Case study: BBC Radio 4

Bhavi Joshi TYBMM journalism Roll No. 33 Usha Pravin Gandhi college of management

Introduction
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the station is part of BBC Radio and the BBC Audio & Music department. The station is broadcast from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasting House, London. A sister station, BBC Radio 4 Extra, complements Radio 4 by broadcasting archive programming alongside extended versions of programmes, or supplementary programmes to well known Radio 4 programmes, such as The Archers and Desert Island Discs. BBC Radio 4 is the second most popular domestic radio station in the UK, and is broadcast throughout the United Kingdom on FM, LW and DAB, and can be received in the north of France and Northern Europe as well. In addition, the station is also available through Sky and Virgin Media, and on the internet. BBC Radio 4 is notable for its consistent news bulletins and programmes such as Today, which are heralded on air by the BBC Pips or the chimes of Big Ben.

Outline
Radio 4 is the second most popular British domestic radio station, after Radio 2 and the most popular in London and the south of England. The station recorded its highest ever audience of 11 million listeners in May 2011 and was named "UK Radio Station of the Year" at the 2003, 2004 and 2008 Sony Radio Academy Awards. Costing 71.4 million (2005/6), it is the BBC's most expensive national radio network and is considered by many to be the corporation's flagship. There is currently no comparable British commercial network. This situation is unlikely to change in the near future, as Channel 4 abandoned plans to launch its own speech-based digital radio station in October 2008 as part of a 100m cost cutting review. The controller of Radio 4 is Gwyneth Williams. The previous controller was Mark Damazer, who is now Master of St Peter's College, Oxford. Music and sport are the only fields that largely fall outside the station's remit. However the channel does broadcast occasional concerts, documentaries related to various forms of both popular and classical music, as well as the long-running music-based programme Desert Island Discs. In addition, prior to the creation of BBC Radio 5, the station broadcast several sports-based features, most notably Sport on Four and since the creation of BBC Radio 5 Live has become the home of ball-by-ball commentaries of most test cricket matches played by England, which are broadcast on long wave. As a result, for around 70 days a year, listeners have to rely on FM broadcasts or increasingly DAB for mainstream Radio 4 broadcasts. However the number of those relying solely on long wave is now a small minority. The cricket broadcasts even take precedence over on the hour news bulletins, but not the Shipping Forecast. Radio 4 has carried these regular weather forecasts for shipping and gale warnings since its move to the Long Wave frequency in 1978 because the long-wave service can be received clearly at sea around the coasts of Britain and Ireland. The station has also been designated as the UK's national broadcaster in times of national emergency such as a war: if all other radio stations were forced to close, Radio 4 would still carry on broadcasting, It has been claimed that Radio 4 had an additional role during the Cold War: the commanders of nuclear-armed submarines believing that Britain had suffered nuclear attack were required to check if they could still receive Radio 4, and if they could not would open sealed orders which might authorize a retaliatory strike. As well as news and drama, and despite a reputation for being middle class and London centric, Radio 4 also has a strong reputation for comedy, including experimental and alternative comedy, many successful comedians and comedy shows first appearing on the station.

The station is available on FM (in most of Great Britain, parts of Ireland and the North of France), LW(throughout the United Kingdom and in parts of Northern Europe, and the Atlantic north of the Azoresto about 20 degrees west), MW (in some areas), DAB, Digital TV (including Freeview, Freesat, Skyand Virgin Media), and on the Internet.

History of BBC Radio

The BBC radio services began in 1922. It was licensed by the British Government through its General Post Office which had original control of the airwaves because they had been interpreted under law as an extension of the Post Office services. Today radio broadcasting still makes up a large part of the corporation's output and this is still reflected in the title of the BBC's listings magazine called 'Radio Times'. First charter On 31 December 1926 the British Broadcasting Company became the British Broadcasting Corporation and gained control of the airwaves under the terms of a Royal Charter. John Reith, who had been the founding Managing Director of the commercial company, became the first director. He expounded firm principles of centralised, all-encompassing radio broadcasting, stressing programming standards and moral tone. These are set out in his autobiography, Broadcast Over Britain (1924), influencing modern ideas of public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom. To this day, the BBC aims to follow the Reithian directive to "inform, educate and entertain". Critics of his approach state that he was dictatorial and that he imposed a theocratic viewpoint on the broadcasting service. Reith's ideals were utterly at odds with the model of light entertainment based commercial radio adopted in some other countries (e.g. the USA). Competition from overseas stations Although no other broadcasting organisation was licensed in the UK until 1973, commercial competition soon opened up from overseas. The commercial competitors were for the most part represented by the International Broadcasting Company that bought blocks of airtime from radio stations such as Normandy, Toulouse, Ljubljana, Juan les Pins, Paris, Poste Parisien, Athlone, Barcelona, Madrid and Rome. In the period from 1927 to 1939, light entertainment on the British airwaves was for the most part the domain of the 10 part-time English language IBC stations. By 1938 on Sundays upwards of 80% of the British audience turned their dials away from the BBC to these IBC stations which followed an American format of commercial broadcasting. They were eventually silenced by the advent of the German military taking control of their transmitters in France, Luxembourg and other countries during World War II. American Armed Forces influence The respite from American influence on British broadcasting was short lived. When the US military flooded Europe with troops during World War II, American-style programming followed and the BBC was forced to transmit these shows, first on the BBC Forces Programme and later on the BBC General Forces Programme, both on the former

frequencies of the BBC National Programme. After the war the BBC Forces transmitters that had carried these shows were transformed into a network called the BBC Light Programme. The original BBC stations which had been linked together to form the BBC Regional Programme were transformed into the BBC Home Service. A third part-time service was created under the name of the BBC Third Programme. For the history of these stations see Timeline of the BBC. Empire and the world To provide a different service from the domestic audience the Corporation started BBC Empire Service on Short Wave in 1932 originally in English but it soon provided programmes in other languages. At the start of the Second World War it was renamed The Overseas Service but is now known as the BBC World Service. Commercial radio influence WWII silenced all but one of the original IBC stations, only Radio Luxembourg continued its nightly transmissions to Britain as a commercial radio station featuring American-style entertainment and religion. Beginning in 1964 the first in what became a fleet of 10 offshore pirate radio stations began to ring the British coastline. By 1967 millions were tuning into these commercial operations and the BBC was rapidly losing its radio listening audience. The British government reacted by passing the Marine Offences Act, which all but wiped out all of the stations by midnight on 14 August 1967. Only Radio Caroline survives. One of the stations called Radio London ("Big L") was so successful that the BBC was told to copy it as best they could. This led to a complete overhaul by Frank Gillard the BBC's Director of Radio of the BBC output creating the four analogue channels that still form the basis of its broadcasting today. The creator of BBC Radio One told the press that his family had been fans of Radio London. The BBC hired many out-of-work broadcasting staff who had come from the former offshore stations. Tony Blackburn who presented the very first BBC Radio One morning show had previously presented the same morning show on Radio Caroline and later on Big L. He attempted to duplicate the same sound for BBC Radio One. Among the other DJs hired was the late John Peel who had presented the overnight show on "Big L", called The Perfumed Garden. Though it only ran for a few months prior to Big L's closure, The Perfumed Garden got more fan mail than the rest of the pop DJ's on Radio London put together, so much that staff wondered what to do with it all. The reason it got so much mail was that it played different music, and was the beginning of the "album rock" genre. Big

L'sPAMS jingles were commissioned to be resung in Dallas, Texas so that "Wonderful Radio London" became "Wonderful Radio One on BBC". The BBC's more popular stations have encountered pressure from the commercial sector. John Myers, who had developed commercial brands such as Century Radio and Real Radio, was asked in the first quarter of 2011 to conduct a review into the efficiencies of Radios 1, 2, 1Xtra and 6 Music. His role, according to Andrew Harrison, the chief executive of Radio Centre, was "to identify both areas of best practice and possible savings."

History of radio 4
The BBC Home Service was the predecessor of Radio 4 and broadcast between 1939 and 1967. It had regional variations and was broadcast on medium wave with a network of VHF FM transmitters being added from 1955 onwards. Radio 4 replaced the Home Service on 30 September 1967, when the BBC renamed many of its domestic radio stations in response to the challenge of offshore radio. It moved to long wave in 1978, taking over the 200 kHz frequency previously held by Radio 2, and later moved to 198 kHz as a result of international agreements aimed at avoiding interference. Between 17 January 1991 and 2 March 1991, the FM broadcasts were replaced by a continuous news service devoted to the Gulf War, nicknamed "Scud FM". Radio 4 is part of the Royal Navy's system of Last Resort Letters. In the event of a suspected catastrophic attack on Great Britain, submarine commanders, in addition to carrying out other checks, would check for a broadcast signal from Radio 4 to verify annihilation of the homeland. Daily schedule The night-time feed from the BBC World Service ends at 05:20, with a brief introduction from the early shift continuity announcer. The five-minute Radio 4 UK Theme (composed by Fritz Spiegl) followed this for 28 years until April 2006. It was replaced by an extension to the early news bulletin, despite some public opposition and a campaign to save it. After a continuity link and programme trail there is a shipping forecast, weather reports from coastal stations for 04:00GMT and the inshore waters forecasts, followed at 05:30 by a news bulletin, a review of British and international newspapers, and a business report. On weekdays, Farming Today, which deals with news of relevance to the agricultural sector, is followed by the Today programme from 06:00 to 09:00. After the Today programme, the schedule is then determined by the day of the week, though on every weekday there are 'fixtures': Woman's Hour at 10:00, You and Yours at 12:00, The World at One and a repeat of the previous day's The Archers at 2:00 pm, followed by the Afternoon Play at 2.15 pm. At 5:00 pm another current affairs programme, PM, is broadcast. At 6:30 pm there is a regular comedy 'slot', followed by The Archers. At weekends the schedule is different, but also has its 'fixtures' at various times. On or after the hour, a news bulletin is broadcast this is sometimes a two-minute summary, a longer piece as part of a current affairs programme, or a 30-minute broadcast on weekdays at 18:00 and midnight. At 12:00, FM has a four-minute bulletin while long wave has the headlines and then the Shipping Forecast; for the same reason, long wave leaves PM on weekdays at 17:54.

There is a news programme or bulletin (depending on the day) at 22:00. The midnight news is followed on weekdays by a repeat of Book of the Week. The tune Sailing By is played until 00:48, when the late shipping forecast is broadcast. Timing is said to be difficult as the Sailing By theme must be started at a set time and faded in as the last programme ends. Radio 4 finishes with the national anthem, God Save the Queen, and the World Service takes over from 01:00 until 05:20. Timing is considered sacrosanct on the channel. Running over the hour except in special circumstances or occasional scheduled instance is unheard of, and even interrupting the Greenwich Time Signalon the hour (known as 'crashing the pips') is frowned upon. An online schedule page lists the running order of programmes. Production Many Radio 4 programmes are pre-recorded. Programmes transmitted live include daily programmes such as Today, magazine programme Woman's Hour, consumer affairs programme You and Yours, and (often) the music, film, books, arts and culture programme Front Row. Continuity is generally managed from BBC Broadcasting House whilst news bulletins, including the hourly summaries and longer programmes such as the Six O'Clock News and Midnight News, and news programmes such as Today, The World at One and PM come from the BBC Television Centre in White City. They were moved there in 1998 when the News Centre was opened to house both radio and TV news. News returned to Broadcasting House in 2008. The Time Signal, known as 'the pips', is broadcast every hour to herald the news bulletin, except at midnight and 6 pm, where the chimes of Big Ben are played instead. Programmes Radio 4 is distinguished by its long-running programmes, many of which have been broadcast for over 40 years. Most programmes are available for a week after broadcast as streaming audio from Radio 4's listen again page and via BBC iPlayer. A selection of programmes is also available as or downloadable audio files. Many comedy and drama programmes from the Radio 4 archives are rebroadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra (formerly BBC Radio 7). Continuity announcers and newsreaders Announcers link programmes and read trails for programmes and for the Shipping Forecast. Newsreaders read hourly summaries and longer bulletins.

Senior Announcers


Chris Aldridge

Harriet Cass

Newsreaders/Continuity Announcers
    

Alice Arnold Carolyn Brown Kathy Clugston Charles Carroll Corrie Corfield

    

Annie McKie Rory Morrison Susan Rae Neil Sleat Zebedee 'Zeb' Soanes Alan Smith Diana Speed

Newsreaders (non-Today programme)/Continuity Announcers

  

David Miles Caroline Nicholls Vaughan Savidge Charlotte Green

 

Newsreaders


Newsreaders (non-Today programme)



Peter Donaldson

Continuity Announcers
  

Arlene Fleming Jim Lee Neil Nunes

 

Howard Philpott Luke Tuddenham

Former staff


David Anderson (left to senior management, but covered during the May 2005 strike)

   

Jonathan Lampon Jenny Lane Pennie Latin (left 2004) Laurie Macmillan (died 2001) Bryan Martin (died 2009) Patrick Muirhead (left 2004) Jamie Owen Brian Perkins Alison Rooper (left 2005, joined Radio 3) Clive Roslin (left ~1990) Andy Rushton (Test Match Special announcer 1998 June 2007) Jane Steele Moira Stuart (left 1981 to TV; now

 

Bill Bingham (1980 1982)

Louise Botting (presenter of Money Box,  1977 1992)  Louise Bruce Piers Burton-Page (1975 1977) Pauline Bushnell Edward Cole Andrew Crawford (can still be heard announcingI'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue) Matthew Exell John Hedges
    

    

 

 

Anna Hill (left ~2000 now presents Farming Today) Peter Jefferson (left 2009) Astley Jones (left 2006)

on BBC Radio 2)


Catriona Young (now with Radio 3)

 

Frequencies and other means of reception Radio 4 is broadcast on:



92 95 MHz FM in England, and from some transmitters in Wales

  

95.8 MHz in central Scotland 96 MHz in Greater Belfast 103-104.5 from other transmitters in Wales and generally in Scotland and Northern Ireland

 

198 kHz longwave Medium wave in some areas:

 

720 kHz in London and Northern Ireland 1449 kHz in Aberdeen and North East Scotland Standard FM content Subsidiary LW content, where applicable

DAB
 

 

Freeview channel 704 (FM only) The Internet



WMA live streaming Radio 4 FM:

 

Digital satellite:


Freesat channel 704 Sky channel 0104 Freesat channel 710 Sky channel 0143

Radio 4 LW:
 

 

Virgin Media channel 904 (FM), channel 911 (LW) Selected other cable television providers (Also on various frequencies on analogue cable networks)


UPC Ireland channel 910 in Ireland

TalkTalk TV channel 604

Criticisms There have been criticisms voiced by newspapers in recent years over a perceived "liberal" bias at Radio 4 across a range of issues such as the EU and the Iraq War, as well as sycophancy in interviews, particularly on the popular morning news magazine "Today" as part of a reported perception of a general "malaise" at the BBC. Conversely, the station has sometimes also been criticised for an overtly socially and culturally conservative approach. The current BBC framework for editorial complaints The BBC operates a three-stage procedure for complaints about the content of its programmes, when broadcast on BBC channels or websites: This involves a consideration of the complaint by the BBC s central audience services team, or the relevant programme team if the complainant writes to them direct. The BBC aims to respond to complaints at stage 1 within two weeks. If a complainant is unhappy with the outcome of stage 1, they can lodge a complaint with the BBC s Editorial Complaints Unit. This is a small, independent team, staffed mostly by former senior programme makers, who will investigate the complaint in detail. The ECU will consider the complaint against the BBC s Editorial Guidelines, and decide whether those Guidelines have been complied with. If they have not been, the ECU can recommend corrective action, for example preventing retransmission or broadcasting a corrective statement. The final stage is an appeal to the BBC Trust s Editorial Standards Committee. The Trust will usually appoint an editorial adviser to investigate the complaint, and the Trustees will then decide whether the BBC s Guidelines have been breached. If they have, they can direct that corrective action is taken. Both the BBC and Ofcom have a legal duty to consider standards complaints. The BBC Charter and Agreement require the Trust to establish and maintain procedures for the handling and resolution of complaints. Ofcom is required to adjudicate on fairness complaints and to establish procedures for the handling and resolution of complaints about the BBC. Ofcom has its own Broadcast Code, which covers similar material to the BBC s Editorial Guidelines, such as impartiality, accuracy and fairness. The Ofcom Code also applies to the BBC, except in respect of due accuracy and impartiality and some commercial references these three areas are regulated exclusively by the BBC Trust. This means that most editorial complaints, such as those on fairness and offence, can be considered by both the BBC Trust and Ofcom, as both have jurisdiction. Where the complaint is from someone directly affected by the programme for example a contributor, or the subject of it the regulators will usually give the complainant the option to have the complaint considered by Ofcom or the BBC Trust, but not both at the same time. If the complainant asks Ofcom to consider the complaint, then the BBC will stop considering it. If the complainant chooses to pursue their complaint

with the BBC, then Ofcom will suspend its consideration, but it may allow the complaint to be reinstated if the complainant is unhappy with the BBC s decision. Improvements which could be made in the short term There are several issues of governance and regulation which might be considered by the BBC Trust in the short term in order significantly to assist the BBC: (i) managing external complaints; (ii) quota setting; (iii) internal compliance; (iv) providing clarity for viewers and listeners about factual content; (v) the role of Non-Executives; (vi) the governance implications of the licence fee settlement including the World Service, S4C and Broadband Delivery UK; (vii) The role of the NAO in ensuring transparency; and (viii) Decision making and the public value test. MANAGING EXTERNAL COMPLAINTS In this inquiry we have considered two separate but connected issues concerning the handling of complaints about BBC programmes and services. The first is the complaints system within the BBC. Lord Grade, a former Chairman of the BBC Board of Governors described his experience of twice having complained to the BBC since leaving the Corporation (once about a programme and once on a commercial matter) as "a grizzly experience". He described the current system as "hopeless, absolutely hopeless. It does the great institution no service at all." Mark Thompson, Director-General of the BBC, observed that Lord Grade's experience must have been "particularly painful since he presided over the system that he was then a victim of." The second issue is the overlap between the BBC's internal complaints system and those of other bodies. As the broadcasting landscape has developed over the past 15 years there have been four pieces of legislation with implications for the handling of complaints about BBC programmes and services. New regulatory bodies have been given different and sometimes overlapping tasks. For example, complaints about the BBC normally go to the BBC itself but other than for issues of impartiality and accuracy and commercial references they can also be raised with Ofcom in parallel or following completion of investigation by the BBC. This is

known by the BBC Trust and Ofcom as 'overlapping jurisdiction'. The BBC Trust, under the provisions of the Charter and Agreement, oversees the enforcement of the BBC's Editorial Guidelines. Ofcom oversees the enforcement of its statutory codes which apply to all broadcasters, including with certain limited exceptions the BBC. The BBC's Editorial Guidelines apply the principles of the Ofcom Broadcasting Code to the particular context of the BBC. The timeline in Appendix 4 illustrates how the different regulatory structures have evolved. The arrangements between the BBC Trust and Ofcom are the subject of a detailed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). However it is not always clear to a viewer, listener or user where to complain about a BBC service. Media commentator Neil Midgley described it to us as "a bit of a dog's breakfast." For example it is not immediately clear where a complainant should lodge their initial complaint, although Ed Richards, the Chief Executive of Ofcom told us that if a complaint was initially submitted to the wrong body it would be passed on where appropriate. To understand the combined impact of the two connected issues, we decided to set out in one chart the possible options for complaining about the BBC. We believe this may be the first time the entire complaints system has been documented for public use on a single page. It illustrates just how confusing and complicated the complaints process is from a users' perspective.

The House of Lords report The report looks at a range of issues, including quotas and internal BBC compliance. The main recommendations on editorial complaints processes are: Greater clarity of the complaints process for BBC content, with a single page on the BBC website that identifies the role of each regulator. A single entry point for complaints to the BBC, so they are handled centrally and not by people responsible for the material that is complained of. The Ofcom Broadcasting Code s provisions on due accuracy and impartiality should be extended to cover the BBC with Ofcom having final responsibility for regulating these issues in BBC content, just as it does in areas such as fairness, harm and offence. Ofcom and the BBC Trust to consider introducing a broadcaster first complaints process, under which Ofcom will only consider complaints once they have been adjudicated on by the BBC Trust. The future The House of Lords report is significant for two reasons. Firstly, it acknowledges the importance of the role of the BBC Trust in the regulation of content standards, and recommends that the BBC has sole responsibility for initial complaints handling. Secondly, it

widens the scope of Ofcom over the BBC, recommending that it has final responsibility for determining standards complaints, and allowing it to consider complaints on due accuracy and impartiality. The BBC s current Charter runs until 2016, so these are just quick fixes. More significant change is likely in 2015 with the introduction of a Communications Bill, with the new Charter the year after. That change is likely to include a scaling down in the remit of Ofcom, lighter touch content regulation and a complete re-think of how the BBC should be structured, managed and regulated.

Comparison between AIR and BBC radio

AIR has many services in a number of languages, each serving different regions across India. Vividh Bharati Vividh Bharati is one of the best-known services of AIR. Its name roughly translates as "Multi-Indian Service", and it is also known as the Commercial Broadcasting Service (CBS). It is the most commercially-accessible of the AIR networks and is popular in Mumbai and other large cities. Vividh Bharati offers a wide range of programmes including news, film music and comedy programs. It operates on different mediumwave-band frequencies for each city. Some programs broadcast on Vividh Bharati are:
 

Hawa-mahal: Radio plays based on novels and plays Santogen ki mehfil: Comedy

Other services include:

  

Primary Channel (regional, 116 stations) Local Service (86 stations) National Channel (nighttime; launched 18 May 1988; main frequency 1566 kHz from Nagpur Home News Service (also via newsonair.com) External Services in 27 languages Yuv-vani, the Voice of Youth (launched 21 July 1969 on 1017 kHz) FM Channels (AIR FM Rainbow 12 stations, AIR FM Gold 4 stations, FM Classical Music/Amrutha Varshini/ 1 station)

   

Programmes on bbc radio The "main" radio stations, available via both analogue (FM and AM frequencies) and Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB), are:


BBC Radio 1: youth oriented, mostly contemporary pop and rock music (including Top 40 singles), plus news, original in-house live music sessions, original live music concerts and music documentaries

BBC Radio 2: adult oriented entertainment, wide range of music specially adult contemporary andmiddle of the road, also talk, comedy, plus news, original in-house live music sessions, original live music concerts and music documentaries

BBC Radio 3: arts and high culture, special-interest music (classical, jazz, world music), plus news, original in-house live music sessions, original live music concerts and music documentaries BBC Radio 4: news, current affairs, arts, history, original in-house drama, original inhouse first-run comedy, science, books and religion BBC Radio 5 Live: news, sports, talk

The new digital-only (Internet Streaming/Sky/freesat/Freeview/DAB) radio stations are:



BBC Radio 1Xtra: new urban music, plus news, original in-house live music sessions, original live music concerts and music documentaries BBC Radio 4 Extra: classic comedy, drama, books, science fiction, fantasy and children's programmes BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra: a companion to Radio 5 Live for additional sports events coverage BBC Radio 6 Music: an eclectic mix of alternative genres including rock, funk, punk and reggae, plus news, original in-house live music sessions, original live music concerts and music documentaries

BBC Asian Network: aimed at the large South Asian community in the UK (primarily a digital radio station, but available in parts of the Midlands on medium wave) BBC World Service is the world's largest international broadcaster, broadcasting in 27 languages to many parts of the world via analogue and digital shortwave, internet streaming and podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays. It is politically independent (by mandate of the Agreement providing details of the topics outlined in the BBC Charter), non-profit, and commercial-free.

External services
The external services of All India Radio broadcast in 27 languages to countries outside India primarily via high-power shortwave band broadcasts, although medium wave is also used to reach neighbouring countries. In addition to broadcasts targeted at specific countries by language, there is a General Overseas Service broadcasting in English with 8 hours of programming each day aimed at a general international audience. The external broadcasts were begun on 1 October 1939 by the British government to counter the propaganda of the Nazis directed at the Afghan people. The first broadcasts were in Pushto, beamed to Afghanistan and the North-West Frontier Province. Soon broadcasts began in other languages including Dari, Persian, Arabic, English, Burmese, Japanese, Chinese, Malay and French. The external services broadcast in 16 foreign and 11 Indian languages, with a total program output of 70 hours per day on medium- and shortwave.

The BBC also runs radio stations for three of the nations of the UK. These stations focus on local issues to a greater extent than their UK counterparts, organising live phone-in debates about these issues, as well as lighter talk shows with music from different decades of the 20th Century. Compared to many advertising-funded Independent Local Radio (ILR) stations, which often broadcast contemporary popular music, BBC nations' radio stations offer a more "serious" alternative.
       

BBC Radio Scotland: News, music, sport and talk from Scotland BBC Radio nan Gidheal: Scottish Gaelic language network BBC Radio Shetland: News, music, sport and talk from Shetland BBC Radio Orkney: News, music, sport and talk from Orkney BBC Radio Wales: News, music, sport and talk from Wales BBC Radio Cymru: Welsh language network BBC Radio Ulster: News, music, sport and talk from Northern Ireland BBC Radio Foyle: News, music, sport and talk from north-west of Northern Ireland

There are many BBC Local Radio services across England, often catering to individual counties.

Other services
News-on-phone service All India Radio launched news-on-phone service on 25 February 1998 in New Delhi; it now has service in Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Indore, Patna and Bangalore. The service is accessible through STD,ISD and local calls. There are plans to establish the service in 11 more cities: Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Guwahati, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Ranchi, Simla and Thiruvanthapuram. English and Hindi hourly news bulletins may be heard live.[10] News in MP3 format may be directly played from the site, and filenames are timestamped. AIR news bulletins are available in nine regional languages (Tamil, Kannada, Gujarati, Bengali, Marathi, North East, Punjabi, Telugu and Urdu). Direct-to-home service Direct-to-home (DTH) service is offered on 21 channels via Insat. Documentaries There is a long tradition of documentary features on AIR. There is great interest in radio documentaries, particularly in Third World countries like India, Iran, South Korea and Malaysia.

BBC analogue networks

BBC Radio 1 was launched as a part-time pop music station 30 September 1967. The BBC Light Programme was renamed Radio 2 and broadcast easy listening, folk, jazz and light entertainment. The BBC Third Programme and BBC Music Programme was merged to form Radio 3 and the BBC Home Service became Radio 4. BBC Radio 5 was launched on 27 August 1990 as a home for sport and children's programming, and was replaced and renamed on 28 March 1994 with BBC Radio Five Live, a dedicated news and sport network. 2002 digital radio networks With the increased rollout of Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) between 1995 and 2002, BBC Radio launched several new digital-only stations 1Xtra, 6 Music and BBC 7 in 2002 on 16 August, 11 March and 15 December respectively the first for "new black British music", the second as a source of performance-based "alternative" music, the latter specialising in archive classic comedy shows, drama and children's programmes. BBC Asian Network joined the national DAB network on 28 October 2002. For some time the majority of listeners used Freeview, digital satellite and digital cable services to listen to these networks. In 2011, BBC Radio 7 was renamed BBC Radio 4 Extra as the service was brought more into line with BBC Radio 4.