The BBC breached one of the conditions of its operating licence by cutting news programmes on Radio Foyle, according to communications regulator Ofcom.
Colum Eastwood MP has said the Ofcom finding is a “clear demonstration that the North West isn’t a priority for BBC Northern Ireland”.
Ofcom said the BBC had broadcast 300 fewer hours of news and current affairs on Radio Foyle in 2023/24 than it was required to.
In 2023, the BBC cut its two-hour breakfast show on Radio Foyle down to 30 minutes as part of a number of schedule and programme changes.
The decision provoked a number of protests from the public and politicians in Derry.
In early 2024 the breakfast show replacement programme named North West Today was extended to an hour – but still an hour shorter than the original morning show.
Ofcom said the BBC had informed it that the cuts meant it had “breached its BBC Radio Foyle news and current affairs condition”.
The operating licence condition requires the BBC to broadcast at least 1,043 hours of news and current affairs programmes (including repeats) on Radio Foyle.
In June 2024, the Ofcom report said, the BBC told the regulator it had not met that quota.
“In this case, the BBC has missed its quota by 300 hours, achieving only 71% of the required level of output,” Ofcom said.
Foyle MP Mr Eastwood said that the decision to seek changes to the license rather than providing the required news content is a” clear demonstration that the North West isn’t a priority for BBC Northern Ireland”.
Colum Eastwood MP said: “When the BBC first announced its plan to cut programming at Radio Foyle, communities in the North West were rightly angry.
“The decision ignored the unique political, cultural and news environment that exists here, it undermined hardworking staff and it diminished the entire station. It was, and remains, a bad call.
“Our cross-party, cross-community campaign to resist the cuts was successful in saving elements of news programming but we were clear that the reduction in news content was a disservice to BBC staff, license fee payers and people who rely on public service broadcasting from Radio Foyle.”
“The finding from Ofcom that the BBC breached its operating license by slashing news content in the North West is damning, it damages the credibility of BBC Northern Ireland as a broadcaster and it is deeply embarrassing for senior management.
“People in the North West deserve first class public service broadcasting from the BBC. We have talented journalists, producers, researchers and broadcasters who can deliver it. It’s enormously disappointing that we aren’t a priority for BBC Northern Ireland.”
The details of the breach are contained in an Ofcom report into the BBC’s performance in 2024.
BBC said it will be requesting that the regulator amends the operating licence to reflect changes to Radio Foyle’s output.
The UK’s communications regulator publishes annual reports into how the BBC is meeting the needs of viewers and listeners.
When imposing the cuts at Foyle in 2023, the BBC said it was “committed to Foyle as a production centre for local and regional content”.
The publicly funded corporation also said it would affect many different people within BBCNI.
At the time BBC Radio Foyle had around 28 workers at its offices, while more than 600 staff are based in its headquarters in Belfast.
According to the regulator’s report, the BBC blamed “an internal miscommunication” which meant it “incorrectly believed it would still be able to meet its quota for this condition”.
“We consider that the quotas included in the Operating Licence are required to ensure the BBC continues to deliver content that reaches and serves all audiences,” Ofcom said.
“This is particularly the case where the quotas are intended to reach and serve specific audience groups, such as in this instance, where Radio Foyle serves audiences in the North West of Northern Ireland,” it continued.
“Non-compliance with these quotas is a potentially serious matter.”
Ofcom said the BBC would now be submitting a request to amend its operating licence “in relation to the Radio Foyle news and current affairs condition to reflect the current output”.
The regulator said that it would assess the changes when it received the BBC’s request and then decide what action to take about the breach of the quota.
The BBC has been contacted.