Among all the reports of job cuts at the BBC and approval for ads on BBCNews.com, also comes news that the Beeb is dropping its plans for ultra-local TV services on satellite.
The idea had been controversial from the start, with local newspapers worried that the BBC would eat into their markets.
The voice of local newspapers and websites, the Newspaper Society, welcomed the decision. But any rejoicing might be shortlived.
Instead of going ahead with the TV idea, the BBC is going to focus on creating “high-quality content for the rapidly increasing number of broadband users,” with “significant investment” going into developing an online multimedia interactive service dubbed MyLocalNow.
This would be subject to approval by the BBC Trust. But I would be very worried if I was the publisher of a local newspaper. Audiences are migrating online and local papers should be far more worried about the BBC upping the ante on the Internet than about new satellite TV channels.
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I don’t think newspapers would have to worry, no matter how local the BBC chose to go in terms of news. Local newspapers can go into more detail than the BBC on each story, and if the BBC is making cuts, as long as local newspapers are making money, they can benefit from stronger local resources. The newspapers which would be most affected are those based in cities where the BBC has studios.