Technicians’ Strike Cuts BBC Broadcasts

A 24-hour technicians’ strike wiped out dozens of the British Broadcasting Corp.’s domestic news programs and curtailed some of its international broadcasts. The technicians’ union said 7,000 members walked off the job in a dispute over what they view as the gradual privatization of BBC, funded largely by compulsory license fees. The BBC has undergone huge changes in the past five years as managers seek to adapt to increasing competition. News bulletins on morning TV shows were curtailed because of the strike, and classical music replaced the flagship current affairs program on Radio 4.