Music loses

Expect a furore today. The revised proposals for making savings in BBC Local Radio are out - and it looks like local specialist music shows - jazz, folk, funk, ska, etc - currently scheduled on weekday evenings are the big losers. Here's the relevant paragraph from the Trust's review of the service licence.

On weekday evenings (7pm–10pm) all stations will come together for a new allEngland programme, with opt-outs for live sport and local news (as currently provided).


Each local station should commence local broadcasting by 6am (rather than 5am). 


All stations will broadcast Radio 5 live from 1am until the start of their breakfast programme (already the case in most stations, but now BBC Newcastle and BBC London 94.9 will also broadcast Radio 5 live overnight).


The locally split breakfast programmes within Devon, Three Counties, Wiltshire and Cambridgeshire will end.


And here's the recipe for a rather dull weekday evening show...

It will be speech-led (a minimum of 60 per cent). ·


Speech will cover the best of what BBC Local Radio has broadcast on a given day. There may be debates involving listeners about how the main subjects and talking points of the day have played out in different areas. 


Material and strands should reflect and debate local culture and arts, and stories should be told through the perspective of listeners and local communities; programmes should include live reports from different BBC Local Radio stations and areas. ·


Music will be based on the current Local Radio core playlist, with an increased bias towards music from past decades and reduced amounts of current music. ·


News and travel bulletins will remain local. The programme will go to breaking news where appropriate. · Local stations will opt-out for sports coverage and for major breaking stories.


Doesn't sound like a gig for Danny Baker, eh ?