THAT’S ALL, KIDS!
Newsround’s afternoon show is axed by the BBC... after 50 years
TO generations of children it was part of teatime – in from school, flop down on the sofa, switch on Newsround.
When it began in 1972 the BBC’s news show for youngsters was fronted by freshfaced John Craven – who will be 80 next month – sporting a Beatle haircut and a smart tie.
Later it launched the careers of familiar TV names such as Julie Etchingham, Krishnan Guru-Murthy and the late sports presenter Helen Rollason.
But with children turning away from live TV and its ratings now in a nosedive, Newsround’s afternoon bulletin is being axed after 48 years. It comes after the broadcasting watchdog Ofcom approved the BBC’s request to slash the minimum amount of news on its CBBC children’s service from 85 hours to just 35 hours a year.
Newsround will still have its morning TV slot, aimed mainly at schools, but the iconic afternoon edition will end soon.
Despite pupils being at home during lockdown, Newsround’s ratings fell from 37,000 children aged six-to-12 in 2019 to just 24,000 in April and May this year. By contrast, its website enjoyed two of its best weeks ever for page views during the lockdown period.
The show, which has run continuously since its launch, was called John Craven’s Newsround before his departure in 1989.
Helen Rollason joined to increase its sports coverage in the mid-1980s, and the 1990s team included future ITV news presenter Julie Etchingham and present-day Channel 4 News anchor Krishnan Guru-Murthy.
Ofcom reports that the pandemic ‘seems to have accelerated’ trends away from TV viewing and a spokesman added: ‘We agree that it makes sense for the BBC to provide more children’s content online. Given significant shifts in children’s media habits... this should help the BBC to engage better with its youngest audiences, who are critical to its future success. But we’re also imposing important safeguards to ensure that the quality of content on the CBBC and CBeebies channels is maintained.
The watchdog also warned that if ‘younger audiences don’t engage with the BBC, then public support for the licence fee could be eroded’.
Last night a BBC sokesman said the changes ‘will allow us the flexibility to make more news for more children across more platforms ensuring the much-loved brand continues to thrive.’
In its report, Ofcom also accepted a BBC’s request to reduce the quota of British-made first-run programmes on CBBC from 400 to 350 hours, reflecting the 50-hour cut in live news content.
The watchdog notes that the Corporation is likely to rely more on repeats after lockdown forced a halt to filming.
The regulator is ‘engaging with the BBC separately about the wider impact of the crisis on its ability to meet its operating licence conditions’.
BBC executive have previously said the pandemic’s effect on its schedules will become starkly apparent next year.