Yesterday it became clear that the BBC were considering all but scrapping BBC local radio in an effort to save £400 million a year. The plan would allow the local radio stations to keep their morning breakfast and afternoon drive-time shows but broadcast BBC 5Live the rest of the day and night. I think readers of this blog know that I have many differences of opinion with the BBC over many matters but I am something of a fan of Radio London. Whilst listening to Radio 4 can be a joy when they manage to avoid politics, they manage that too rarely. Thus I usually miss Womens Hour and You and Yours, likewise the afternoon play which usually has 'an angle'. 5Live's daytime presenters are solidly left wing and irritating from the faux impartiality of Nicky Campbell, through the enraging 'uhnggss' and inane interviewing of Victoria Derbyshire, the banal and hugely irritating Richard Bacon, the almost as irritating Gaby Logan before we get to the well past his sell by date Peter Allen and his current sidekick Aasmah Mir who manages to be both bland and infuriating.
The radio genius that is Danny Baker turned me on to Radio London during a period when he presented the breakfast show and I was regularly driving at that time. His move to the afternoon show meant I missed him for a while but eventually I got back into sync and sometimes planned meetings so I would be on the road between 3pm and 5pm. Why the Danny Baker was/is the only two hour show on Radio London I will never understand, they should take an hour of off Eddie Nestor, who would complain at that? So against Nicky Campbell & Victoria Derbyshire Radio London have Vanessa Feltz. Now Vanessa Feltz I know is someone who is not universally popular, she irritates many people I know. However, she is intelligent, caring and a bloody good presenter. Yes I do have to turn her off when a particular show has moved to the
mawkish but you cannot please all the people all of the time. Likewise Robert Elms's shows can get somewhat infuriating when he is one of his 'I am so funny and interesting' moods or when his guest and he are indulging in some 1980s anti-Tory reminiscences but most of the time he manages to wind back the politics and present an interesting programme. I don't think I need to say anything much about the Danny Baker Show other than that on occasions (and the occasions are frequent) Danny's programmes are brilliant, hysterical and life-affirming. So the
news that Danny Baker is returning to Radio London on 18 April having, I presume, beaten his cancer, is the best news of this year so far. Unfortunately Eddie Nestor follows Danny Baker and I cannot abide the man, he is a dreadful phone-in host and I can rarely listen to more than 5 minutes of his show.
The BBC plan would be a disaster for Londoners like me who don't want to listen to 5Live presenters thrust their politics down our throats and cannot bear to listen to the day time run of LBC presenters where mediocrity mixes with intellectual muddle until the arrival of the intelligent and able Iain Dale, a show that just does not fit in with my schedule. What other alternatives are there during the day? I am not a music radio person which means that I can safely ignore Radio 1, I have a fear of becoming a Radio 2 man and do not have DAB in my car so that wide choice is out of reach. TalkSport can be entertaining but I really cannot get too excited about discussing the latest Wayne Rooney excess for three hours and anyway any radio station that employs George Galloway is somewhat suspect in my book.
I hope that the BBC's plan to destroy local radio is a ploy to raise awareness and garner support from around the country as I, and others, would miss Radio London hugely. I am sure that the BBC could find £400 million of annual savings from other parts of the radio budget. Radio 1 is a monstrosity that dominates its market but does nothing that commercial radio stations cannot also do. Nothing apart from pay the likes of Chris Moyles too much money that is. So cut Radio 1 that will save over £40 million, cut the pay of the likes of the Radio 4 Today programme presenters (it won't save that much money but would make me happier) and save the rest from cutting the BBC bureocracy and from the bloated BBC television budget. How much would scrapping Eastenders save? I don't care what 'reach' it has, it should have no place on the nation's broadcaster.
Reach is the word that I keep hearing when local radio is being discussed and that confuses me. Each individual local radio station may have limited reach, but surely taken as a whole, as a service they have huge reach?
One theory that I have heard is that Radio London's facilities are required for 5Live when the station supposedly moves to Manchester. The BBC are realising that MPs and many other interviewees will not want to schlap up to Manchester for a 15 minute interview and then have to come back down, so studio space in London will still be required. of course that is another area where savings could be made; cancel the move of BBC services to Manchester, £1 billion is the cost of that move I believe.
As I say, hopefully this plan is a ruse to get people complaining and like 6Music, BBC local radio can be saved, if not there will be some very angry people out there and the BBC had best beware.
