Radio 1 DJs' choices 'would lose listeners'

Radio 1 would "rapidly lose listeners" if its daytime DJs were given more choice over what records they played, according to its head of music.

George Ergatoudis, whose career includes a stint as a producer at the station, told NME.com that Radio 1 faced a challenge in attracting young listeners and playing new music.

He said: "There is a science to programming Radio 1: we carefully introduce new music mixed in with familiar hits and, by doing so, far more people get to discover something new and exciting.

"If we let our daytime DJs have more say in the music they play, we would soon lose the level of control needed to pull off our balancing act. We'd rapidly lose listeners and Radio 1's vital ability to break new music would be diminished considerably."

Among the station's daytime DJs are Fearne Cotton, who broadcasts from 10am to 12.45pm on weekdays, and Greg James, whose show goes out from 1pm to 4pm.

The station includes new bands on its playlist every week through the BBC Introducing new talent initiative.

Radio 1 controller Andy Parfitt introduced the idea last year and said it would give exposure to "brand new, unsigned or under-the-radar musicians who have uploaded their tracks directly to us without being on any label".