Dear Editor, There can be no justification for ending all factual programme making at BBC Birmingham.
Over the years BBC Birmingham hasdeveloped a stream of quality programmes with a regional identity and national appeal.
The director general and the London-based management have a debt of responsibility to the millions of licence payers in the greater West Midlands area to maintain a credible presence in the city.
The proposed transfer to Bristol of programmes such as Gardener’s World, Countryfile, Coast and the ending of programmes such as Inside Out amounts to an act of cultural vandalism.
What hope is there for young people in the region who aspire to a career at the BBC when there is no regional presence? Do they have to travel to London, Manchester or Bristol to realise their hopes?
I suspect that the proposed changes will result in closure by stealth because the BBC decision makers prefer the attractions of Bristol to those of the West Midlands conurbation.
Noel Mobberley
Evesham
