Riddoch plan to privatise radio show out of tune with BBC staff

SHE is the nearest thing Scotland has to a shock-jock, but yesterday tough-talking Lesley Riddoch found herself imbibing some of her own medicine over plans to privatise her radio programme.

Instead of handing out brickbats to awkward listeners or prevaricating politicians, she has been on the receiving end of angry complaints from her colleagues at BBC Radio Scotland.

Riddoch, whose daily two-hour show has won a Sony award, wants her own production company to take over the running of the programme and sell it back to the BBC.

But that idea is a turn-off for staff at the corporation’s Glasgow headquarters, who claim the move would cost the BBC more than 500,000 a year and put up to 15 jobs in jeopardy. They have held talks with management and are demanding that the deal is vetoed.

Insiders say privatising the show would establish Riddoch as "the Kirsty Wark of the radio" - the Newsnight presenter founded the Wark Clements production company with her husband, Alan Clements, in 1990.

A BBC insider said: "There was a really stormy meeting held with all the newsroom staff, and management were accused of rolling over to Lesley Riddoch’s proposals.

"Clearly, this move would allow her to make far more money, but the biggest bone of contention among BBC staff is the fact it could mean up to 15 researchers and assistant producers could be made redundant, unless alternative jobs can be found for them within the BBC."

The insider claimed the move to "buy back" the programme would cost the corporation more than 500,000 a year at a time when the BBC was really keen to save money.

But the source went on: "In many ways it is no different from Kirsty Wark and her empire. Lesley’s privatised show would help the BBC meet its independent requirements."

One potential scenario is to halve Riddoch’s current two-hour slot, with her current BBC staff running the first hour and her own production company looking after the second hour.

But Peter Murray, of the National Union of Journalists’ national executive and a BBC employee, said the union and the show’s listeners were opposed to the move, which would be a public disservice.

He said: "If this happens, then it will be a bit of a bombshell for us. All the staff have been united in objection to this proposal from the outset and there has been a huge public outcry about it as well, which I think has surprised the management.

"The impetus for this came from Lesley Riddoch herself and not from the management, but we would have thought management would have said no to this at the outset.

"Staff on her show have been asked to come up with proposals for how they might run the first hour of the show, but our concern is that half the 15-strong team could lose their jobs if there is half the work for them.

"The listeners are also against a lowering of a BBC news team’s input into her show."

A source at the BBC who is close to Riddoch said: "Lesley is finding the situation frustrating as her hands are tied until the matter is resolved. She can’t say anything until then and doesn’t want to ruin the progress in negotiation by getting involved in a mud-slinging contest.

"She does believe the move will create more jobs rather than lead to their loss and hopes it will all be resolved within the next two weeks so everyone can concentrate on broadcasting again."

A BBC spokesman insisted a final decision had still to be taken, although he admitted Riddoch’s proposals were being considered. He said: "Nothing is definite at the moment. We are talking with Lesley and we are discussing all the options open to us.

"We are looking to enhance and improve the programme and we highly regard those who work on it. There is no problem with them whatsoever.

"But Lesley is looking to develop her own career and so we are looking at ways we can accommodate that.’’

Riddoch, whose show runs on weekdays between noon and 2pm, said she would not comment until a decision had been made.

She runs a production company called Sequinned Pariahs - an anagram of the now defunct feminist magazine Harpies and Quines that she founded.

She was assistant editor and deputy editor of The Scotsman in 1994-6, during which time she edited The Scotswoman - an edition written by the paper’s female staff.