BBC Asian Network
BBC Asian Network is a British Asian radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station's target audience is people "with an interest in British Asian lifestyles",[2] especially British Asians between the ages of 18 and 34.[3] The station has production centres at Broadcasting House in London and The Mailbox in Birmingham.
"Asian Network" redirects here. For the lists of Asian radio stations, see List of radio stations in Asia.
- London and Birmingham
- London and Birmingham
United Kingdom and Internationally via Satellite and BBC Sounds
- DAB: 12B BBC National DAB
- AM: 828 kHz (Wolverhampton)
- AM: 837 kHz (Leicester)
- AM: 1449 kHz (Peterborough)
- AM: 1458 kHz (Birmingham)
- Freeview: 709
- Freesat: 709
- Sky: 0119
- Virgin Media: 912
Music, News & Entertainment
The station broadcasts mainly in English, but has retained Sunday evening shows in South Asian languages. Despite the name, BBC Asian Network covers only the Indian subcontinent, with the rest of the continent – such as Japan and China – not covered by the station.
The station's output consists largely of music and talk programmes.[4] On Fridays at 3:00 pm, the station broadcasts The Official Asian Music Chart,[5] compiled by the Official Charts Company and based on sales and streams across a seven-day period.[6]
According to RAJAR, the station broadcasts to a weekly audience of 448,000 with a listening share of 0.2% as of December 2023.[7]
Threat of closure and controversies[edit]
Threat of closure[edit]
On 26 February 2010 The Times reported that Mark Thompson, Director General of the BBC, proposed closing the station in a bid to scale back BBC operations and allow commercial rivals more room.[14] The proposal of closure – along with BBC Radio 6 Music – was later confirmed on 2 March.[15]
Listeners writing on the official Asian Network message boards advocated keeping their station at the expense of 6 Music,[16] and letter was written to the BBC Trust and had been signed by people, with the actual number of signatories was artificially boosted with some signing their name more than once (as both a single name and as part of different collectives).[17] The BBC Trust rejected plans to close 6 Music and later in 2011 rejected plans to close the Asian Network in favour of reducing its budget by 50%.[18][19]
Sliding audiences and increasing costs[edit]
In July 2009 it was revealed that the Asian Network had lost over 20% of its listeners in a single year and, per listener, was the most costly and expensive BBC radio station to operate.[12]
In 2011, the BBC ruled there would be a 46% reduction in the Asian Network's budget and a declared target of 600,000 listeners a week; with actual audience numbers only peaking at 507,000.[20] In 2012, audience numbers fell even further; peaking at only 453,000.[21] Even with the budget reductions, in 2013 the Asian Network had the largest budget of the BBC's digital-only radio stations at £13m; despite having the lowest audience figures by far.[22]
RAJAR's figures in 2014 showed that the Asian Network had at last briefly met the target set four years earlier, finally peaking at 619,000 listeners in Q4.[23] However, the Asian Network was noted as being the BBC's only station – across both television and radio – whose Appreciation Index measurably fell in 2014.[24]
By May 2015, the Asian Network had once again lost a substantial number of listeners, with the RAJAR reporting a peak of just 562,000 listeners – a loss of 57,000 from the previous quarter.[25]
In 2016–17, the Asian Network had the second highest cost-per-user of all the BBC's radio stations, at 3.4p per hour,[26] the second highest budget of the BBC's digital-only radio stations at £7.5m[27] and by far the lowest audience figures of all the BBC's stations.
In 2017/18, it was noted the station not only remained as having the highest cost-per-user of all the BBC radio output, but whose costs also increased – rising from 3.4p per hour the previous year to 3.7p per hour. The audience Appreciation Index figure did not increase, remaining at 80.3; and the average length of time spent on the channel dramatically fell from 06:11 to 05:19 – the biggest fall of all of the BBC's radio stations.[28]
In 2018/19, the Asian Network's annual budget increased from £7m to £8m, but the station continued to perform poorly: population reach was down again to 1.1%, time spent on the channel per week fell again to 5:12 and an increase in cost per user per hour (up to 5p).[29]
The station's poor performance continued into 2019/20, where it was noted time spent on the channel fell dramatically again by 20% to just 4:07, while the cost per use per hour had increased up to 6p, remaining the BBC's most expensive-per-listener station.[30] Peak audience figures plunged down to 519,000 listeners, losing 13.8%.[31]
In 2021/22, the stations audience reach fell to just 1%[32] – the station continues to have by far the lowest audience figures and highest cost-per-user figures of all the BBC's stations.
In 2022/23, Asian Network's audience reach remained at just 1%.[33]
Rotherham sex abuse scandal controversy[edit]
In 2018, the station's Head of News Arif Ansari was charged under the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1992 after a reporter was thought to have named a victim of the Rotherham child sexual exploitation scandal during a live news bulletin.[34][35] In January 2019, he was cleared when a judge ruled that Ansari was not at fault and had been incorrectly told the name of the victim was a pseudonym. He was the first BBC editor to be tried under the legislation.[36]