The BBC has revealed plans to expand its digital radio offerings with the launch of four new spin-off stations for Radio 1, 2, and 3. These new stations will broadcast on DAB+ and via BBC Sounds, and will provide a more in-depth look at the related music genres for each station. While currently unnamed, the Radio 1 extension is expected to play music from the 2000s and 2010s, highlighting “lesser-heard gems”. Meanwhile, the Radio 2 station is set to “bring heritage artist catalogues and stories to life in a much deeper and more richly textured manner than the main mixed-genre Radio 2 schedule can allow”. Finally, Radio 3 will continue its focus on classical music and provide a “calming music experience”. The fourth and final extension will be Radio 1 Dance, which will expand from BBC Sounds to DAB+ to help “reflect the scene to a wider audience” and support new UK artists.
According to a statement from the BBC, the new stations will build on the broadcaster’s commitment to new music, highlighting high-quality on-demand music programs. Additionally, the broadcaster will provide new commissions fronted by emerging talent, offering fresh perspectives on archive material capturing the story of British music over the past sixty years. Despite these ambitious plans, the news has not been well-received by the commercial radio sector, which claims that the new stations will “directly imitate” existing commercial services. Stations like Absolute, Smooth, Virgin and Heart already have stations focusing on specific genres or decades, and may argue that the BBC is simply duplicating services while damaging commercial innovation.
The response from Radiocentre, which represents several of these commercial stations, has been strongly negative. They claim that Ofcom should reject any “proposed market interventions that would just offer duplicate services and not deliver against the BBC’s obligations, at the same time as harming commercial innovation”. The spokesperson also demanded to know where the funding for these new services is coming from, given the BBC’s recent claims of needing more funding to sustain current services after cutting costs to the bone. Ofcom itself has so far taken a measured approach, stating that it expects the BBC to engage with industry stakeholders while it considers the potential impact of the new services.
The public will have its say on the new stations, including a Public Interest Test (PIT), over the coming weeks. The BBC‘s plans for the new digital radio offerings have also sparked concerns about the impact on independent artists, who may lose key platforms for their music in this shifting landscape. Nonetheless, the BBC remains committed to showcasing the best of British music, with a particular focus on new and emerging artists
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