BBC radio for all?

Ofcom chief executive Stephen Carter has raised the prospect of the BBC having to make its radio archive available for purchase by commercial stations. In a speech to the Social Market Foundation, Carter asked:

would non-discriminatory, non-exclusive access – for a fair payment – to the BBC sound archive allow commercial services to enhance their offering to the listening public; and, crucially, do so without damaging the BBC’s ability and commitment to offer a strong digital radio service proposition?

BBC News has a good round-up of the issues.