Irrelevant producers under threat

The BBC is looking for 50 volunteers for redundancy from its radio production teams. The note to staff says savings have to be made to “reinvest in the key strategic objective of attracting more young listeners to BBC services”, so the presumption is that hands raised by those currently working on Radio 3 and 4 output are likely to be accepted first.

The Times found a BBC spokesman, who, in traditional joined-up fashion, denied that the cuts were about getting more younger listeners. “Radio 4 is the most respected speech station in the country with a brilliant on-air schedule and a raft of innovative podcasts on BBC Sounds, and in addition to our distinctive music stations, we are also experimenting with a range of content for audiences who might not yet be regular radio listeners. This isn’t about being youth-focused, this is us keeping BBC radio relevant to all of our audiences.”