BBC to invest an extra £5m in political programming

The BBC have released details of a new and controversial plan to overhaul political programming across BBC One and BBC Two, which should lead to several new production opportunities.
The corporation has allocated an extra £5m to the project, increasing the news and current affairs budget to £23.5m.
New documentaries, events and strands of analysis programmes will be developed, aimed at reconnecting audiences, particularly those aged under 45, with the political process.
The strategy also discusses the future of regional political programming, with plans for new slots on BBC One for the English Regions, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Other initiatives include a new 45-minute weekly Westminster review on BBC One on Thursday evenings, substantially more hours devoted to political programmes over the year and a new "less formal" political slot for BBC Two on Saturday mornings, the first new political programme on a mainstream network for 10 years.
The shake-up is not without casualties however, with the respected On The Record being replaced and Dispatch Box scrapped.
Launching the strategy, BBC Chairman Gavyn Davies said: "The Governors have given detailed scrutiny to these plans on two occasions. We believe that they will both enhance serious political coverage on the BBC and widen its appeal. The Governors will monitor implementation of the strategy and performance of the new programmes and will welcome feedback during the process."
The BBC's new politics initiative is the result of nearly 12 months' work to tackle the growing issue of audience disinterest in the political process.
Reacting to media conjecture, including tongue-in-cheek speculation that the new plans would possibly include a youth programme titled "News Is My Bitch", BBC Director of News, Richard Sambrook said: "There have been a lot of misleading rumours about this initiative that detract from the real question of how the BBC should respond to the audience's growing lack of interest in the political process."
More seriously, he scotched predictions of a 'dumbing down' of programming, saying: "The BBC has an important public service role to play in engaging people with important issues and democracy. These plans are about improving the best of what we do already and creating new strands that will modernise our coverage for the 21st century, particularly on BBC One."
Senior political figures have reacted cautiously to the plans, with a Labour spokesperson "waiting to see how the new format works in practice", while the Conservatives are described as "deeply sceptical as to whether these changes will avoid a deterioration in the coverage of politics on the main BBC television news bulletins."
(GB)