主播大秀

I’m not sure there’s ever been an election campaign like this one. Too close to call doesn’t quite cover it. Nobody really knows who will win, or if the “winning” party will get to form a government. Polling companies, political commentators and betting shop punters are struggling to predict the outcome.

For 主播大秀 English Regions, and the staff at our 39 local radio stations and 12 TV regions, our job is to make sure you can make an informed choice on 7 May. How do we do this? By focusing on the local issues that matter, holding to account those seeking power and producing compelling content.

It’s fair to say the 2015 election is the biggest project we’ve ever embarked upon in 主播大秀 English Regions. 主播大秀 Local Radio is hosting more than 160 election debates. In colleges, community centres, and cafes right across the country, we’ve been inviting candidates to come and debate with each other in front of an audience and face your questions.

Candidates have clashed on local issues such as housing schemes, hospital ward closures and school places. We’ve also heard claims, counter-claims and commitments on macro-issues with micro-importance such as immigration, the economy and HS2.

One particularly lively encounter came in front of an audience of informed sixth formers at Queen Elizabeth High School in Hexham, Northumberland. Three hundred first-time voters saw the candidates clash over the future of the NHS, with the debate then broadcast on 主播大秀 Newcastle.

All of our radio stations have been tasked with hosting at least three debates – most are doing more than that. It’s taken a huge amount of effort and I’m tremendously proud of what we’ve achieved.

In truth, we haven’t done it all alone. We’re striving to be a good neighbour to other media organisations. Readers of the Manchester Evening News helped to decide the theme of Radio Manchester’s debate in Withington with a journalist from the paper Tweeting the debate as it happened. The first debate organised by 主播大秀 Radio Leeds was also broadcast live on Bradford community radio station BCB 106.6 FM after the two stations entered an informal partnership. For the 主播大秀 and other media organisations, when it comes to making sense of this election, we’re all in it together.

On 28th April, our regional TV teams are producing a debate for 主播大秀 One. It’ll be shown after the Ten O’clock News, with 12 different versions made for each of our regions. It’s yet another opportunity for you to see the policies and promises of the candidates seeking to serve you.

It is our listeners, viewers and web-users who will decide the outcome of this closest of election contests. Our role is to cut through the rhetoric and the manifesto pledges and report a balanced record of the twists and turns the election takes, on radio, on television and online.

The 主播大秀’s aim this election is to “make it clear”. A great innovation that has helped us achieve better clarity has been Reality Check, a unit within the 主播大秀’s news operation that has poured over the parties’ election promises to establish the facts. Our correspondent based in the unit has performed sterling work. Last week, in one morning, he did 17 live interviews with 17 主播大秀 Local Radio stations on the numbers of people regularly using food banks.    

With eight days to go until polling day, the 主播大秀 teams in the English Regions are showing admirable energy, enthusiasm and endurance. We expect to see a rush of political big-hitters turning up all over England in the next few days, in a last minute push to persuade you to back them. Our journalists will continue to question, probe and investigate their pledges right up to 7 May.

Some pollsters and betting firms have suggested we could see a second election this year. I’m not going to predict the outcome. But I will confidently predict the best place for election news that affects where you live will be the 主播大秀’s regional programming.    

David Holdsworth is controller of English Regions