Hayley Valentine has been appointed as the Senior Head of Content Production for the BBC in the Midlands, where she will play a crucial role in overseeing the BBC’s local services for radio, TV, and online across the West and East Midlands.
Leading Local Services for Radio, TV, and Online
Hayley currently holds the position of Head of the Radio Newsroom in London, where she is responsible for overseeing bulletins and summaries on various BBC radio stations, including Radio 2, 3, 4, 6 Music, and the World Service. Her editorial responsibilities extend to programs like The Newsroom on the World Service, The Global News Podcast (the BBC’s most successful international podcast), and The Happy Pod.
With her wealth of experience, including roles as Senior Head of Multi-Platform Production in BBC Scotland and launch editor of The Nine, an hour-long nightly news and current affairs program on the Scotland Channel, as well as serving as an Executive Producer for Question Time, Hayley brings a strong background in content production and editorial leadership.
BBC’s Focus on Transforming Local Services in the Midlands
The BBC is undergoing a transformation in its local services in the Midlands and across England by placing local information at the forefront of the online experience for audiences. This approach involves providing greater news coverage for 43 different areas, including the upcoming launch of a dedicated online service for Wolverhampton.
This transformation aims to offer stories to the audience when they want them, with more frequent story updates and enhanced visibility on the BBC News app. As a result, online traffic to BBC Local news stories in England has surged by 21% over the last three months compared to the same period in the previous year.
Continued Investment in the West Midlands as Part of BBC’s Regional Strategy
The Midlands plays a significant role in the BBC’s “Across the UK” strategy, which seeks to better represent and serve audiences by relocating shows, talent, teams, and content to the region. The BBC’s contribution to the West Midlands economy exceeds £305 million each year, and this investment is set to continue.
Over the past year, the BBC has moved hundreds of additional hours of network radio programming to Birmingham, including BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat, Asian Network News, and three new 1Xtra shows, making the network live from Birmingham every weekday from 10 am to 4 pm. Additionally, the popular drama series Silent Witness will be moving to the West Midlands in the near future, and the MasterChef brand will relocate its production to new studios in Digbeth in 2024.
Hayley Valentine is set to commence her new role as Senior Head of Content Production for BBC Midlands in January 2024, and her leadership is expected to play a pivotal role in the BBC’s ongoing regional strategy and commitment to delivering high-quality content to audiences in the Midlands.