[RhysJR]

Fresh off changes to Radios 1, 2 & 3, BBC Radio 4 has announced some changes. It looks like primarily some programme will be extended.

Presumably this is related to budget cuts - it must be cheaper to produce one 60 minute show than two 30 minute programmes.

- Desert Island Discs will be extended to an hour and air on Sundays at 10am
- The Media Show will be extended to an hour and begin at 4pm on Wendesdays
- The Food Programme is extended to 42 minutes duration and airs on Fridays at 11am
- File on 4 is also extended to be 42 minutes long
- The way investigative programmes will appear on Sounds will be simplified under one page
- The Archers omnibus will be released on Sounds ahead of linear broadcast
- Free Thinking and The Verb moves from Radio 3
- Comedy to air at 11pm on Saturdays

www.bbc.co.uk 

BBC Radio 4 announces refreshed schedule this Spring and raft of new commissions
The revamped schedule has been designed to give audiences what they want most, w…
  Source: www.bbc.co.uk

And, earlier in the week, it was announced that Martha Kearney will step down from the Today programme after the general election.
www.bbc.com 

Martha Kearney to leave BBC Radio 4's Today programme - BBC News
The presenter will stay on the station to host a new series called This Natural …
  Source: www.bbc.com

[thegeek]

I always found it quite jarring how the end of BH ran straight into The Archers - I think it's the only TOTH junction to not have a news bulletin.

Pleased to see I'll still be able to play 'am I listening to Desert Island Discs or Desert Island Disco?' on a Friday morning though.

[Steve in Pudsey]

What's the point of putting the Archers omnibus on Sounds? Surely the individual episodes are there already?

[thegeek]

For people who really like the ceilidh band version of the theme tune?

[Brekkie]

So the Media Show will expand to an hour then be edited down for it's airings on the news channel. Also interesting how with File on 4 it airs on Tuesdays at 8pm then the repeat at 11am on Wednesday is considered "a more high profile slot".

[JJJJ]

Yes, it sounds like changes at least partly to cut more costs. It looks like more cuts to the more expensive comedy or drama slots (Fridays 11.30am and Sunday evenings) and extended lower-cost programmes such as discussion/interview programmes.

[Omnipresent]

Will be interesting to hear how well different programmes use the extra time. I fear in the current environment some won't have commensurate increases in budget which will probably mean more panel type discussions on The Media Show etc.

One thing Radio 4 has lost due to budget cuts is packaged features like In Business and The Sunday Supplement on the Westminster Hour which cost money to produce and can easily be replaced with cheaper content.

[RhysJR]

Not sure if the press release is fully clear on this, but The Media Show will have two presenters every week with Ros Atkins and Katie Razzall co-presenting, rather than alternating like they currently do.

twitter.com 

[Ash101]

Yes I did read that as them both hosting every week.

I think it was Amol Rajan that mentioned he was always fighting to try and get the show extended so they didn’t have to rush things.

They do sometimes do interviews where they put an extended cut on BBC Sounds (last one was in December), so I guess it means these can be aired in full

[Keith]

On a related scheduling note, the BBC have just released a press release advising that The Now Show is to have it's final series in Spring after 25 years.
www.bbc.co.uk 

Hugh Dennis and Steve Punt to star in new BBC Radio 4 Comedy as The Now Show rea…
After 25 hugely successful years, BBC Radio 4 has today announced that The Now S…
  Source: www.bbc.co.uk