BBC Asian Network provides speech and music output that aims to appeal to British Asians, with a strong focus on news and current affairs. It is primarily in English, but some programming is provided in a range of South Asian languages. The primary target audience is British Asians under 35, but the station also aims to appeal to anyone with an interest in British Asian issues, music and culture.
The Asian Network is committed to being the definitive forum for accurate and impartial news, informed debate and current issues relating to British Asians. It plays a broad range of South Asian-influenced music, with a particular emphasis on live performance and new British Asian artists, and broadcasts some sport. Programming is provided in five of the major South Asian languages to reflect the linguistic influences on young British Asians: Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi/Urdu, Mirpuri and Punjabi.
Our key priorities for 2007/2008 are:
Priority |
Rationale |
Broaden the range of music available in the schedule. |
Some musical genres are a key driver for younger listeners, and can be scheduled in such a way that they are exposed to other (speech) output. |
Increase the impact of journalism on the network, by commissioning more output from BBC News and independents. |
More and improved news and current affairs coverage across the schedule will better reflect the lives of young British Asians. |
Increase the number of original programme hours commissioned from the independent sector. |
Investing in the independent creative economy will deliver benefits, including bringing fresh creative input to the station and offering different perspectives to our listeners. |
Sustaining citizenship and civil society
The Asian Network schedule has a strong focus on accurate, impartial and independent news and current affairs presented in an accessible style for its target audience. Complex issues are explained and placed into context to help the audience develop a greater understanding of UK and international events. This year we will be expanding our weekday lunchtime news programme The Wrap to deliver more output across the schedule.
- Ensure that content is approximately 50% speech and 50% music.
Stimulating creativity and cultural excellence
The Asian Network provides an important platform for new and established British Asian talent and British Asian voices. Our daily soap Silver Street covers storylines and issues relevant to our listeners. We will encourage work from new directing and writing talent, and this year we will focus on finding new British Asian comedy talent, primarily through our afternoon arts and culture show Nikki Bedi.
Our music output covers a wide range of genres with an emphasis on new music and on nurturing and developing new acts. Through our broadcasts of live performances - from Future Friction 's championing of emerging and unsigned talent across the musical spectrum to traditional bhangra - we will continue to support and increase the appreciation of live music. Specifically this year we will, for the first time, have a significant presence at Glastonbury and the Edinburgh Festival, broadcasting live from both.
Over the next 12 months, we will:- Ensure that at least 40% of the music playlist is from UK artists.
- Contribute to BBC Radio's commitment to commission at least 10% of eligible hours of output from independent producers.
Representing the UK's nations, regions and communities
The Asian Network will reflect and represent, through our output, the diversity of the UK Asian population. Across the schedule, regular opportunities for phone-ins will encourage debate and expose our audiences to the range of opinions found in the UK's Asian diaspora.
Programmes in various languages will continue to connect listeners with each other, and with their cultural and linguistic roots. A broad range of music is played, encouraging listeners to appreciate music from communities and cultures they may never have come across before.
August marks the 60th anniversary of Indian independence and the partition of India and Pakistan. The Asian Network will commission Asian Nation as part of our coverage of these momentous events, and build from it a multimedia chronicle of the lives of British Asians and how they relate to their roots.
This year, through our coverage of football and the Cricket World Cup, we will help our listeners unite behind their teams, and connect with each other across the UK.
This year we will:- Broadcast an average of three to five hours of language programming every day.
Bringing the UK to the world and the world to the UK
The Asian Network news and current affairs output regularly covers international events and issues, providing context and perspective to what are sometimes very complex issues.
Our music playlist encompasses artists from all over the world, with increased focus this year on Bollywood music: we will launch a new show for weekend mornings aimed at consolidating the current fragmented programming in this genre.
Promoting education and learning
The Asian Network offers many opportunities for informal learning, particularly across our speech output. We will provide documentaries that cover a range of issues that affect the lives and experiences of British Asians.
Our language programming is aimed at listeners who may speak English as a first language, and is designed to link British Asians with their linguistic roots in an engaging way. This year we will further evolve our language programming, introducing a fresher tone to our output in Bengali, Gujarati, Mirpuri and Punjabi.
Emerging communications
BBC Asian Network is available on DAB and via digital television, and is streamed on the internet. Some programmes are available for download after broadcast, extending the life of the programmes by making them accessible to listeners for whom a linear schedule is not convenient.
Reach: BBC Asian Network should contribute towards the maintenance of combined BBC weekly reach for all services at over 90% by aiming to increase its own weekly reach, particularly among its stated target audience.
Quality: Audience approval of the Asian Network and perceptions of it as high quality and innovative. Also, the proportion of originated programmes across all hours (including repeats).
Impact: Licence fee payer awareness of the Asian Network and audience perceptions of the Asian Network as engaging and challenging.
Value for money: BBC Asian Network's cost per listener hour.