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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
John Plunkett

BBC Radio Five Live - what should the new boss do?

You might not be familiar with Adrian van Klaveren, but you soon will be. As the new controller of BBC Radio Five Live he will be responsible for what more than 6 million people listen to every week. Got any advice for him? Tell him here.

Van Klaveren is very much a BBC News man, currently its deputy director of news, under Helen Boaden, and its former head of newsgathering.

Top of his agenda will be the station's move - controversial in some quarters - from London to Salford, due to be completed by 2011.

A close second will doubtless be an overhaul of the Radio Five Live schedule. But will it be evolution or revolution?

As a regular Radio Five Live listener I think it sounds in fairly good health. The breakfast show won a Sony gold last year, Simon Mayo is imperious in the early afternoon and the sports coverage - dominating the weekend and weeknight schedule - is as fresh as ever. Even 606 is less irritating than it used to be.

I still have a problem with the morning phone-in, which with Victoria Derbyshire on the mic has never seemed to reach its previous heights. Just a bit screechy for my taste, perhaps, and it's straight over to Radio 4 at the stroke of 9am.

Elsewhere, Drivetime is really missing Jane Garvey since she left for Radio 4. Peter Allen still sounds like he's having fun, probably, but not half as much as he used to.

Sunday mornings on Radio Five have long been a disaster zone, Sportsweek aside, but a new show starts this weekend, hosted by Gabby Logan. Here's hoping, although it'll take a lot to get me to turn off Countryfile.

What Radio Five Live could really do with is another breakout show, like Jeff Randall's business programme or Saturday morning's Fighting Talk. It needs to get talked about again.

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