Out with outre

Four years into the job, Controller Radio 3 Alan Davey has learned the old BBC language of cuts. Late Junction, the experimental music show, is being cut from three nights a week to one in September. Al tells The Guardian the change is “to make sure we continue to offer a rich mix of music and culture to existing and future audiences” and that the hole will be filled by “a new classical music programme designed for late-night listening”. Also dropped by the ever-eclectic Al, are two weekly jazz shows, Jazz Now and Geoffrey Smith's Jazz.

There are two basic reasons for dropping a programme - either it's not performing with the audience, or it's too expensive, and something cheaper is needed.  It would be dreadful if, for example, Late Junction attracted more listeners under 40 than the rest of Radio 3....

Perhaps it's time for the DG to summon a meeting. The BBC is paying £450m towards the free-licences for Over-75s in the forthcoming financial year. If Late Junction is a cut driven by this madness, let's start saying so.