Radio archive

The eight-week consultation on this proposal closed on Friday 25 November.

The Governors would like to thank everyone who submitted a response. All responses are available on this website, except those withheld at the request of the sender. You can read the responses here. The full consultation document can also be viewed below.

There were 70 responses in total:

•  62 from individuals

44 from the UK

18 from overseas

•  8 from organisations

Commercial broadcasters (Oneword; Chrysalis)

Rights holders and contributors (Radio Independents Group; Incorporated Society of Musicians; Society of Authors; Personal Managers' Association)

Other (Commercial Radio Companies Association; Voice of the Listener and Viewer)

UK members of the public
Many of the responses from the UK listening public questioned whether this proposal was the best way to derive public value from the archive. Alternatives included making more effective use of existing BBC services, in particular BBC 7, and also making more programmes available via downloading and podcasting.

Voice of the Listener and Viewer (VLV)
VLV highlighted the need for a wider plan for allowing access to the BBC's overall media archive. They suggest that this should be the priority alongside cataloguing the complete archive and making it fully available and free of charge to the public for personal use.

Rights holders and contributors
Broadly speaking, the independent rights holders and contributors are concerned that the Guidelines do not go far enough to protect their interests.

Commercial broadcasters
There was a very limited response from potential purchasers of the archive material. Although they welcome the opportunity for commercial broadcasters to make use of the BBC radio archive in this way, the potential purchasers have specific concerns about the proposed Guidelines for Licensing which they believe are too restrictive to produce a viable commercial opportunity.

Overseas members of the public
One of the key issues raised by overseas respondents was a request to make more BBC services available on the international satellite radio network 'WorldSpace', in addition to just the World Service.

Next Steps
The proposal to release the radio archive in this way was developed by BBC management following recommendations from both Tim Gardam (in his independent review of the BBC's digital radio services for DCMS) and Ofcom in its consultation on the future of radio. The Governors decided to consult licence fee payers and offer the commercial sector the opportunity to comment and launched this consultation to that end.

The Governors reviewed the responses at their meeting in December and noted there was no clear consensus at this stage to support the BBC implementing the proposal.

As the next step the Governors would like to reconsider this proposal in the light of an overall policy of the use of the BBC archive now in preparation and due for presentation to the Governors in early 2006.

Further information will be made available in due course.

Read the full consultation here