New BBC slots for radio duo – only weeks after axe fell

By BRIAN FERGUSON
Published on Tuesday 21 February 2012 01:23

BBC Scotland chiefs have revealed they are to offer new music shows to axed presenters Janice Forsyth and Mary Ann Kennedy – as it emerged that veteran presenter Iain Anderson’s programme is to be spared the chop.

More than 3,000 fans have lodged protests in the wake of the two female presenters losing their long-running weekly programmes, with politicians, musicians and festival organisers calling for a rethink.

Despite insisting yesterday that there will be no reprieve for their programmes, which have been dropped from Radio Scotland’s schedule, it has emerged that the pair will be offered alternative shows.

Station bosses say they will talk with the pair on new music-based shows, saying they were an established part of the Radio Scotland “family of presenters”. However, they insisted they were not acting as a result of the campaigns waged against the BBC.

Meanwhile, the BBC has confirmed that Anderson’s late-night show will be recommissioned next year after production company Bees Knees won a battle to keep its slot in the schedule.

He has been a fixture on the station since 1985, although fans were furious when his regular afternoon slot was relocated to after 10pm several years ago.

The BBC, which has been accused of having a bias against its female presenters, has insisted no other changes are planned to its regular schedule. However insiders believe other specialist programmes, such as The Jazz House and Travelling Folk may also come under threat over the next year as the BBC is forced to find more savings. BBC Scotland faces losing £16 million from its annual budget of about £102m by 2017 as a result of an overall 16 per cent cut in the corporation’s funding.

The Saturday morning Janice Forsyth show – a fixture on the station for 18 years – was axed to make way for more news and sport as part of a drive to ensure music programmes are normally only broadcast in the evening.

Ms Kennedy’s Global Gathering programme, a Tuesday evening showcase of folk, world and traditional music, is also being forced off air to make way for a classical music programme, which normally goes out on a Sunday afternoon. Head of Radio Scotland, Jeff Zycinski, claims the station had to reflect the wider “music-making scene in Scotland”.

It is understood Mr Zycinski has held initial talks with Ms Forsyth while he is expected to discuss future programmes with Ms Kennedy in the coming days.

As of yesterday, a campaign to save Ms Forsyth’s programme had attracted 1,955 supporters, while 1,272 fans of Ms Kennedy’s show had signed an online petition. Neither Ms Kennedy nor Ms Forsyth’s production company, Demus, wanted to comment yesterday. However, a BBC Scotland spokesman said: “We have already set out the separate reasons for the decisions we have made on these programmes and those decisions will not be changing.

“We will be talking to both presenters about other programmes. We still very much see them as part of the Radio Scotland family of presenters. We would like them to keep presenting music-based shows.”

Meanwile, Mr Zycinski has claimed that the station would continue to support folk and traditional music in its schedules, through other shows such as Take The Floor. He said: “We are keen to ensure that our remaining music programmes are adequately resourced so that they can offer live music and exclusive sessions to the audience.

“We also want to ensure we have a range of programmes to reflect the wider music-making scene in Scotland, including new contemporary music, jazz and classical music.”

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