Whiley 'has no influence on BBC playlist'

The BBC has denied suggestions that Jo Whiley abused her position as a Radio 1 DJ to promote bands managed by her husband Steve Morton.

Whiley's morning show included performances by Morton-managed acts The Hoosiers and The Automatic, while sessions featuring them appeared on official Live Lounge CDs, The Sunday Times reports.

The BBC said that Whiley had noted her husband's interests on an internal register and was also not in a position to promote any bands on the station.

A spokeswoman said: "Jo Whiley has no influence on the Radio 1 playlist and does not play any part in selecting songs for the Live Lounge albums."

Morton added that The Hoosiers had been playlisted by MTV and commercial radio prior to their regular appearance on Radio 1, while The Automatic's 'Monster' had been picked up simultaneously across the media.

The 16 members of the panel that decides the 50-song playlist are not made public by the BBC, though they reportedly include Whiley's producer Stuart Last and Chris Moyles's producer Matt Fincham.

"The BBC has robust systems for dealing with potential conflicts of interest and we are satisfied there is no case to answer with regards to Jo Whiley," the broadcaster told DS. "There is no question that Jo Whiley has acted improperly or that any artist or label has been unduly promoted."

It was recently announced that Whiley will be replaced by Fearne Cotton on her weekday morning show and will move to another slot on weekend afternoons.