BBC rules out single Radio 1, 2 controller

The BBC's director of audio and music Tim Davie has ruled out merging BBC Radios 1 and 2 under a single controller, as suggested in a new report published today.

John Myers, chief executive of the Radio Academy, was commissioned by Davie last year to investigate cost-saving opportunities at Radio 1 and Radio 2, along with digital stations, 1Xtra and BBC 6 Music.

In his report, Myers concluded that Radios 1 and 2 were "at the top of their game", but suggested that the two stations should examine "the advantages of operating under a single-tier management structure", as well as work to remove "all mirrored departments".

However, Davie ruled out the possibility of combining the two controllers' jobs, arguing that it would risk causing damage to the stations' identity.

"Personally I would stop short of combining the controller jobs. There is a certain tension between delivering maximum efficiencies and protecting a station's identity," he told The Guardian.

"What makes the services so successful is that they are editorially strong and well-led. If you end up with too many merged resources then you risk losing the distinct editorial flavour of the radio station. That is a delicate balance."

Elsewhere in his report, Myers criticised the money being wasted by Radio 2 on studio managers, who he claimed were operating basic equipment that DJs could operate themselves.

He also said that the station employed newsreaders who read hourly news updates, but then did "little else until the next hour's bulletin".

Myers's review further questioned whether Radio 1's Newsbeat programme required 52 full-time staff to produce a 15-minute bulletin twice a day, along with hourly news updates.

Writing on a BBC Blog, Davie said: "John has identified some clear areas where we can look to do things more efficiently, such as improving co-ordination and reducing unnecessary duplication where appropriate.

"Just like any big organisation, there are always ways of doing things better and BBC radio should continue to demonstrate that it is brilliant value for money.

"I want to achieve this while ensuring that we do not see a dilution in quality or a reduction in clear station leadership which is at the heart of our editorial success. This will mean better value for licence fee payers while not threatening the programmes that listeners love."