The BBC Trust’s review of Radio 4 has been widely reported as requiring the station to broaden it’s appeal, to bring in the younger, more northern but ‘lighter’ & more ethnically diverse listener.
Goodness knows what this is supposed to mean. I abandoned my own attempt to contribute to the review by answering an online questionnaire whose questions made no sense.
On the more cheerful side the report also asks for more hours of original documentaries.
This morning brought us a perfect example of the station’s ability to provide us with unexpected insights from one such documentary in I ♥ Milton Glaser, about the genesis of one of the most recognizable pieces of design in the world.
A story particularly apt right now – it was commissioned when New York was the bankrupt crime capital of the world, facing swingeing cuts in public services. And Milton Glaser reiterated firmly that he feels no regret at having foregone what could have been a fortune – he did the work pro bono, for expenses only.
What could be more Big Society than that.
