BBC Radio 4's Feedback on the closure of BBC Sounds internationally

I was on BBC Radio 4’s Feedback programme on Thursday, talking about the decision by the BBC to remove BBC Sounds (and therefore, as far as we can tell, access to the BBC’s domestic music radio stations) from international listeners.

When I worked for the BBC, one of the reasons given to senior managers why we shouldn’t make a change was: “you’ll have to be the person to go on Feedback and explain it”. So, it was a little nervousness that I jumped on - at least, knowing that I wasn’t going to be told off for anything that I did!

You can listen back inside the UK on BBC Sounds, or outside the UK on the BBC.com website. Skip through to 17:52.

There were lots of clips of expats complaining a bit that they would lose access to stuff they don’t pay for; but it was a little sad that the BBC didn’t put up one of their own for interview to explain why that was.

I did also mention the (paid-for) BBC Premium Podcasts channel as a way of avoiding the advertising; that was either cut for time or editorial reasons. (That link is an affiliate link by the way). As I mentioned, it’s virtually impossible for the BBC to offer a paid-for service for the BBC’s domestic radio channels, since the record companies would quickly make that impossible.

BBC Sounds on the web has interestingly been changed to highlight the impending closure. You now get a big alert saying “we’re replacing BBC Sounds outside the UK” as below.