...or perhaps none of the above

The BBC is not short of money.

I knew a producer for one of its national radio stations, a high ranking chap. Every year, would take his latest girlfriend to the Monaco Grand Prix. They’d stay the weekend, in a lovely hotel overlooking the course, all on expenses. No one questioned it. If they did, she was a production assistant. And no-one really knew how many of them there were, so it was an easy, er, blag.

These days, they’re not quite as subtle.

They’re currently hawking A Question of Sport around the enormodomes of the UK, to rake in more cash for a project that we paid for. Do we get a cut from their profits for all this real-world commercialism they dabble in at our expense?

Imagine if, say, politicians made hay with the public purse. Imagine what Jeremy Vine’s listeners would have to say about that? Oh, we already know…

So it strikes me as odd that the BBC have gotten away with not having to release the salaries it pays its ‘talent’ (you know, Chris Moyles, Chris Evans and, er, Anne Robinson).

Commercially sensitive, they say.

Dear Auntie Beeb, I’ll tell you what’s commercially sensitive. When you make forays into an already beleaguered publishing world, buy Lonely Planet guides, and release magazines in direct competition with ‘traditional’ publishers (including, oh yes, Lonely Planet Magazine) and Focus (now just an excuse to publicize any vaguely science-related BBC programme within its lackluster pages). That’s commercially sensitive. But they seem to turn a blind eye to that.

Of course, no one minds a company hell bent on making money.

It’s how they spend it that counts.

And when it makes decisions like today’s (to axe 6music and Asian Network) you have to wonder – has it lost sight of its remit?

When ITV made a move to reduce its news output, the BBC were up in arms. No no no, it said – that’s sooo not fair. Why should we be saddled with the boring news?

I’d argue that the BBC has the same duties when it comes to the provision of music, too. Music for everyone.

With Radio 1′s unseemly fall from grace into its present sub-Nuts/Zoo Radio station, and Radio 2 marrying U2 in a civil ceremony on the roof of Broadcasting House last year, 6Music was the only station to promote new bands, play decent alternative rock and pop, and transmit the thousands of hours’ worth of live recording gems they’ve amassed from their Maida Vale studios.

Other radio stations would die for the chance of airing this stuff.

But, hell-bent on pushing DAB (and, of course, the wrong kind of DAB with appalling audio quality and a shit bit rate. Still, that’s what you get when you employ a marketeer (Simon Nelson) to run the stations, rather than someone who knows anything about technical stuff. Like audio quality) they restricted 6music to the few thousand of us tuning in online or on our Pure Evokes.

Now, answer me this. Is that the best way to launch a new music station that has the potential to reach every music fan in the country between the age of 25-45? not currently served by the playlist-centric 1 and 2.

6Music was a public affirmation that, despite all the Simply Come Dancing, Andrew Lloyd Weber Musical Promoting, R’n'B mulch-deifying aural arse it pumped out, the BBC still understood  - and supported – exciting new music.

Now we’re left with Moyles.

Still, at least it’s getting its house in order. It’s currently £100 million pounds over budget for its new Broadcasting House extension in London, and is creating Salford’s gleaming Media City.

Oh yeah, that.

Here, rising from the quays, will be the new home of  Tony Livesey’s new 5Live show.

Yeah, that’s worth every penny.