Following BEO’s letter to the BBC in November 2022 and campaigning by Black and Asian communities, the BBC has now announced that its initial plans to cut local radio Black and Asian programming have been overturned. As a result, the BBC has stated it will not only keep community shows but also increase the number of local radio stations broadcasting these programmes.
Sunday night shows will now move to Mondays and Fridays and the number of stations featuring community radio programmes will increase from 20 to 33. Not only have our beloved local radio shows been saved, but they will have increased air-time, broadcasting to even more of the population.
The BBC said: “Future plans for dedicated programming on BBC Local Radio for Black and Asian audiences have also been announced. The much-loved community programmes shows will become more accessible by moving from their traditional single Sunday evening slot to new programmes on Monday and Friday evenings. The number of stations featuring community programming will increase from 20 to 33.”
Jason Horton, Director of Production, BBC Local said:
“We have listened carefully to the feedback we have received about proposed changes to BBC Local Radio programming. As a result, we are making a number of amendments to the original plan in order to strike the best possible balance between live and on-demand services.
We are incredibly thankful to everyone who supported our campaign and would especially like to thank David Harewood, Adrian Lester, Diane Abbott, Dawn Butler, Baroness Doreen Lawrence, Abdullah Afzal, and many others, who signed our letter urging the corporation to reject the cuts.
Read our initial letter to the BBC here.
Read the BBC announcement here.
