BLACK LICENCE fee payers will increasingly question why they are paying the TV tax if Black radio shows are axed, a BBC insider has said.

As Black communities increasingly turn away from the state broadcaster, the regional Black-interest magazine programmes are the “one remaining reason” to pay the licence, they said.

Less than a quarter of African, Caribbean and Black mixed people watch BBC One, according to new calculations based on the corporation’s latest annual figures and population census data.

With Black viewers increasingly switching to alternative news sources, the radical shake-up of Black interest programming will “take away the legitimacy of the BBC as representing Britain in its diversity”, the source said.

“Black people will be asking; ‘I don’t listen to the BBC (generally) just this show… if it’s axed why am I paying the licence fee?’”

The row over how the Beeb serves Black communities could resurface ahead of the BBC Charter renewal in 2027 unless the corporation can turn the tide. 

Discontent is growing among Black producers and presenters, as the Beeb puts the final touches to its reorganisation of local radio output amid a growing listener backlash.

Last month saw vocal opposition to the plans from MPs across the political spectrum, and two strikes organised by the National Union of Journalists.

Rhodri Talfan Davies, Director of Nations who sits on the BBC’s Executive Committee, also got a roasting on the Jeremy Vine show, including criticism that longstanding journalists are having to make “demo tapes” to prove their worth.

Despite a BBC statement issued to The Voice in January suggesting that the Sunday evening Black local radio shows would be saved, mergers of regions are still believed to be going ahead in September this year.

The BBC said at the time: “We have listened carefully to the feedback… As a result, we are making a number of amendments to the original plan in order to strike the best possible balance between live and on-demand services.”

Since that statement, we have revealed that popular Black presenters were denied the opportunity to apply for their own jobs because they were technically freelancers.

Black presenters have told this paper the reason they are freelance is because their shows are chronically under-funded, with some well-known talents getting as little as £200 per weekly show.

Speaking to The Voice, an anonymous source said: “They’ve strung everyone along and hoodwinked everybody like The Voice and BEO (Black Equity Organisation) into believing the shows were saved.

“Some people have kept their shows but it’s very piecemeal across the country. The plans are shrouded in secrecy, and there’s a climate of fear about speaking out with some staff being told they’ll lose their redundancy if they speak out.”

“It’s messy and it’s shambolic, and shabby that freelancers who are effectively staff in all-but-contract can’t apply for these positions. It’s absolutely appalling that it took this long to tell people.”

News about the threat to the local Black radio shows first emerged last November, and there was an expectation that decisions would be announced in early spring.

But half way through the year, the source said individuals are being told they are saved while being warned to keep it secret, while others fear the axe.

A second source said some Black staff were taking voluntary redundancy as frustration grows about decisions being “strung out”. 

There is speculation that London, Bristol and Leicester shows could survive, but Manchester is still set to merge with Liverpool and Cumbria, and Leeds might not get a Black show at all.

There is discontent that BBC bosses are failing to discuss what kind of content the revamped shows will actually broadcast.

Speaking to Jeremy Vine on his show in a debate about cuts to local radio across the schedules, BBC boss Talfan Davies responded to a question about long standing presenters having to make demo tapes: “We have to make a reduction in the number of presenters we have. 

“It’s really important when you go through an interview process that you allow each candidate to show off what they do, and once we’ve finished the process we’ll publish a station by station schedule.”

But radio presenter Carl Wheatley tweeted a furious reaction: “They are destroying a national treasure and they can’t see it. Resign – and reverse this utter madness. It’s a disaster.”

Last month BBC journalists held their second 48-hour strike in protest at cuts to local radio output and the prospect of redundancies. 

The BBC faces a £285 million shortfall in its income by 2027 due to the decision by former Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries to freeze the licence fee. 

However, The Voice has calculated that Black local programmes get 0.001% of the overall licence fee, which is proportionally 10,000 times less than Gaelic radio service gets per head of population.

The BBC have axed several BBC Africa shows, with sources saying over 600 jobs would be lost. The BBC say the figure is 382, and it is believed the disparity between the two numbers relates to freelancers.

John McDonnell MP, secretary of the NUJ parliamentary group said: “London needs a specific service due to its range of ethnic diversity, its differing levels of affluence and poverty, and the scale of its vulnerable audiences.”

The BBC claims changes are needed not just to address the cash shortfall but also to move towards more digital content which appeals to younger audiences.

However, critics claim the BBC has a long history of producing programmes that fail to appeal to young people, and their first priority should be to not lose existing Black audiences.

The corporation’s figures show they are only reaching 77 percent of the ‘BME’ population across all channels and platforms in an average week, compared to 92 percent of the white population.

A BBC spokesperson said: “We are fully committed to having black voices on Local Radio and any suggestion to the contrary is completely wrong.

“When we have made appointments to all of our programmes, we will share that news with our audiences.

“We are maintaining the funding to community programmes, and they will have more broadcast hours not less under the new plans.”