1 year ago
30
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Geraldine Peers and Janine Machin, the lead presenters on South Today - Oxford and Look East (West) respectively
The BBC's regional TV news programmes for Cambridge and Oxford have broadcast for the final time.
The two shows have ended as part of restructuring to move money from broadcast news to digital services.
They broadcast for the final time at 18:30 GMT.
Previously, the corporation said its decision to end the programmes was part of plans to "move decisively to a digital-first BBC to better deliver value for all audiences".
South Today - Oxford and Look East (West) will be replaced by regional programmes broadcast from Southampton and Norwich respectively.
The merging of the Cambridge-based version of Look East with the Norwich-based broadcast is part of a raft of proposals outlined by the BBC for its local services
BBC Nations director Rhodri Talfan Davies said it was a "difficult decision" but he wanted to "strengthen" local online news services.
Look East was broadcasted from Cambridge for just under 30 minutes each weekday at 18:30.
The Oxford bulletin ran weekdays at 18:30 from studios in Summertown, for up to 13 minutes. It then handed to the Southampton programme, which broadcasts to the wider region.
Bulletins at 22:30 were also broadcast from Cambridge and Oxford.
The Oxford programme is broadcast from studios in Summertown
Some MPs opposed the move, with Cambridge's Daniel Zeichner and Oxford West and Abingdon's Layla Moran both expressing concern about the impact on local news coverage.
At the time of the initial announcement of the closures in May, Labour MP Mr Zeichner said: "I understand the pressure that the BBC is under but the essence of local news is that it is local, and this is a step backwards."
Ms Moran added: "Expecting residents in Oxfordshire and Hampshire to share the same news bulletin is impractical, and I am worried that Oxfordshire news may get squeezed out, meaning we lose out coverage for important local stories."
A BBC spokesperson said: "We're really proud of all of our regional TV programmes, including our Look East bulletins from Cambridge and South Today in Oxford which have served viewers brilliantly and produced great journalism over the years.
"We are working closely with all of our colleagues who are directly affected by our proposals and will continue to do so into the New Year.
"The media landscape is changing quickly and we need to make some difficult choices as we adapt our services in line with our audiences expectations as they seek more and more content on our digital platforms.
"Despite the loss of the dedicated TV bulletin, we will continue to deliver outstanding television, radio and digital journalism across the east and south of England."
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