The Church of England has submitted a response to the current BBC Trust review of BBC Radio 3, 4 and 7 praising the religious content of the radio stations. The response, co-ordinated by the Archbishops’ Council Communications Office, celebrates the fact that radio 4 is currently broadcasting 225 hours of religious content a year; 25 hours more than the requirement set in their services licence.
The response also cites the “widely accepted fact that the majority….of the adult population of the UK regard themselves as Christians” and repeats a call for the BBC to appoint a Religion Editor.
Pepper Harow, BHA Campaigns Officer, stated, ‘That the Church of England has praised the BBC for its religious output is no surprise. There are hours of religious programming every year yet there has never been any programming dedicated specifically for non-religious people- an issue which was noted by the Church of England in their response. We refute the idea that most people want to listen to religious programmes and several studies have shown that interest in religion is waning.
‘The BHA will also be responding to this review and have encouraged our supporters to do the same. We will not be calling for a Religion Editor which would be an expensive and pointless addition to the already well-resourced Religion and Ethics Team at the BBC. Instead we will be asking the BBC to live up to their legal responsibility to treat non-religious beliefs such as Humanism equally, including in the Radio 4 ethics slot, Thought for the Day.’
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For information or comment, please contact Pepper Harow on 020 7462 4992
The British Humanist Association (BHA) is the national charity representing and supporting the non-religious and campaigning for an end to religious privilege and discrimination based on religion or belief.