BBC Accused Of Creating “Toxic Culture” In Letter Protesting Closure Of Century-Old Choir
14.03.2023 - 18:11
/ deadline.com
Senior BBC management has been accused of fostering a “toxic culture” from the “DG-down” in a letter criticizing the closure of its 99-year-old choir.
The co-directors of BBC Singers, the BBC choir that’s facing the axe, made the claim in a letter to BBC Chair Richard Sharp.
The decision to close the near-century-old choir has been met with major opposition and is one of several crises currently engulfing the BBC. The BBC says it is in consultation with the Musician’s Union over the plan as an online petition criticizing it tops 100,000 signatures and another signed by 700 composers was sent to BBC Director General Tim Davie.
Among the damning claims levelled by BBC Singers Acting Co-Directors Jonathan Manners and Rob Johnston is that a “recurring narrative of toxic culture now exists at the BBC, reflected in the working environment from the Director General downwards.”
They also claimed: “A culture of fear and paranoia has been created as seismic decisions on the corporation’s future are taken at speed without any proper analysis or meaningful consultation.”
The letter, first published by classic music news site Slipped Disc, claims only one key BBC executive had heard the BBC Singers perform before the decision to axe the choir was announced last week.
The closure will result in the loss of 20 posts and is part of a wider drive to reduce the BBC’s spend on its salaried orchestra positions by 20%. The BBC said the “difficult decision” was made so it could invest more in choral groups and launch a development program for new talent.
Among several complaints about the strategy behind and implementation of the closure, the authors allege to have experienced “aggressive and confrontational dialogue” from BBC execs.
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