Following a review by the BBC Trust into radio commissioning, it has opened up more programming hours to independent radio producers.
Previuously there was a 10% voluntary quota but after the consultation, radio indies will now be able to bid for twice as many hours of programme production.
However, the Radio Independents Group has said it is disppointed by the scale of the change. The group had asked for a 25% minimum independent quota and a 25% window of creative competition. The trust said the minimum independent quota should remain at 10%.
Ashley Byrne, Creative Director of Made In Manchester and RIG board member says it's a positive move for the industry but the BBC still needs to go further to support indies right across the UK.
"We really wanted the 25% quota that you see in TV but this is a huge step in the right direction. What I want to see now is the BBC work out how it might be able to engage more with indies outside London. Putting the quota up is great but they must now look at how they implement that increase to reflect the diversity of the UK.”
Ashley cited 5Live’s decision to launch a programming fund for northern independent production as the kind of measure that he’d like to see implemented across all BBC Radio networks to help kick-start the industry across the UK.
