The BBC has announced plans to launch four “distinctive digital music stations” as extensions for BBC Radio 1, 2 and 3.
In a statement, the BBC said these spin-offs, which would be available on DAB+ and the BBC Sounds app, “go deeper into specific genres and periods of music” and give people more choice as listening habits change. Two are proposed for Radio 1, plus one each for Radio 2 and 3.
As a public-service broadcaster, the BBC would first need to pass a Public Interest Test from regulator Ofcom in order to launch the stations.
Radiocentre, the trade body for commercial radio, has pushed back on this announcement, saying the move is “an attempt to directly imitate the recent success of commercial stations”.
The organisation highlighted that commercial stations have successfully launched many genre stations following “years of significant…
