What Happened to Midlands Today? Where is the BBC Midlands Today?
by Ayisha
Updated Jul 21, 2023
What has Happened to Midlands Today?
Midlands Today, the local news program, experienced an unexpected disruption on July 20. The show was pulled off air at its regular time slots of 1.30 pm and 6.30 pm. The reason behind this disruption, as reported by a Birmingham web source, was that some staff members who work on the popular show chose to join BBC WM journalists on the picket line.
The staff's decision to participate in the strike was in solidarity with BBC Radio WM's union members, who are engaging in industrial action to protest against proposed cuts to local BBC radio services.
As a result of the strike and the picket line set up outside the BBC studio in Birmingham city center, both BBC local radio stations, including Coventry and Warwickshire, and the TV news shows have been affected.
In place of the usual Midlands Today program, the BBC TV schedule indicated that Sportsday, a sports roundup show, was scheduled to air at 1.30 pm, the time when Midlands Today would typically be broadcast.
This development has impacted viewers who were expecting to tune in to their local news program, but the industrial action and staff solidarity have resulted in the program being taken off the air.
Where is the BBC Midlands Today?
BBC Midlands Today is not airing on its regular schedule due to the ongoing BBC local strike action. The flagship local news program, which typically airs every weekday evening at 6:30 pm, has been taken off air.
Instead of broadcasting the local news program, the TV schedule has been replaced with another show, Garden Rescue. The strike is a result of journalists from BBC Radio WM and BBC Midlands Today showing solidarity with BBC WM journalists who are protesting against proposed cuts to local radio services.
The industrial action has led to a significant impact on local output, affecting both the radio and TV news programs. During this period of strike action, viewers are not able to watch BBC Midlands Today as it has been temporarily suspended.
Where has Midlands Today Gone?
Midlands Today, the flagship local news program, is currently not available on its regular schedule due to the ongoing BBC local strike action. As a result of the strike, the program has been pulled off the air, and viewers are unable to watch it at its usual time slots, which are every weekday evening at 6:30 pm.
Instead, the TV schedule has been replaced with another show, Garden Rescue, during this period of industrial action. The strike has been initiated by journalists from BBC Radio WM and BBC Midlands Today, who are standing in solidarity with their colleagues at BBC WM.
The BBC WM journalists have walked out to protest against proposed cuts to local radio services. As a result of this collective action and picket line demonstrations, Midlands Today has been impacted, and viewers are currently unable to access their local news program.
Why was East Midlands Today Not on?
East Midlands Today was not on air at its usual time slot due to the ongoing BBC local strike action on July 20. The strike action was initiated by BBC local radio journalists, including staff from BBC Midlands Today, who showed solidarity with their colleagues at BBC WM.
The strike was in response to proposed cuts to local radio services, which have led to concerns about job security, potential compulsory redundancies, and changes to job roles and rotas.
As a result of the strike, some staff members who would typically work on East Midlands Today joined BBC WM journalists on the picket line. This collective action led to the disruption of the TV news program's broadcasting schedule. Instead of airing East Midlands Today, the TV schedule showed that the program was replaced by other content.
The strike action has had significant implications for BBC local radio stations, including BBC WM, and their usual programming. Notably, key presenters, Kathryn Stanczyszyn and Paul Franks were off-air during the strike.
The ongoing industrial action is part of a broader dispute over changes to programming and funding allocation within the BBC. As negotiations continue between the BBC and the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), viewers and listeners may experience further changes to their usual programming schedules until a resolution is reached.
Midlands Today Overview
BBC Midlands Today is a daily news program produced by BBC Midlands and aired on BBC One. The show is based at the BBC studios in The Mailbox, Birmingham, and has journalists stationed in newsrooms across Coventry, Shrewsbury, Stoke-on-Trent, Worcester, and Gloucester.
The program was first broadcast on September 28, 1964, from a small room in the Birmingham Register Office and later moved to the custom-built Pebble Mill broadcasting center in Edgbaston on November 10, 1971.
In 2004, the BBC Birmingham operations shifted to the current studios at The Mailbox, where Midlands Today continues to be produced. Initially serving both the West and East Midlands, the program now focuses on news from the West Midlands, including Warwickshire, Staffordshire, Shropshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, and northern Gloucestershire.
While Gloucestershire is technically part of the South West England region, it is also covered by BBC Points West. The show is transmitted from the Sutton Coldfield transmitter in the West Midlands and can be viewed across the UK on Sky and Freesat.
Additionally, it can be accessed in the rest of Europe via Astra 2E at 28.2° East (10788V 22000 5/6). Viewers can also catch the latest edition on the Midlands Today website and BBC iPlayer.
On February 6, 2023, a new studio upgrade was unveiled, featuring enhancements such as a modernized studio presentation, improved graphics, and additional presentation locations within the studio. This upgrade has brought the studio up to full HD capabilities for the first time.
What has Happened to Midlands Today - FAQs
BBC Midlands Today is a local news program produced by BBC Midlands and broadcast on BBC One seven days a week.
BBC Midlands Today is produced and broadcast from the BBC studios in The Mailbox, Birmingham.
BBC Midlands Today began broadcasting on September 28, 1964.
From 1971 until 2004, BBC Midlands Today was based at the custom-built Pebble Mill broadcasting center in Edgbaston.
BBC Midlands Today covers the West Midlands, Warwickshire, Staffordshire, Shropshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, and northern Gloucestershire.
BBC Midlands Today was pulled off air on July 20 due to some staff members joining BBC WM journalists on the picket line as part of the ongoing strike action.