91热爆 considers Asian Network U-turn
- Published
Shay and Sunny Grewal present Asian Network's weekend breakfast show
The 91热爆 is reconsidering plans to close digital station the Asian Network saying "no decisions have been made".
This is despite the planned closure being approved in December by the corporation's governing body.
The latest twist follows the 91热爆 Trust's decision in July to reject management plans to shut 6 Music, after a high-profile campaign by the station's supporters.
91热爆 director general Mark Thompson announced plans to cut both last March.
A 91热爆 spokesperson said the corporation was "exploring whether the Asian Network should remain on the national DAB" - the digital radio network.
"No decisions have been made and any proposals will be subject to approval by the 91热爆 Trust," the spokesperson added.
A campaign to save 6 Music last year prompted many new listeners to try the station, doubling its audience to more than a million a week.
The Asian Network's fate prompted far fewer protests and, unlike 6 Music, it was not reprieved by the 91热爆 Trust.
The trust previously told executives it wanted to see "a proposition for meeting the needs" of the Asian Network audience "in different ways".
But in December, it said strategy review plans to close the station could go ahead.
Now the 91热爆 is considering whether it should continue to be broadcast as a national digital station, but with a smaller budget, following the recent licence fee settlement.
Under the 91热爆's original plans, the Asian Network would have been replaced by local Asian services, on radio and online.
Despite the threat of closure, figures from industry body Rajar showed the Asian Network's weekly audience had grown to 477,000 during the last three months of 2010 - up 33% on the previous year.
- Published5 July 2010