Boyle announces biggest change at R4 for years

BBC Announces Radio Four Shake-up

See details of the changes on the Radio 4 website

Speculation that many of the familiar landmarks of the network would disappear seems to have been unfounded. Among the programmes droped are:

• The Afternoon Shift
• Kaleidoscope
• Sport on 4
• Week Ending
• Mediumwave

However, many programmes move to new times, while others have been extended or shortened. The changes include:

• A sixth weekly episode of The Archers
• An extension of the Today programme which will start half an hour earlier at 6.00 am
• A Saturday edition of PM
• The scrapping of The Afternoon Shift
• Altering the start time of Women's Hour from 10.30 to 10.00 am
• Moving Michael Buerk's The Moral Maze from mornings to evenings
• Moving Farming Today to just before 6.00 am and reducing its length to 10 minutes
• A selection of the best of Woman's Hour to be broadcast on Saturday afternoon
• A science programme Monday - Thursday at 9.00 pm
• Education given more prominence in the schedule
• An hour of literature and poetry on Sunday afternoon
• An arts review on Saturday evening, and a daily arts programme following The Archers at 7.15 pm
• Extending the length of Desert Island Discs to allow for more music

James Boyle interviewd by Ed Stourton on BBC1's One O'clock News

The changes were announced by James Boyle. They follow in depth analysis of the Radio 4 schedule and an extensive consultation exercise. The changes are designed to reverse the dip in listenership after the Today programme ends. Ratings drop from around 2.2 million to 0.5 million in two hours. Although this drop is largely to be expected as people start work, Mr Boyle believes that the fall-off rate can be reduced sharply with the right scheduling.

The future of Yesterday in Parliament -- a pressing concern for MPs -- will be decided later this year. The same applies to ball-by-ball commentary on Test Match Special.

Sacred Cow

Mr Boyle denies that his changes amount to the 'dumbing-down' of his network -- quite the reverse he insists. His plans were approved by a meeting of BBC Govenors last week.