The BBC’s regional television bulletins and local radio and online production in England are being disrupted by a 24-hour strike on Wednesday and Thursday.

Members of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) working for BBC Local began the action at 11:00 GMT in response to plans to merge some local radio programmes.

The NUJ said the proposals would “undermine local radio content already hollowed out across England”.

The BBC said it had “tried to minimize disruption as much as possible”.

Plans for its 39 local stations to share more programs “would see no overall reduction in staffing levels or local funding” and would deliver “even greater value to communities”, a BBC spokesperson said.

The strike means most regional television news programs at 1.30pm, 6.30pm and 10.30pm are not expected to be broadcast across England.

Shortly after 11 a.m. on Wednesday, some local radio stations aired a syndicated program. Others maintained their own shows, although many used substitute presenters.

The NUJ said it expected more than 1,000 employees to take part. When the strike ends at 11 a.m. Thursday, they will begin continuous work to govern, strictly adhering to the requirements of their contract, for example, without taking on additional duties or overtime.

Programming in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is not affected.

The union said staff saw the strike as “a last resort”.

NUJ general secretary Michelle Stanistreet said: “This is not simply a question of jobs and conditions for our members – they believe passionately in the value that quality local content brings to their audiences, journalism that trusted and trusted by the communities they serve.

“The BBC’s attack on local radio budgets to fund its Digital First strategy is a mistake and risks undermining a vital part of our public service broadcasting.”

Wednesday’s strike coincides with the chancellor’s budget day. New strikes are being considered for local elections in May, the coronation and the Eurovision Song Contest.

Under the BBC proposals, the 39 English stations would maintain their own weekday morning programs but would then share 20 weekday afternoon programmes, with some stations sharing 2pm-6pm timeslots with neighboring stations and others remaining local. .

There would be 10 shared shows after 6pm and a single England-wide show after 10pm Weekend production will also be affected.

The BBC’s 39 introductory programmes, which help discover promising musicians, will also be reduced to 20, but with additional time slots to ensure a wide range of music can still be played.

The BBC has said local news bulletins and live sports programming will continue.

A BBC spokesman said on Wednesday: “We are obviously disappointed that the strike has gone ahead. We have a plan to modernize local services across England – including more news journalists and a stronger online local service – which will not see an overall reduction in staffing levels or local funding.

“Our goal is a local service across TV, radio and online that delivers even greater value to communities.

“We will continue to engage with the union and do everything we can to minimize the impact on staff.”

The BBC’s plans also include creating 11 investigative reporting teams across the country, launching dedicated online services for Bradford, Wolverhampton, Sunderland and Peterborough, and creating a new fund to commission local programs and podcasts. originals.