

Fergus Keeling, Head of Radio

Susan Lovell, Head of Local
TV Commissioning

Kathy Martin, Head of Marketing,Communications and Audiences

Ailsa Orr, Head of ProgrammesMark Taylor, Chief Operating
Officer18

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