Following on from recent news that Radio National have plans to axe all but one of their music programs, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation has come out with an open letter outlining what all these changes mean.
Posted on the ABC‘s website, the letter outlines the reasoning for the changes to Radio National, and also manages to address some concerns that listeners may have with the direction things are heading.
Stating that the ABC have, in the last few years alone, managed to increase their coverage of music due to the introduction of stations such as Double J and Classic 2, they explain that this new shift is done as a way to keep in line of their network strategy of remaining an “ideas network, the centre of the national debate, setting political agendas and leading conversations around Australian issues”.
“ABC Radio has made the strategic decision for RN to focus on the talk and ideas content for which it is renowned, rather than on pure music programs,” the article states. “You will still hear music on RN. Music, and the ideas that surround it, will continue to intersect with religion, science, philosophy, history and politics and all the genres where RN leads the way with the ABC. The RN Music Show itself is remaining on the network.”
The letter does manage to make good points though, stating that “to focus solely on the reduction of music content on RN, and compare the new programs on Double J, overlooks the rich tapestry of music culture that is covered by ABC Radio every day”. It is pointed out that Radio National isn’t an individual entity, but rather one aspect of a “broader ABC radio ecosystem which currently includes seven music networks and platforms”.
In addition to the letter, the ABC also provides answers to a number of concerns, including the facts that musical diversity will not be compromised by the axing of the music programs, and that regional access to Australian music will not suffer, mainly due to the concerted efforts of expanding their digital network.
