Tuesday 2 March 2010

BBC

I think the BBC is wrong to cut 6 Music and the Asian Network. Leaving aside all the arguments about nurturing new talent and so on which are undoubtedly true, there's a principle here. Public service broadcasters have a duty to look after minority interests in a way commercial operators do not. These two stations would probably never succeed in the commercial world yet are highly regarded. Radio 1, however, works in exactly the same way as the commercial channels and would not be missed in the same way.
I don't want to see any cuts but if I had to choose between one or the other, I'd shut Radio 1 before 6 Music. This would also save a lot more money since I suspect Chris Moyle's salary alone would keep both the minority channels going for ages.