June 24, 2026

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

Former BBC Radio 4 Controller, Deputy Director of News and BBC Trustee Mark Damazer reflects on the BBC cuts announced last week and how such decisions are really made. He examines whether the reductions are justified, the trade‑off between chasing new audiences and providing high‑quality journalism, and how far the BBC’s digital‑first strategy should apply to radio as well as television — and at what pace. We also discuss what the BBC, new Director-General Matt Brittin, and supporters of public service broadcasting need to do next if the Corporation is to safeguard its future.

To support our journalism and receive a weekly blog sign up now for £1.99 per month

www.patreon.com/BeebWatch/membership

@beebwatch.bsky.social

@BeebRoger

Instagram: rogerboltonsbeebwatch

LinkedIn: Roger Bolton's Beeb Watch

email: roger@rogerboltonsbeebwatch.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

News

Society & Culture

Politics

English

United Kingdom

Use API to fetch this episode in JSON

IN THIS EPISODE

# roger bolton

# matt brittin

# mark damazer

Edit these tags

TRANSCRIPT 🔗

Are you the producer of this podcast? Add a podcast transcript

Need Audio-to-Text? Transcribe with Listen411 in Just 60 Seconds

SEARCH PAST EPISODES

Search past episodes of Roger Bolton's Beeb Watch.

Embed this search bar to your website

OTHER EPISODES IN THIS PODCAST

Jonathan Heawood: The Mill and the Fight to Save Local Journalism

July 2, 2026

Jonathan Heawood, executive director of the Public Interest News Foundation and founder of Impress, discusses the rise of Manchester’s independent newsletter The Mill - widely praised for its coverage of Andy Burnham - and what it reveals about rebuilding local journalism: from new business models …

00:31:13

SAVE

CLIP

John Shield: How to Stop the BBC Being Monstered

June 3, 2026

Former BBC Director of Communications (2013–2025) John Shield explains why he believes the BBC should be ready to go on GB News and other hostile platforms to make its case. He also discusses the Panorama edit, the BBC’s wider communications challenges, and his advice to incoming Director Gene…

00:29:19

SAVE

CLIP

Tom Loxley on Radio Times’ Message to the BBC

June 17, 2026

Tom Loxley, brand and editorial director of Radio Times, discusses what hundreds of readers’ letters reveal about the BBC at a time of deep budget cuts, job losses and declining trust in news. We talk about Radio Times’ historic ties to the BBC, why its readers still feel like stakeholders in publi…

00:24:38

SAVE

CLIP

Caroline Dinenage on the BBC's Royal Charter Review

June 10, 2026

Caroline Dinenage, Chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, is chairing an inquiry into the BBC’s Royal Charter Review. We discuss the renewal timetable, possible reforms to BBC governance, alternative funding models and countering the global tech and streaming giants. We also discus…

00:27:39

SAVE

CLIP

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Good Egg Productions, which is the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Listen Notes, Inc.