Today an industry summit in Westminster, hosted by culture secretary, Andy Burnham is reported to reveal further details of the BBC’s (unprecedented) plans – which will see the BBC share its resources with TV, newspapers and radio stations for the first time, with the aim of saving regional news organisations.

The summit – put in place to discuss the recent newspaper crisis concerning the recent fall in advertising revenues, gathered industry leaders from the BBC, ITV, ITN and Channel 4 as well as editors and publishers of national, regional and local press including Helen Boaden, Head of News for the BBC, and controller of the English regions, David Holdsworth.

The event was set up to help struggling local newspapers in particular – with Burnham himself a supporter of local media, and looking to help find a solution to the ongoing problems.

A positive move by the BBC which is set to provide content for local newspapers and free video content access for their websites – plus free access and training to its school of journalism, sharing audio content with community and local radio reporters, and access to BBC iPlayer technology also.

The concept of sharing resources has apparently been discussed by the BBC for quite a while now, with ITV also agreeing to share studio space to support regional news services in a similar deal. The BBC and ITV have an existing agreement with ITV, scaling back their regional news operations, and sharing BBC's studio space and production facilities. National newspapers including the Daily Telegraph as well as local TV stations such as Manchester based Channel M (owned by the Media Guardian Group) will also be on board the new plans it seems.

A senior BBC source said of the new plans: “The industry needs to pull together to weather the financial storm. While the BBC is also facing significant economic challenges, it can play a valuable role in underpinning public service broadcasting, and in helping to ensure wider choice and diversity, at a time when the industry is grappling with huge strategic challenges.”

So is this never before step by the BBC a result of government pressure to help save commercial rivals with their guaranteed licence fee income – or the BBC beating them to it? Surely the BBC is benefiting by striking up partnerships on its own before it is pushed to do so – and these talks will indeed help shape the government's response which communications minister Lord Carter, will announce in his final Digital Britain report in the summer.

This new concept of sharing resources and enabling partnerships to stretch further – not just within broadcast but including other local and national media also, must be considered a good move in the media world – for all parties involved. Merging these communications industries is set to produce a new era of cooperation, so let’s see how these new friendships develop…

markettiers4dc have been championing 15 years of convergence so nice to see the big boys catching up with us!