BBC Asian Network

File:BBC Asian Network.svg

File:BBC Asian Network Studio The Mailbox Birmingham 20041228.jpg shopping centre, Birmingham.]]

By 1949, the BBC had introduced their first weekly Bengali language programme, Anjuman, through the efforts of Nazir Ahmed and Nurul Momen. Momen also conducted a children's programme titled Kakoli. The BBC was later joined by more Bengalis such as Fateh Lohani and Fazle Lohani.{{cite Banglapedia|author=Hayat, Anupam|article=Ahmed, Nazir}} BBC television had also broadcast an Asian news programme, Nai Zindagi Naya Jeevan, since 1968 from its studios in Birmingham; this series followed a traditional news and current affairs format.

In 1976, BBC Radio Leicester, responding to the growth of the size of the South Asian population and rising racial tension in Leicester, introduced a daily community show called Six Fifteen, aimed primarily at that community in the city. By 1977, CRE research showed that the programme regularly reached 67% of the South Asian community in Leicester. BBC Radio Leicester dominated the provision of Asian programming on BBC local radio and by 1990 was producing one third of the output.{{cite thesis|last1=McCarthy|first1=Liam|title=Dr.|url=https://doi.org/10.25392/leicester.data.11798622|website=Connecting with new Asian communities: BBC Local Radio 1967-1990|year=2020|publisher=University of Leicester|doi=10.25392/leicester.data.11798622|access-date=16 June 2021|type=thesis}} In 1989, BBC WM, the BBC radio station for the Midlands, followed Radio Leicester's lead and introduced a similar daily show as part of a new Midlands Asian Network.

On 30 October 1989, The Asian Network was launched on the medium wave transmitters of BBC WM and BBC Radio Leicester, with a combined output of 57 hours per week. This was extended to 86 hours a week in 1995 and on 4 November 1996 the station became a full-time service, on air for eighteen hours a day in Leicester and Birmingham, and was relaunched as the BBC Asian Network with programming also broadcast on the MW transmitters of stations with large Asian communities (with the exception of BBC GLR which was an FM-only station).

In November 1999, as part of the addition of a suite of BBC and commercial radio services to the Sky Digital satellite television platform, BBC Asian Network was made available to Sky viewers alongside BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC World Service, BBC Radio Scotland, BBC Radio Wales and BBC Radio Ulster.

On Monday 28 October 2002, it was relaunched for the DAB Digital Radio system, now broadcasting nationwide.

In January 2006, the BBC announced that they were investing an extra £1m in the BBC Asian Network, and increasing the number of full-time staff by 30% in a bid to make British South Asian interests "a mainstream part of the corporation's output".

In April 2006, the first wave of schedule changes were introduced with further changes coming into effect on 14 May and 21 May, with weekend changes occurring from 17 June.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/04_april/03/asiannetwork.shtml|title=BBC - Press Office - New era for BBC Asian Network starts here|website=www.bbc.co.uk}} In August 2007, the Asian Network received a new logo as part of a general re-brand of all national BBC stations. In 2009, this was rebranded again to add prominence to the Asian aspect of the logo.

One of the most significant programmes in the Asian Network line-up was an ongoing Asian soap opera Silver Street, which was first broadcast in 2004. Storylines focused on the lives of a British South Asian community in an unnamed English town, with themes that generally related to issues that affect the daily lives of British South Asians and their neighbours.

Following the reduction of episode lengths to five minutes per day and continued falling listenership, on 16 November 2009 the BBC announced they would be cancelling Silver Street.{{Cite web |date=2017-09-25 |title=Image Dissectors - Asian Network's Soap Cancelled |url=http://www.imagedissectors.com/article/33 |access-date= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170925181649/http://www.imagedissectors.com/article/33 |archive-date=25 September 2017 }} The last episode was broadcast in March 2010. The cancellation grew out of many criticisms of the Asian Network in the BBC Trust's Annual Report.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2009/11_november/16/asian.shtml Changes to drama on BBC Asian Network BBC Press Release], 16 November 2009.

Silver Street was replaced by monthly half-hour dramas and in August 2010, BBC Asian Network announced it would be launching a new drama season from 1 September 2010.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2010/08_august/13/asian.shtml Press Release], 8 August 2010

In March 2022, BBC Introducing on Asian Network with Jasmine Takhar was nominated for Best Radio Show at the Music Week Awards. It was the first Asian Network show with a Music Week Award nomination since the awards were launched. The show would be nominated again in 2023. The show also celebrated International Women’s Day broadcasting from Maida Vale Studios.

In February 2023, the network launched their first tour with Nikita Kanda's breakfast show visiting Liverpool, Manchester and Glasgow.

BBC Asian Network were part of the BBC Introducing Showcase at the Great Escape Festival on Friday 12 May at the Paganini Ballroom in Brighton.

Breakfast show host Nikita Kanda took part in 21st series of Strictly Come Dancing where she was the second person voted out of the show.

In February 2024, BBC Introducing on Asian Network with Jasmine Takhar was nominated for best radio show at the Music Week Awards.

In February 2025, The Official British Asian Music Chart with Jasmine Takhar is nominated for best radio show at the Music Week Awards 10 months after the show launching.

On 26 February 2010 The Times reported that Mark Thompson, Director General of the BBC, proposed closing the station in a bid to scale back BBC operations and allow commercial rivals more room.[https://web.archive.org/web/20100423170054/http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/media/article7041944.ece "BBC signals an end to era of expansion"] 2010-02-26 Retrieved 2010-02-260 The proposal of closure – along with BBC Radio 6 Music – was later confirmed on 2 March.John Plunkett [https://www.theguardian.com/media/2010/mar/02/bbc-6-music-asian-network "BBC confirms plans to axe 6 Music and Asian Network"], The Guardian 2 March 2010

Listeners writing on the official Asian Network message boards advocated keeping their station at the expense of 6 Music,[https://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/mbasiannetwork/F4154526?thread=7339903 BBC – Asian Network closure: BBC consultation] and letter was written to the BBC Trust and had been signed by people, with the actual number of signatories was artificially boosted with some signing their name more than once (as both a single name and as part of different collectives)."BBC Asian Network is a vital platform", [https://www.theguardian.com/media/2010/mar/06/asian-network-a-vital-platform], The Guardian 6 March 2010 The BBC Trust rejected plans to close 6 Music and later in 2011 rejected plans to close the Asian Network in favour of reducing its budget by 50%.BBC Trust rejects 6 Music closure plan [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10507286] BBC News, 5 July 2010{{cite web |date=14 March 2011 |title=BBC considers Asian Network U-turn |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12735433 |work=BBC News}}

In July 2009 it was revealed that the Asian Network had lost over 20% of its listeners in a single year and, per listener, was the most costly and expensive BBC radio station to operate.

In 2011, the BBC ruled there would be a 46% reduction in the Asian Network's budget and a declared target of 600,000 listeners a week; with actual audience numbers only peaking at 507,000.RadioCentre's response to the BBC Trust's service licence review of Asian Network [http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/assets/files/pdf/our_work/asian_network/radio_centre.pdf] In 2012, audience numbers fell even further; peaking at only 453,000.{{Cite web |title=RAJAR: BBC Asian Network loses 130k listeners |url=http://www.media247.co.uk/bizasia/rajar-bbc-asian-network-loses-130k-listeners |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130205081527/http://www.media247.co.uk/bizasia/rajar-bbc-asian-network-loses-130k-listeners |archive-date=2013-02-05 |access-date=2013-01-31}} Even with the budget reductions, in 2013 the Asian Network had the largest budget of the BBC's digital-only radio stations at £13m; despite having the lowest audience figures by far.[http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/annualreport/pdf/2012-13/bbc-full-financial-statements-2012-13.pdf BBC full financial statements 2012–2013]

RAJAR's figures in 2014 showed that the Asian Network had at last briefly met the target set four years earlier, finally peaking at 619,000 listeners in Q4.{{Cite web |title=RAJAR |url=http://www.rajar.co.uk/listening/quarterly_listening.php}} However, the Asian Network was noted as being the BBC's only station – across both television and radio – whose Appreciation Index measurably fell in 2014.{{cite web |date=21 July 2014 |title=BBC Annual Report and Accounts 2013/14 |url=http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/annualreport/pdf/2013-14/bbc_annualreport_201314.pdf |publisher=BBC}}

By May 2015, the Asian Network had once again lost a substantial number of listeners, with the RAJAR reporting a peak of just 562,000 listeners – a loss of 57,000 from the previous quarter.{{cite web |date=21 May 2015 |title=Radio 4 Extra breaks record to become UK's biggest digital-only station |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2015/rajars |publisher=BBC}}

In 2016–17, the Asian Network had the second highest cost-per-user of all the BBC's radio stations, at 3.4p per hour,{{Cite web |title=BBC Annual Report 2016–17 |url=https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/insidethebbc/reports/pdf/bbc-annualreport-201617.pdf}} the second highest budget of the BBC's digital-only radio stations at £7.5m{{Cite web |title=Asian Network Service Licence April 2016 |url=http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/assets/files/pdf/regulatory_framework/service_licences/radio/2016/asian_network_apr16.pdf}} and by far the lowest audience figures of all the BBC's stations.

In 2017/18, it was noted the station not only remained as having the highest cost-per-user of all the BBC radio output, but whose costs also increased – rising from 3.4p per hour the previous year to 3.7p per hour. The audience Appreciation Index figure did not increase, remaining at 80.3; and the average length of time spent on the channel dramatically fell from 06:11 to 05:19 – the biggest fall of all of the BBC's radio stations.{{Cite web |title=BBC Annual Report 2017/18 |url=http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/insidethebbc/reports/pdf/bbc_annualreport_201718.pdf |access-date=2 January 2019}}

In 2018/19, the Asian Network's annual budget increased from £7m to £8m, but the station continued to perform poorly: population reach was down again to 1.1%, time spent on the channel per week fell again to 5:12 and an increase in cost per user per hour (up to 5p).{{Cite web |title=BBC Annual Report 2018/19 |url=http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/reports/annualreport/2018-19.pdf |access-date=26 November 2019}}

The station's poor performance continued into 2019/20, where it was noted time spent on the channel fell dramatically again by 20% to just 4:07, while the cost per use per hour had increased up to 6p, remaining the BBC's most expensive-per-listener station.{{Cite web |title=BBC Group Annual Report and Accounts |url=http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/reports/annualreport/2019-20.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200919050915/http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/reports/annualreport/2019-20.pdf |archive-date=19 September 2020 |access-date=7 June 2021}} Peak audience figures plunged down to 519,000 listeners, losing 13.8%.{{Cite web |date=2020-02-06 |title=RAJAR: BBC Asian Network loses over 80k listeners in Q4/19 |url=https://www.bizasialive.com/rajar-bbc-asian-network-loses-over-80k-listeners-in-q4-19/ |access-date=2021-06-07 |website=BizAsia {{!}} Media, Entertainment, Showbiz, Brit, Events and Music |language=en-GB}}

In 2021/22, the stations audience reach fell to just 1%{{Cite web |title=BBC Group Annual Report and Accounts 2021/22 |url=https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/reports/annualreport/ara-2021-22.pdf#page=187}} – the station continues to have by far the lowest audience figures and highest cost-per-user figures of all the BBC's stations.

In 2022/23, Asian Network's audience reach remained at just 1%.{{Cite journal |date=2023 |title=BBC Group Annual Report and Accounts 2022/23 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/documents/ara-2022-23.pdf |journal=BBC Group}}

In 2018, the station's Head of News Arif Ansari was charged under the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1992 after a reporter was thought to have named a victim of the Rotherham child sexual exploitation scandal during a live news bulletin.{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/rotherham-grooming-gangs-victims-named-bbc-journalist-arif-ansari-asian-network-anonymity-a8579476.html|title=BBC journalist Arif Ansari to go on trial accused of naming Rotherham grooming victim|date=2018-10-11|website=The Independent|language=en|access-date=2019-01-09}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-45827413|title=BBC editor denies naming abuse victim|date=2018-10-11|work=BBC News|access-date=2019-01-09|language=en-GB}} In January 2019, he was cleared when a judge ruled that Ansari was not at fault and had been incorrectly told the name of the victim was a pseudonym. He was the first BBC editor to be tried under the legislation.{{cite news|title=BBC Asian Network editor found not guilty of 'honest mistake'|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-46920537|access-date=11 August 2021|publisher=BBC News|date=18 January 2019}}

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• Islah Abdur-Rahman
• Jassa Ahluwalia
• Nayha Ahmad
• Nadia Ali
• Mehreen Baig
• Kan D Man
• Ankur Desai
• Bobby Friction
• Panjabi Hit Squad
• Nikita Kanda
• Noreen Khan
• DJ Limelight
• Pritt
• Haroon Rashid
• Amber Sandhu
• Keisha Sethi
• Jasmine Takhar

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• Guz Khan{{cite web |last1=Khan |first1=Guz |title=Guz Khan's BBC Landing Page |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06qbjsq |website=BBC |access-date=28 February 2024}}
• Nihal Arthanayake
• Nikki Bedi
• Ameet Chana
• Sonia Deol
• Preeya Kalidas
• Harpz Kaur
• DJ Kayper
• Aasmah Mir
• Murtz
• Nerm
• Ashanti Omkar
• Raj and Pablo
• Pathaan
• Anita Rani
• Adil Ray
• Tommy Sandhu
• Nikesh Rughani
• Sunny and Shay
• Rozina Sini
• Yasser

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{{reflist}}

• {{bbc.co.uk|id=asiannetwork|title=BBC Asian Network}}
• {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20110518181033/http://www.asiansinmedia.org/news/article.php/radio/654 Origins of BBC Asian Network]}}
• [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/2366531.stm BBC Asian Network relaunched on DAB] at bbc.co.uk

{{BBC Asian Network}}

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