The BBC’s Radio 1 has more in common with commercial outfits like 2Day than with the ABC’s triple j. But the really big difference between Aunty and The Beeb is that the BBC accounts for more than 50% of listening in the UK while our ABC attracts around 20% for its suite of radio outlets. Some may say that that’s probably the optimum for a public broadcaster committed to providing a quality alternative to a commercial sector dedicated to appealing the lowest common denominator. But the ABC’s Director of Radio, Kate Dundas has indicated that that her organisation could do a lot better in terms of numbers and has instigated a far reaching “strategic review” of the whole enterprise in her care. According to an article in the Australian, “Talk of change has intensified recently after executives met last week to share comparative information about each network which has been refered to as “network alignment”.

The fear among ABC loyalists as well as commercial operators is that Ms Dundas may succeed beyond anyone’s wildest dreams by adopting some of the BBC’s practices.

How would a more commercial triple j affect the status quo? To what extent should the ABC be competing for listeners with the commercial sector?

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