Does the BBC find our ears offensive now?

 It appears I am too old to listen to Radio 1 now!!

 


Article by Ceri Wheeldon
Goodness, it seems the BBC now finds our ears offensive – not how they look , but the fact that many of us still dare to use them to listen to Radio One! How dare we! Haven’t we learnt by the time we reach our 50s that Radio One is the preserve of the young?  it seems that not only does the BBC want to see us on screen, but they are unhappy if anyone over 55 tunes in to Radio One, as they want to attract a younger demographic.
According to an article in the Independent although great efforts are being made to migrate us over to more ‘age appropriate’ stations., far too many of us are still tuning in.  It seems it is not for us to decide what radio station we might want to listen to, the powers at the Beeb are deciding that for us. Wasn’t it just a couple of months ago that they thought too many of us over 50 were listening to Radio 4? I wish they would make their minds up. Obviously Radio One is not the station they wanted us to switch our attention to. They are still more than happy to take our license fee though.
Should our taste in music be limited? Why limit which stations you tune in to based on age. I personally think the BBC should be grateful to those who do tune in. Most commercial enterprises try to keep and reward customer loyalty – not turn their regular bread and butter customers away. With more adults in the UK now over 45 not younger, I think in the context of an ageing population perhaps they need to think differently. What happens if the over 50s do switch off, not to be replaced by younger listeners? Will the license fee payer be expected to support a station with ever dwindling numbers?

Why can’t music be ageless?

Is the BBC suggesting that anyone over 55 should not listen to anything new? Many of us may well live to be 100 – with many years ahead we should definitely be open to new experiences – music or otherwise.
I can appreciate that the BBC wants to attract younger listeners and hence future licence fee payers, but surely ostracising those currently tuning in is not the right way to go about it.
Is Radio One your guilty pleasure?