BBC staff will strike for 24 hours today over a pay dispute.

The industrial action comes after the BBC's refusal to improve on a 7%

pay offer to its 25,000 staff.

The walkout, by up to 18,000 of the BBC's 25,000 staff, follows the

corporation's failure to improve on a 7% offer, and could hit programmes

such as news bulletins, Newsnight, Breakfast Time, and other live shows

and location work on future productions.

Terry Wogan's show could have been hit, but the BBC will be screening

a pre-recorded programme.

The strike, the first in a series of stoppages in support of a 16% pay

claim, was ordered by the Broadcasting and Entertainment Trades Alliance

and the National Union of Journalists last week.

The BBC said it would try to provide as normal a service as possible.

Talks between the unions and the BBC broke down two weeks ago after

the BBC made an initial offer of 6.5% and later added another 0.5%.

The corporation told the unions the 7% offer was the best it could

make because of financial constraints which followed the Government move

to link licence fee increases to the Retail Price Index.

The offer, which also included an increase in London weighting, more

pay for some lower-paid staff, and a two-month bonus by putting the

offer into operation earlier, was dismissed by the unions as totally

unacceptable. They claimed the offer would mean staff taking a pay cut.

Today's walkout will include 1200 journalists.