Colum Eastwood MP on Cuts to BBC Radio Foyle

it's better than the original proposals but it's still very disappointing that we're going to be cutting the breakfast program to half an hour I really don't know what the point of that is I also know that the nuj we're in proper negotiations with the BBC and the BBC kind of went out um and put this publicly into the into the public domain in the middle of a negotiation I don't understand why they would have done that um I I think it is disappointing I think people in Derry will be uh angry about it and we're not going to let this stand I I don't think this is the end of the matter and I don't think people should be expecting um that the BBC will just get away with cutting BBC in this way and you know that we will be quiet look there's I don't know how many staff there are in Belfast over 600 I think um uh and the the ax is falling in Derry this is not a news story we're very very aware that every time they change um the output coming from foil we get a diminished a diminished output from from the People for People in the Northwest we're not going to see the same attention in the Northwest as we have before I think it's a huge mistake um the BBC have lessened a bit but they haven't listened enough uh and I think they're they're making a mistake here the BBC is is a public broadcaster they're supposed to be focused on local issues and now they're focusing more uh on on the center in Northern Ireland instead of the the local output in foil I think it's a huge mistake and I think they'll come to regret I think what will end up happening is that people in the Northwest will end up chilling out and not chilling and to to uh BBC the Stephen McCauley show is a fantastic program that showcases local musicians and uh listen to it very regularly um Stephen is a fantastic advocate of people here um you know look local musicians and people who are doing all of that work and the BBC just seem to not care about that right now and I find that very upsetting I I really don't understand what the point of all of this is the BBC are the ax is falling as Gregory says we understand there are cuts to the BBC's budget but the ax is falling in the wrong place it is falling on people who are doing local programming you know and serving local communities and I actually think what will end up happening is that local people will will end up chilling out but it just shows you that the people of the Northwest generally are upset about this and aren't going to take it and um I I'll do whatever I can to continue this fight