BBC Prepares Secret Scripts To Reassure Public In Case Of Winter Blackouts Or Gas Shortages
The BBC has ready secret scripts to read on emergency broadcast channels if the UK experiences energy shortages that result in blackouts or loses gas this winter, according to the Guardian.
The scripts deal with the results of a “major loss of power” that impacts everything from mobile phone signals to internet access to traffic lights, according to the paper.
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The National Grid, which oversees the UJ’s power supply, recently issued a rare warning that electricity supplies could be at risk in coming months. Worst case scenario is Russia chooses to cut off all power to Europe, which could result in planned three-hour blackouts per day. Ministers have claimed power cuts are unlikely.
In such a scenario, The BBC would function as a source of information for the public, dropping regular schedules under command of government ministers.
The BBC would begin running a significantly-reduced service from a rural location not acknowledged by the public broadcaster. The emergency broadcasting center (EBC) would provide half-hourly news bulletins and a “music service,” on long-wave frequencies, with news updates on BBC Radio 2 FM spectrum.
Drafts of the scripts reveal the public would be able to access emergency broadcasts using car radios and battery-powered receivers on FM and long-wave frequencies usually reserved for BBC radio channels.
The scripts would advise how long the blackouts are expected to last, with one warning a two-dat blackout would put public services such as hospitals under “extreme pressure.”
The Guardian reported the scripts had been drafted by BBC journalists, who had worked with government on several hypothetical situations. The BBC declined to comment this morning.
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