Late Junction: end of the road?

I've never listened to BBC Radio 3's Late Junction - a shameful admission, I now realise, in light of Luke Turner's succinct, impassioned defence of the show for the Guardian. Anything that can be described as "a vital part of the cultural ecosystem that helps marginalised artists get their work heard" and as "carr[ying] the spirit of Peel into the digital age" must be worthy of attention.

Predictably enough, Turner's article has been prompted by the news that Late Junction finds itself under serious threat, set to be restricted to one two-hour show a week rather than three whole evenings. He argues that BBC execs, casting around for ways to cut costs, have seen it as "low-hanging fruit" due to its "niche audience". In doing so, he claims that the Beeb is abdicating its "responsibility to the public" to be "a bastion of diversity and experimentation against the homogenisation of a culture dictated by the algorithms of the big tech firms".

While most of Turner's ire (or at very least disappointment) is directed at a broadcaster he sees as myopically pandering to popular tastes, he does acknowledge that the cost-cutting exercise is being "forced upon the BBC by the Conservative government". It's the Tories who are the real bad guys here, surely - it's their vendetta against Auntie (exemplified by the way they've passed on the cost of TV licences for the over-75s) that has left the corporation in such an awkward predicament, as a result of which uncomfortable and damaging decisions need to be taken.

Niche programming Late Junction may be, but Turner certainly isn't alone in harbouring strong feelings about the cultural value of the show. An open letter calling for the BBC to reconsider boasts more than 500 signatories, including label founders, journalists, authors, academics, comedians and (of course) musicians - everyone from Brian Eno and Peter Gabriel to Cosey Fanni Tutti and Stephen O'Malley. Whether it will have any effect, in light of the BBC's parlous financial position, remains to be seen - but it could hardly carry any more weight.