BBC - Commissioning Radio

What We Want

Radio 3

The remit of Radio 3 is to offer a mix of music and cultural programming in order to engage and entertain its audience. Around its core proposition of classical music, its speech-based programming should inform and educate the audience about music and culture. Jazz, world music, drama, the arts and ideas, and religious programming should feature in its output.
The station should appeal to listeners of any age seeking to expand their cultural horizons through engagement with the world of music and the arts.

More information on the remit for Radio 3 can be found here.

Commissioning round updates

Sunday Morning Strand 2012 - SUBMISSIONS CLOSED

Radio 3 is retendering the Sunday Morning strand for transmissions from April 1st 2012.

This strand now forms part of the WOCC (Window of Creative Competition) and, as such, is open to all suppliers, internal and external, who can demonstrate experience and expertise in producing a major weekly music strand.

Please see the downloads section of the page for the brief which includes full editorial and financial details of the strand.

All offers should be submitted on Proteus by 12 noon on Thursday 19 January 2012 using Radio 3 Commissioning Round 4 for 20122013 and commissioning brief no. 31293.

Please contact David Ireland or Matthew Dodd if you have any general queries.

There will be a shortlist drawn up with the intention of discussion a number of tenders at the end of January or beginning of February, and results will be issued on Thursday 9 February 2012.

Commissioning Round 2, 2012/13 - SUBMISSIONS CLOSED

The results of the pre-offers for Commissioning Round 2 (Sunday Features, Music Features, Between the Ears, Specials and The Essay) are now available on Proteus.

If your offer has been re-requested, this means that we would like you to develop this idea into a full offer, and re-submit by 12 noon on 1st December. Please edit the original offer rather than creating a new proposal.

To set up a meeting or phone call with Matthew Dodd to discuss your re-requested offers further, please contact Margaret Mills

All other offers have been rejected, and these should not be re-offered. We are not able to offer further feedback on these at the moment, but if you feel that you would like further explanation, please contact Matthew after the whole round has closed and all results issued - ie after 27th January 2012.

Please note that many more offers have been re-requested than there are slots for, so it is in no way an indication that your proposal will be commissioned, merely that we see potential in the idea at this stage.

Many thanks again for such a rich crop of offers.

Specials

Each year Radio 3 broadcasts a number of ad hoc ‘special’ programmes, events and seasons that stand out from the regular schedule, raising the station’s profile and reinforcing its quality, ambition and distinctiveness. We welcome proposals for landmark commissions of this kind throughout the year. If you wish to propose a new regular programme to the station to be considered as part of any future schedule changes, please read the full brief to use in the downloads section on this page.

Commissioning process

Radio 3's schedule includes a number of long-running strands which are not usually re-commissioned annually. The station usually holds two commissioning rounds each year - one for Drama on 3 and The Wire and the other for the remaining strands open for commission. These include Sunday Feature, Music Feature, Between the Ears, The Essay and special events. Please see below for full details of the rounds.

If you wish to hear details regarding the Radio 3 commissioning rounds, you will need to be part of the Audio & Music Independent Supplier Database and indicate that you wish to hear details about Radio 3 and its strands.

If you are an independent company wishing to join the list, please complete a Pro Forma (see downloads section) and email it to Tim Dye who can set you up on the system. All interested suppliers will receive copies of the guidelines for the main commissioning rounds and for special tenders.

When a commissioning round opens, editorial briefs, including guide-prices and durations, are sent out to registered suppliers and eligible in-house departments. During the commissioning round, producers are strongly recommended to discuss ideas with the relevant commissioning editor. After offers have been submitted, and the results have been communicated, editorial and budgetary discussions take place around the shortlisted commissions before final confirmation.

The commissioning editors are happy to meet producers and discuss ideas throughout the year, however we will usually only be able to give a general steer in advance of the formal rounds

Getting In Touch

Initial enquiries should be directed to David Ireland,
Commissions & Schedules Manager
Phone: (020) 7765 4943
Email: David Ireland

Information about contractual and legal aspects of commissioning can be found on the A&M Business Affairs website along with the complaints procedure for independent producers.

Delivery Process

Programmes for Radio 3 should be delivered in accordance with the Radio 3 delivery guidelines (see downloads section on this page).

Want to find out more about BBC Radio 3?

If you would like to know more about BBC Radio 3 programmes, content and schedules, please visit the Radio 3 station website.

BBC - Commissioning - Radio 3