The update of the BBC operating licence announced by Ofcom today will give the BBC a free pass to expand its offering, using the licence fee to compete directly with commercial providers, the News Media Association said. Responding to...

Responding to Ofcom’s announcement today that the BBC’s plans for the expansion of their online local news services were not “material”, News Media Association chief executive, Owen Meredith, said: “We are extremely disappointed that Ofcom have reached this conclusion...

Ofcom must “awake from its slumber” and intervene to prevent the BBC crowding out commercial providers with plans to ramp up its own digital local news services, Newsquest chief executive Henry Faure Walker said. Speaking on The Media Show...

BBC plans to further boost its digital local news provision are “totally misguided, unwelcome, and unwarranted,” the News Media Association has said. Responding to reports, that the BBC is set to invest more in its digital local news provision, NMA...

The News Media Association has said that any further BBC investment in local news provision must be channelled through partnership initiatives such as the Local News Partnership and not through ramping up its own local services after Tim Davie...

In an open letter to BBC Board from News Media Association chief executive Owen Meredith on behalf of the NMA Board and members, the NMA has called on the BBC to withdraw plans to expand its provision of lcoal...

MPs overwhelmingly believe that commercial local news media is vital for communities and must not be crowded out by the BBC expanding its own local news services, new research commissioned by the News Media Association has revealed. Seventy-six per cent...

BBC plans to increase its local news footprint constitute and “unprecedented assault” on independent local media and would create a democratic deficit by putting publishers out of business, News Media Association chief executive Owen Meredith has said. In an article...

News organisations that bid to employ Local Democracy Reporters have been notified if they have been successful. A competitive tendering process to employ the reporters for the next three years has finished with the bidders notified of the results this...