Global Radio is cutting the hours of local news currently broadcast on all 71 stations controlled by the group, RadioToday.co.uk can exclusively reveal.
Local bulletins will now be limited to peak time breakfast and drive only, with a one minute national news feed from London each hour between 11am and 3pm on weekdays.
The move means there will be no local content, apart from commercials, on each local radio station which syndicates Philippa Collins' mid-morning show from 10am till 1pm.
Under Ofcom's Future of Radio consultation, local radio stations such as 2-Ten FM, GWR and Lantern FM need to provide at least ten hours of local programming per weekday, and local news bulletins once per hour at peak time.
Global Radio is re-organising its entire news operation, which they say will free local journalists up during the daytime to cover local news and events. The team of 30 journalists in Leicester Square and 90 across the network will be lead by Jonathan Richards.
Jonathan told RadioToday.co.uk: "No local story will be missed. In the event of a major local story all stations have the autonomy to break away from the network, and should there be a local disaster such as a flood or major crash, additional journalists will be drafted to the scene. This is about raising standards of news for commercial radio."
In addition to yesterday's news about Trafficlink taking over travel news for the former GCap Media stations, Global Radio bosses, who are now in charge of the group, inform us all traffic reporters currently employed by GCap Media's regional travel centres in Bristol, Birmingham and London will be given the opportunity to transfer to Trafficlink.
Global Radio tell us there will be no redundancies as part of the changes, although a large number of staff will have to re-apply for jobs should they wish to stay either with Global Radio or carry on in their current position at Trafficlink.
