According to the Walt Disney Company, the BBC and its commercial radio rivals have badly failed Britain’s kids, the 8-15 age group in particular being cruelly deprived of suitable radio fare. Disney will also have noted that Albion's advertisers are also victimized, their opportunities to reach children via radio currently being next to zilch.
But thanks to the upcoming Communications Bill, which relaxes present restrictions on non-EU ownership of UK radio stations, kindly ol’ Uncle Walt’s successors aim to change all that with reported plans for a $79 million (€73.25m; £50m) network of 24-hour radio stations.
The regionally-based stations, reportedly featuring teenage broadcasters, will pump-out an endless gush of early evening pop music, entertainment news, phone-ins and a token percentage of educational material.
Disney UK managing director Paul Robinson told The Times that although the network would be sensitive to parental worries that children will be over-exposed to advertising: “We cannot cocoon children from the commercial world – but we will listen to parents’ concerns.”
Data sourced from: mad.co.uk; additional content by WARC staff
