Strike up the band

If the Telegraph's sources are right, and Radio 4 funding is to be "ring-fenced" from the BBC cuts to come this week, will there be more severe depredations elsewhere in network radio - and on whom ?

How safe is the dosh at the disposal of languid-but-ring-savvy Roger Wright ? He's now the longest-serving Controller of Radio 3, coming up to 13 years in November, and thus eclipsing Howard Newby, who straddled the Third Programme/Radio 3 change.

Sock it to 'em, Rog

(borrowed from 

The Guardian; 

they borrow stuff 

from me)

Once again this year, Roger has "refreshed" the breakfast style on his network, and once again, faces charges of dumbing down in the direction of Classic FM. He's been there before - the timing of the change means any downward trend in the audience will barely be reflected in the next set of audience figures (October 27th). By the time there's a report on a full quarter (February 2nd 2012), there's a chance the hoo-ha will have died down.



Roger lost £3.5m in budget during 2010/11, off a previous total of £40.8m. His cost per listener hour fell from 6.3p to 5.9p - mainly as a result of the financial cut, but helped by last year's nudges in reach over 2m. You have to say his record with the audience - who can now choose music via iPods, Sky Arts, Spotify and much more - is pretty solid over time - as this reach chart from MediaUK shows.

Nonetheless he will face a DQF dilemma. The issue of how many orchestras the BBC should run will be teed up as a separate exercise by DG Thommo, giving Roger food for thought as he tinkles through JS Bach studies on his Bechstein at 0530am.  Ring-savvy Rog thinks he can pass this one on - arguing the BBC Concert Orchestra is the one that should be scrutinised, and that is mainly a Radio 2 issue. Will Bob Shennan find a way round this hospital pass ?

Howard Newby went on to become Managing Director of Radio.