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BBC Asian Network
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==Threat of closure and controversies== ===Threat of closure=== On 26 February 2010 ''[[The Times]]'' reported that [[Mark Thompson (television executive)|Mark Thompson]], Director General of the BBC, proposed closing the station in a bid to scale back BBC operations and allow commercial rivals more room.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100423170054/http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/media/article7041944.ece "BBC signals an end to era of expansion"] 2010-02-26 Retrieved 2010-02-260</ref> The proposal of closure β along with [[BBC Radio 6 Music]] β was later confirmed on 2 March.<ref>John Plunkett [https://www.theguardian.com/media/2010/mar/02/bbc-6-music-asian-network "BBC confirms plans to axe 6 Music and Asian Network"], ''The Guardian'' 2 March 2010</ref> Listeners writing on the official Asian Network message boards advocated keeping their station at the expense of 6 Music,<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/mbasiannetwork/F4154526?thread=7339903 BBC β Asian Network closure: BBC consultation]</ref> and letter was written to the BBC Trust and had been signed by people, with the actual number of signatories was artificially boosted with some signing their name more than once (as both a single name and as part of different collectives).<ref>"BBC Asian Network is a vital platform", [https://www.theguardian.com/media/2010/mar/06/asian-network-a-vital-platform], ''The Guardian'' 6 March 2010</ref> The BBC Trust rejected plans to close 6 Music and later in 2011 rejected plans to close the Asian Network in favour of reducing its budget by 50%.<ref>BBC Trust rejects 6 Music closure plan [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10507286] BBC News, 5 July 2010</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=14 March 2011 |title=BBC considers Asian Network U-turn |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12735433 |work=BBC News}}</ref> === Sliding audiences and increasing costs === In July 2009 it was revealed that the Asian Network had lost over 20% of its listeners in a single year and, per listener, was the most costly and expensive BBC radio station to operate.<ref name=":0" /> In 2011, the BBC ruled there would be a 46% reduction in the Asian Network's budget and a declared target of 600,000 listeners a week; with actual audience numbers only peaking at 507,000.<ref>RadioCentre's response to the BBC Trust's service licence review of Asian Network [http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/assets/files/pdf/our_work/asian_network/radio_centre.pdf]</ref> In 2012, audience numbers fell even further; peaking at only 453,000.<ref>{{Cite web |title=RAJAR: BBC Asian Network loses 130k listeners |url=http://www.media247.co.uk/bizasia/rajar-bbc-asian-network-loses-130k-listeners |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130205081527/http://www.media247.co.uk/bizasia/rajar-bbc-asian-network-loses-130k-listeners |archive-date=2013-02-05 |access-date=2013-01-31}}</ref> Even with the budget reductions, in 2013 the Asian Network had the largest budget of the BBC's digital-only radio stations at Β£13m; despite having the lowest audience figures by far.<ref>[http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/annualreport/pdf/2012-13/bbc-full-financial-statements-2012-13.pdf BBC full financial statements 2012β2013]</ref> [[RAJAR]]'s figures in 2014 showed that the Asian Network had at last briefly met the target set four years earlier, finally peaking at 619,000 listeners in Q4.<ref>{{Cite web |title=RAJAR |url=http://www.rajar.co.uk/listening/quarterly_listening.php}}</ref> However, the Asian Network was noted as being the BBC's only station β across both television and radio β whose [[Appreciation Index]] measurably fell in 2014.<ref>{{cite web |date=21 July 2014 |title=BBC Annual Report and Accounts 2013/14 |url=http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/annualreport/pdf/2013-14/bbc_annualreport_201314.pdf |publisher=BBC}}</ref> By May 2015, the Asian Network had once again lost a substantial number of listeners, with the RAJAR reporting a peak of just 562,000 listeners β a loss of 57,000 from the previous quarter.<ref>{{cite web |date=21 May 2015 |title=Radio 4 Extra breaks record to become UK's biggest digital-only station |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2015/rajars |publisher=BBC}}</ref> In 2016β17, the Asian Network had the second highest cost-per-user of all the BBC's radio stations, at 3.4p per hour,<ref>{{Cite web |title=BBC Annual Report 2016β17 |url=https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/insidethebbc/reports/pdf/bbc-annualreport-201617.pdf}}</ref> the second highest budget of the BBC's digital-only radio stations at Β£7.5m<ref>{{Cite web |title=Asian Network Service Licence April 2016 |url=http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/assets/files/pdf/regulatory_framework/service_licences/radio/2016/asian_network_apr16.pdf}}</ref> and by far the lowest audience figures of all the BBC's stations. In 2017/18, it was noted the station not only remained as having the highest cost-per-user of all the BBC radio output, but whose costs also increased β rising from 3.4p per hour the previous year to 3.7p per hour. The audience Appreciation Index figure did not increase, remaining at 80.3; and the average length of time spent on the channel dramatically fell from 06:11 to 05:19 β the biggest fall of all of the BBC's radio stations.<ref>{{Cite web |title=BBC Annual Report 2017/18 |url=http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/insidethebbc/reports/pdf/bbc_annualreport_201718.pdf |access-date=2 January 2019}}</ref> In 2018/19, the Asian Network's annual budget increased from Β£7m to Β£8m, but the station continued to perform poorly: population reach was down again to 1.1%, time spent on the channel per week fell again to 5:12 and an increase in cost per user per hour (up to 5p).<ref>{{Cite web |title=BBC Annual Report 2018/19 |url=http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/reports/annualreport/2018-19.pdf |access-date=26 November 2019}}</ref> The station's poor performance continued into 2019/20, where it was noted time spent on the channel fell dramatically again by 20% to just 4:07, while the cost per use per hour had increased up to 6p, remaining the BBC's most expensive-per-listener station.<ref>{{Cite web |title=BBC Group Annual Report and Accounts |url=http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/reports/annualreport/2019-20.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200919050915/http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/reports/annualreport/2019-20.pdf |archive-date=19 September 2020 |access-date=7 June 2021}}</ref> Peak audience figures plunged down to 519,000 listeners, losing 13.8%.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-02-06 |title=RAJAR: BBC Asian Network loses over 80k listeners in Q4/19 |url=https://www.bizasialive.com/rajar-bbc-asian-network-loses-over-80k-listeners-in-q4-19/ |access-date=2021-06-07 |website=BizAsia {{!}} Media, Entertainment, Showbiz, Brit, Events and Music |language=en-GB}}</ref> In 2021/22, the stations audience reach fell to just 1%<ref>{{Cite web |title=BBC Group Annual Report and Accounts 2021/22 |url=https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/reports/annualreport/ara-2021-22.pdf#page=187}}</ref> β the station continues to have by far the lowest audience figures and highest cost-per-user figures of all the BBC's stations. In 2022/23, Asian Network's audience reach remained at just 1%.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=2023 |title=BBC Group Annual Report and Accounts 2022/23 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/documents/ara-2022-23.pdf |journal=BBC Group}}</ref> ===Rotherham sex abuse scandal controversy=== In 2018, the station's Head of News Arif Ansari was charged under the [[Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1992]] after a reporter was thought to have named a victim of the [[Rotherham child sexual exploitation scandal]] during a live news bulletin.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/rotherham-grooming-gangs-victims-named-bbc-journalist-arif-ansari-asian-network-anonymity-a8579476.html|title=BBC journalist Arif Ansari to go on trial accused of naming Rotherham grooming victim|date=2018-10-11|website=The Independent|language=en|access-date=2019-01-09}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-45827413|title=BBC editor denies naming abuse victim|date=2018-10-11|work=BBC News|access-date=2019-01-09|language=en-GB}}</ref> In January 2019, he was cleared when a judge ruled that Ansari was not at fault and had been incorrectly told the name of the victim was a pseudonym. He was the first BBC editor to be tried under the legislation.<ref>{{cite news|title=BBC Asian Network editor found not guilty of 'honest mistake'|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-46920537|access-date=11 August 2021|publisher=BBC News|date=18 January 2019}}</ref>
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