| BBC Asian Network | |
 |
|
| Broadcast area |  UK -
National |
|---|---|
| Frequency | MW: Various (Restricted
Coverage) DAB: 12B Freeview: 709 Freesat: 709 Sky: 0119 Virgin Media: 912 TalkTalk TV: 820 |
| First air date | 1976 BBC Radio Leicester show 1988 as The Asian Network - BBC Radio Leicester & BBC WM 1996 as separate channel on AM 2002 Nationally on DAB [1] |
| Format | Music, News & Entertainment |
| Audience share | 0.2% (June 2009, [2]) |
| Owner | BBC |
| Webcast | Live Stream Real/WM Podcast: mp3 |
| Website | www.bbc.co.uk/asiannetwork |
BBC Asian Network is for anyone in the UK with an interest in Asian music, news, entertainment, culture, debate and drama. The music and news comes out of the main urban areas where there are significant communities with a background in the South Asian diaspora.
They have production centres in Birmingham, Leicester and London (Television Centre & Yalding House). The `parent` station is BBC Radio 1 at Yalding House and they are part of the BBC Audio and Music division.
BBC Asian Network broadcast mainly in English, but also have programmes in five south Asian languages – Hindi/Urdu, Punjabi, Bengali, Gujurati and Mirpuri.
Their output includes the daily soap drama `Silver Street` and the documentary series `Asian Network Reports`[3].
Over the summer 2009, the Asian network provided coverage at melas across the UK as part of the 'Summer Of Melas' [4]
Contents |
Medium Wave 1458
BBC television had broadcast an Asian news programme, Nai Zindagi Naya Jeevan, since 1968 from its studios in Birmingham. Whilst pioneering, this series followed a traditional news and current affairs format.
In 1977 BBC Radio Leicester, in recognition of the growth of the importance and size of the South Asian population in Leicester, introduced a daily show aimed primarily at that community in the city. Its popularity was remarkable, beyond anything anticipated; at one point the audience consisted of 67 per cent of the South Asian community in Leicester. In 1979, BBC WM, the BBC radio station for the Midlands, followed Leicester's lead and introduced a similar daily show.
By 1988, plans had been laid for shared South Asian programmes across the Midlands, on the AM frequencies of Radio Leicester and BBC WM, and on 30 October 1988 The Asian Network was launched on BBC WM and BBC Radio Leicester with a combined output of 70 hours per week.
In 1996 the station was relaunched as 'The BBC Asian Network with its own AM frequencies in the Midlands.
By 2000, the station's output had shifted focus from the Midlands to the UK as a whole, and the station became a truly national network on Monday 28 October 2002 when it was relaunched for the DAB Digital Radio system.
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' . The internal management structure of the station changed with Bob Shennan, then Controller of BBC Radio 5Live, taking over as controller, with a new Head of News, Husain Husaini (a senior editor in BBC Five Live), a Head of Music Mark Strippel Markie Mark (a much respected Asian music DJ and former member of Punjabi Hit Squad) and a Network Manager, Mike Curtis (previously Asian Network's News and Sports Editor).
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 as outlined in the following BBC Press Office Links. *The New Schedule
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.
The BBC Asian Network features a generally regular schedule of programming in English and South Asian Languages. Many programmes are named after the usual presenter. Programmes are presented in English except where noted otherwise.
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   | The New Schedule - BBC - Press Office - New era for BBC Asian Network starts here |
| | Origins of BBC Asian Network - Asians In Media magazine | BBC Asian Network: A short guide on its 2nd anniversary |
| | BBC Asian Network relaunched on DAB - BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Digital debut for Asian Network |
| | convicted - BBC NEWS | UK | England | West Midlands | DJ guilty of stolen goods charges |
| | arrested for possession of stolen goods - BBC NEWS | UK | England | West Midlands | BBC DJ released after dawn raid |
| | Live Stream - BBC iPlayer Console |
| | some breaches of editorial guidelines on voting - Asians In Media magazine | Asian Network named in voting scam |
| | Asian Network live stream - BBC iPlayer Console |
| | BBC Asian Life website - BBC - Asian Network |
| | Sunday Herald article on being a 2nd generation Asian - The Sunday Herald - Scotland's award-winning independent newspaper |
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