Direction finder

 A new crossroads for public service radio is coming up on the satnav.  BBC DG Tim Davie has moved 'Covid' Bob Shennan, currently Group Managing Director, into the commercial world of BBC Studios, as its first Director of Audio. 

The Managing Director's responsibility for HR, diversity, talent development and pandemic communications moves into the control of the Chief Operating Officer.  It's a headline saving of £310,00 in terms of Bob's salary, but Leigh Tavaziva might get a wee boost.  There'll will be some anxiety in Bob's immediate entourage, but expect some to move with him.

Bob's new focus will be on 'growing the audio business with colleagues across the organisation'. In some ways, this takes him back to December 2007, when he left the BBC to become Director at Channel 4 Radio, in charge of launching three new national stations. Channel 4.  The project was cancelled within a year, citing an advertising slump. 

If Bob can make the business case, he can set up unlimited streaming services and podcasts very quickly. But what about these 'colleagues across the organisation' ?  Network Radio Production, alongside News, Sport and Children's, escaped the grasping arms of BBC Studios when tv production was moved out of salary scrutiny. Children's is now belatedly preparing to join the Studios family.  Will Network Radio Production, run as BBC Audio by Graham Ellis, be in Bob's sights ?

The old argument against 'privatising' more of BBC radio programme making was that the outside market wasn't big or mature enough to cope with the scale of the output. But there was also an almost spiritual belief in 'public service sound mixing' (Were The Beatles better mixed at Maida Vale than Abbey Road ?), and the 'special requirements of speech broadcasting'. 

Those arguments are harder to make now; indies do sound mixing for The Proms, BBC Studios Events do state occasions, and LBC and Times Radio (and myriad podcasters) make speech programmes of style and quality.  And bench-marking of radio production costs is not in BBC Audio's favour.  The landscape of BBC Radio will change dramatically over the next (and last ?) licence fee period, and it will be harder to separate from the future of the BBC as a whole after that.