UK’s BBC Radio 2 told to tackle lack of non-white listeners

In the same week BBC Trust cut Radio 1’s live sessions from 250 a year to 160, and reduced its quota for live event coverage to permit savings, Radio 2 has come under scrutiny for its racially unvaried listeners.

According to BBC Trust’s report, released on Friday, the BBC’s music-based stations (Radio 1, Radio 2, Radio 3, and digital stations 6 Music, 1Xtra and the Asian Network) had a 49% reach across all adults in its 2013/14 report. However Radio 2’s reach among black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) listeners is 33.9%, and among the station’s 15 million listeners, its reach among ‘BAME’ listeners aged 35 or over is just 12%.

The Trust expects a progress update from Radio 2 in six months.

Meanwhile, the Trust’s decision to cut the number of live sessions and coverage of live concerts and festivals has caused concern from the UK’s Musicians’ Union (MU).

John Smith, MU General Secretary said a statement published by Music Week: "These findings from the BBC Trust, however, run the risk of compromising the unique coverage of live music events on the BBC. One of the main jewels in the BBC's crown is radio and the magnificent offer that the license fee payer gets because of the rich variety of musical genres presented on Radios 1, 2, 3, Asian Network and 6 Music."

A BBC radio spokesman has said: “We welcome this review, its endorsement of our strategy for music radio and its recognition that our stations are distinctive, deeply loved by their audiences and vital to the development of British music.

“We will implement the trust’s recommendations and will continue to champion UK music and culture whilst delivering a unique, high quality service to licence fee payers.”