Radio Manchester axes business show

BBC Radio Manchester has axed its weekly business show as part of a shake-up to the evening schedules that will be introduced in January.

The Monday show, usually hosted by Steve Saul, was cut back from an hour to 30 minutes in the summer, although the longer programme included music.

But the station insists the changes to do not mean it is turning its back on business news.

Instead it says it wants to incorporate business coverage into its daily drivetime show.

A spokesman for Radio Manchester said: “‘Manchester Business’ on BBC Radio Manchester has been a half-hour feature within the drivetime programme on Mondays.

“We recognise the audience interest in business coverage and so from the new year business stories will be covered as part of the fabric of the drivetime programme across the whole week as opposed to one weekly dedicated slot for the ‘Manchester Business’.”

At present the business show goes out at 6pm. The last show will be on December 17. As part of plans to cut around £8m, or 10%, from the annual local radio budget, all of the BBC’s 39 local stations will carry an “all-England” show after 7pm.

The decision to axe a Jewish show that goes out at 7pm on Mondays has prompted one listener, Gillian Cohn, to seek a Judicial Review.