local radio

Over the last decade or so of writing Hinterland we have drawn attention several times to the seminal role of local radio in underpinning the sustainability of rural settlements. This article returns us to that theme, it tells us:

A council leader has urged the BBC’s director general to rethink planned cuts to local radio output.

Lezley Pickton, of Shropshire Council, said the local service was a “lifeline” in the large rural county.

The Conservative leader wrote to Tim Davie: “Please save BBC Radio Shropshire for the sake of the county’s most vulnerable and isolated people.”

The BBC said it was making some changes to plans aimed at modernising local services in England after feedback.

The proposals, announced in October, would prioritise digital content and “grow the value we deliver to local audiences everywhere”, it said.

Under the plans, the 39 local radio stations in the country will share more shows.

Ms Pickton said sharing some output with stations such as in Stoke and Hereford and Worcester would “dramatically reduce” Shropshire-based programming.

In a letter, which the local authority published online, Ms Pickton said: “You’re a busy man so I’ll get straight to the point: the people of Shropshire need you to reverse the proposals to effectively merge BBC Radio Shropshire with other local West Midlands radio.”

The county had a “disproportionately older” population and was an area where about 25% of people were “digitally excluded”, the councillor said.