Just wrong, Dave

Unfortunates in my company over the past week may have heard me arguing that the BBC Trust report on Radio 4 was largely a paean of praise, with some gentle prodding added to demonstrate the spurious rigour and robustness that has been the house style of Sir Michael Lyons.

Then I heard David Liddiment, Trustee in charge of the review, on Feedback.  David, as far as I know, didn't get the job of Controller Radio 4, nor did he apply for it. There's little in his CV that suggests he would be capable.  Yet here he was saying that there are major problems with the way Radio 4 (and, en passant, the whole BBC) serves the UK. And that production out of London was the answer.

Ever since the 1970s, insiders and outsiders have been predicting the slow death of Radio 4, as the audience aged and died, and yoof failed to replenish the ranks.  Yet the reach and market share figures for the last ten years are extraordinary for an "old medium", given the distractions of cable, satellite, internet, mobile etc.  Below charts borrowed from the excellent MediaUK.  This is the important story, and has been achieved with programmes made in London, Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Belfast, W12, W1,  and right around the world  - and with growth in audience that follows most of the major demographic changes of the UK.   Salford, and other out-of-London initiatives are neither drivers of change in what goes on air, nor should they be allowed to damage this stonking achievement. They are political responses to Government pressure.    Smart-alec Liddiment should leave the job, and particularly Radio 4,  to the passionate and intelligent professionals in place, and be shown the door asap by Lord Patten.