Photo: BBC
Broadcaster Ros Atkins has said it was a “privilege” to make Outside Source as he signed off the BBC News programme for the last time as it came to an end after nine years.
The show, which was launched in 2014, was delivered live from the BBC newsroom and gathered the latest information as it arrived from news wires, video feeds and social media on the biggest stories of the day.
The show’s final edition came as the broadcaster continues to make changes to its news output as it creates a single BBC News channel operation with two feeds for UK and global audiences.
At the end of the final instalment on Thursday evening, Atkins said: “Just before we finish, I wanted to quickly mention that this is the last edition of Outside Source.
“We’re wrapping up after nine years on air and if I think back to 2014, I guess right from the start we were trying to find new ways to distil and explain the news and we’ve been trying ever since.
“I’ll let you judge how we’ve done but that was the aim anyway and it’s been a privilege to make the programme for you.”
He added that the show’s format would not be completely lost as elements of it would be incorporated into the new single channel.
“I should say this work is definitely going to carry on because while the programme is stopping, from next week there will be a new BBC News channel and I and many of the OS team will be contributing to it,” Atkins said.
“We’re going to be making our explainers too so we’re not disappearing, I promise.
“But for Outside Source, time is up and so whether you’re in the UK or elsewhere around the world, from all of us, many thanks for watching today and for watching over the years.”
Ahead of the last edition, the news anchor tweeted: “Just over 9 years ago, we launched Outside Source. For better or worse, it was our effort to do TV news differently.
“As you can see, at the start we were reporting on Ukraine & Russia, just as we do now. Well, today is our final edition.”
It comes on the same day that the corporation published its Annual Plan, in which it announced its savings target has increased by 40% to £400 million amid high inflation and a licence fee freeze.
The broadcaster said it was responding by cutting 1,000 hours of content commissions across its portfolio, among other measures.
The BBC previously projected it needed to save £285 million by 2027/28 – the end of the current charter period.
It comes on top of a £300 million reinvestment plan announced last May to “better position the BBC for an on-demand world”.
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