BBC Trust

The BBC’s Music Radio stations are distinctive and perform a vital role in the development and promotion of UK music, a Trust review has found.

The BBC Trust has today published its service review of BBC Radio 1, 1Xtra, Radio 2, Radio 3, 6 Music and Asian Network.

The review found the stations are viewed as high quality by audiences, deliver the requirements of their service licences and represent good value for money for licence fee payers.

The report highlights the critical importance of the BBC to the music sector, and finds that the high level of support given by the six stations to new, UK and live music makes them distinct from the commercial sector. 

Analysis of the music played on each of the six BBC music radio stations found that they play a wider range of tracks and genres than is available elsewhere on radio. Overlap of the music played on BBC music radio and commercial stations was also found to be low.

Listening levels across the BBC’s Music Radio stations have increased in recent years with 49 per cent of all UK adults listening to at least one of the six stations each week, and listeners’ perceptions of quality of the stations are high.

Despite the increasing challenge of competition from online platforms, radio as a medium remains valued by audiences as a destination to discover and listen to music.

The Trust’s report has highlighted 11 action points which it is asking the BBC to take forward as a result of this review. In summary these include:

Future focus – BBC radio should continue to develop its online strategy and should engage on a regular basis with the UK music sector and commercial radio. As the current definition of ‘new’ music is becoming invalid, the BBC should work with the music industry to find a more appropriate way to define new music on BBC radio.

Output – Radio 1 should find more ways to deliver a range of public purposes in its daytime programming. Radio 3 should maximise its distinctiveness by minimising similarities with other stations.

Audiences – Radio 1 should remain focused on serving a young audience and Radio 2 should address the disparity in reach among black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) listeners.

Service licence changes – In order to enable savings, the number of live sessions on Radio 1 is being reduced, Radio 1 and 1Xtra will increase the number of documentaries shared between the stations, and the number of dramas on Radio 3 will reduce. Asian Network’s news and current affairs output will now be safeguarded through a service licence commitment to broadcast at least 24 hours of news and current affairs per week.

BBC Trustee Nick Prettejohn who jointly led the review said:

"Our review’s findings make for positive reading. The BBC’s six music radio stations are doing well and are seen as go-to services for millions of UK listeners on a quest to discover and be entertained by music.

"The six stations are distinctive from commercial radio through the music that they play, their speech programming, and their support of the UK music sector, something made possible by the unique privilege of the licence fee.

"The BBC imparts an incredibly important function to the musical fabric of this country. It must continue to balance its culturally supportive role with awareness of its market impact, particularly as it now looks to its future online strategy."

The Trust’s assessment of the six radio stations is based on extensive audience research, a public consultation and feedback from the wider industry including commercial radio and representatives from across the UK music sector.

Notes to editors

1. Each BBC service is reviewed against its licence at least once every five years. More information on service reviews carried out by the Trust can be found here along with links to the Trust’s review of Radio 1 and 1Xtra as services for younger audiences; the review from 2010 for Radio 2 and 6 Music, the review of Radio 3 in 2011 and the Asian Network in 2012.
2. The Trust publishes a report setting out its view on progress against service reviews annually. The Trust’s Service Review progress report for 2014 can be found here.
3. The Trust’s Workplan for 2014/15 set out its plans for reviewing the six BBC music radio stations last year and a review of the BBC’s four speech radio stations – Radio 4, 4 Extra, 5 live and 5 live sports extra – will publish in summer 2015.
4. The cost of the review as of publication today is £76,867.