BBC Asian Network

**BBC Asian Network** is British public radio stations owned by British Broadcasting Corporation. The station broadcasts programmings whose target audience are people aged 15-35 of South Asian descent (Bangladeshi/Indian/Pakistani), and/or those with an interest in South Asian affairs. The music and news comes out of the main urban areas where there are significant communities with these backgrounds.

## History

On 30 October 1988, **The Asian Network** was launched on the MW transmitters of BBC WM and BBC Radio Leicester with a combined output of 70 hours per week, and on 4 November 1996 the station became a full time service, on air 18 hours a day, and was relaunched as **BBC Asian Network**.

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

In January 2006, 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. 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 re-branded again to add prominence to the Asian aspect of the logo.

One of the most significant programmes in the Asian Network lineup 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 English town of unspecified name and location, with themes that generally related to issues that affect the daily lives of British South Asians and their neighbours.

Following a cutting 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***. 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. 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 run.

***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.

In 2011, the BBC ruled there would be a 46% reduction in AN's budget and a declared target of 600,000 listeners a week; with actual audience numbers only reaching 507,000. In 2012, audience numbers fell even further; peaking at only 453,000. Even with the budget reductions, in 2013 AN had the largest budget of the BBC's digital-only radio stations at £13m; despite having the lowest audience figures by far. In 2016–17, AN continued to have the highest cost-per-user of all the BBC's radio stations at 3.4p per hour, the second highest budget of the BBC's digital-only radio stations at £7.5m and the lowest audience figures of all the BBC's stations.

RAJAR's figures in 2014 showed that AN had at last started to increase its ratings – Q2's average weekly audience was 552,000 listeners, peaking at 619,000 listeners in Q4, finally exceeding the target set in 2011. However, the station was noted as being the BBC's only station – across both television and radio – whose Appreciation Index measurably fell in 2014. By May 2015, AN had once again lost a substantial number of listeners, with the RAJAR reporting a peak of 562,000 listeners – a loss of 57,000 from the previous quarter.

## Logos

Fifth logo (2007-2009)Current logo (2012-present)
## External links

* Official website

* National stations
* Regional stations
* Local stations

Bailiwick of Guernsey •
Bath •
Bedfordshire •
Berkshire •
Bristol •
Buckinghamshire •
Cambridgeshire •
Coventry •
Dorset •
County Durham •
Cornwall •
Cumbria •
Derbyshire •
Devon •
East Chesire •
East Riding of Yorkshire •
East Staffordshire •
Essex •
Gloucestershire •
Greater Manchester •
Hampshire •
Herefordshire •
Herfordshire •
Isle of Wight •
Jersey •
Kent •
Lancashire •
Leicester •
Lincolnshire •
London •
Merseyside •
Norfolk •
Oxfordshire •
North and Mid Staffordshire •
North East Shropshire •
North East Somerset •
North Hampshire •
North Nottinghamshire •
North Somerset •
North Yorkshire •
Northamptonshire •
Northern County Durham •
Northern Lincolnshire •
Northumberland •
Nottingham •
Solihull •
Somerset •
South Chesire •
South Gloucestershire •
South Staffordshire •
South Yorkshire •
Shropshire •
Suffolk •
Surrey •
Sussex •
Teesside •
Tyne and Wear •
Warwickshire •
West Midlands •
West Yorkshire •
Western Lancashire •
Wiltshire •
Worcestershire