BBC local radio stations to drop INRIX voiced bulletins

INRIX will no longer provide presenter-read travel bulletins for 39 BBC local stations from June as part of changes at the radio network.

Instead, staff at each station will read their own bulletins, in a bid by the BBC to bring local voices back to the bulletin.

In an email to all staff this morning, Chris Burns, Head of Audio & Digital, BBC England, said “completely customisable traffic and travel scripts will be sent to each station to be read out by a member of staff”, adding that the change will “also ensure that we are providing our licence fee payers with the best value for money.”

Staff at INRIX were also told the news in a conference call, including details of potential job losses and building closures.

Chris Burns adds that local radio stations are now free to review the frequency of traffic and travel bulletins when they receive the data which will continue to be supplied by INRIX.

INRIX tells RadioToday: “For the better part of 20 years, INRIX has been providing the BBC with traffic and incident information across the UK. As part of our current agreement, the BBC will continue to use our best-in-class traffic and incident data, but will start producing the travel bulletins internally using INRIX incident and congestion data to provide more ‘local’ travel news.

“Whilst INRIX will remain the sole source for travel content for the BBC, this decision is expected to affect a number of INRIX broadcast positions”..”