BBC Radio 4 final Northern regional news - 12 September 1980

BBC Radio 4 would until 1980 carry 5 minute regional news bulletins on VHF/FM only. The expansion of the local radio network, and some BBC cost-cutting, brought these to an end on Friday 12 September 1980. In the northern region from Manchester the final bulletin was read by announcer, and part-time actress, Dorina Brown.

[@rotonda4068]

This coming from Piccadilly studio only a few months before it was vacated completely

[@daros194]

What a rare gem this is. Regional news on R4 VHF. Wonder if we will end up back here in a few years in the future should the Beeb keep cutting local radio budgets.

[@Gannett2011]

I remember at school our teacher would have Radio 4 on all afternoon to record the schools programmes. My school was in Exeter, and even in about 1980 there was still a bit of south-west regional broadcasting. I believe the southwest was the last region to broadcast. It's sad what is happening even today with regional broadcasting. The way that the regional news programmes have been integrated with the national news seems, to me, to downplay the 'regionalness' of it - sometimes the way the newsreaders look so defeated like they are in a hostage video. And ITV isn't much better. It wasn't that long ago that the BBC were totally committed to local radio, but now the money has run out, it is a shadow of its former self.
I now live in the States but just came back from a visit home, and I was surprised at howm many regional faces are still going: Shefali Oza doing the Midlands weather, Ken Goodwin in the ITV midlands news, etc. Let's hope that the day will come, perhaps over the internet, when regional and local broadcasting will bounce back.

[@creynolds094]

Friday 12th September 1980

[@curiousuranus810]

'.... the end of news and weather ...' The Tories will be the end of all of us.
Touching post.