BBC JOURNALISTS are on strike for a third time this year as a dispute over cuts to local radio continues.

Members of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) based at BBC South went on strike for 24 hours at 11am today with journalists from BBC Radio Solent, BBC South Today, and South news online backing the walkout.

Under current plans to change programming, BBC Radio Solent's weekday evening programmes will be shared with Oxfordshire and Berkshire.  

At weekends, other than sport, all shows on BBC Radio Solent be shared with at least Oxfordshire and Berkshire, and weekend evening programmes like Alex Dyke's disco inferno and Richard Latto's Stereo Underground will be replaced by national shows.

Three journalists at Radio Solent are also facing redundancy.

READ MORE: BBC South journalists start 48-hour strike over cuts to local radio

Local NUJ Rep Tom Hepworth who works for South Today said: "While we agree the BBC needs to increase the local news it does online, it should not come from cuts to the BBC Local budget.

"People listen to local radio because it is local, distinctive and reflects where you live. The BBC should be looking at providing a properly funded local news service and ensuring that the Government provides a stable funding model to make this possible."

A BBC spokesperson previously said: "We understand this is a difficult period for change for many colleagues and we will continue to support everyone affected by the plans to strengthen our local online services across news and audio.

"Our goal is to deliver a local service across TV, radio and online that offers more value to more people in more local communities.

"While the plans do impact on individual roles, we are maintaining our overall investment in local services and expect our overall level of editorial staffing across England to remain unchanged."