Letter: 'Anderson Country' sounds defeat of Radio 4

Sir: Mark Lawson's article 'Why bullets are flying in Anderson country' (12 April) and recent letters from readers regarding their correspondence with the BBC, serve only to highlight the contempt in which the BBC now appears to hold its audiences and customers. My belief is that the BBC is seeking to divide and confuse Radio 4 Long Wave listeners so that ultimately the audience gives up, and the BBC can then reassign the frequency for whatever perceived potential audience is flavour of the month.

I enthusiastically support the introduction of business and marketing strategies to the public sector, as long as it is never forgotten that the purpose and focus of these must be the best provision of services rather than the most profit.

Huge amounts of money are spent on market research by companies endeavouring to identify and understand market segments. Most broadcasting stations would give their eye teeth for such a well segmented, loyal, articulate and dedicated audience as Radio 4 has. It is a truism that it is more expensive to obtain new customers than to retain existing ones. The BBC seems not to appreciate this.

The levelling down of sections of Radio 4's output to a lowest common denominator will not result in advancement, nor in the edification of its audience. By pursuing its current strategies, BBC Radio will betray all it has built over the years, all that it stood for and, most importantly, its listeners.

Yours sincerely,

JOHN MULDOON

London, SE6