He's got rithm

It's a mystery to me how he gets a business paper past the Board. James Purnell, the BBC Radio boss who last year said "I don’t care about beating Global, Bauer or Wireless in the RAJARs" has now told the Radio Festival the BBC Sounds is not aiming for market share. (Let him try telling that to radio producers facing redundancy as an undisclosed budget is shifted behind the app and product for the app.)

Mr Purnell says the purpose of BBC Sounds is to bring the experience of radio to those who would not find it on actual radio.

He promises that the app, judged unwieldy by many, will be 'personalised' by the autumn. "We are developing our own public service algorithm. This is not an algorithm that just gives you more of the same, but an algorithm built to surprise you, to direct your attention to new information, to pop your bubble”. I'm sure the BBC will be completely transparent about what makes this algorithm different from those that push unwonted products in everyone's timelines. Won't it ?

Mr Purnell evidenced his passion for radio by telling delegates how he listened to Radio 4 during his schoolboy years in France. Then spent the rest of his time at the podium talking about podcasts, which currently reach 13% of the UK population. Live radio reaches 90%.