Letter: Missing listeners

Ian Buxton
Tuesday 05 August 1997 23:02 BST
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Sir: Matthew Bannister, explaining the reasoning behind the BBC's forthcoming changes to Radio 3 and Radio 4 (Letters, 4 August), brings out the hoary old excuse that it's all based on what the listeners want. Where are all these listeners who want drastic changes to the networks? They certainly aren't writing in to newspapers, or even the BBC itself. Why are they so reticent to defend their views?

Here in Brighton, the BBC's local Southern Counties Radio dropped all music and became a speech-only station a year or more ago, explaining to all those who complained - and there were many - that this was "what the listeners wanted". As from September, they will be reintroducing music. Who are we to believe?

IAN BUXTON

Brighton, East Sussex

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