The office of the controller of Radio 3, in Old Broadcasting House in London, has one solitary wood-panelled wall, a remnant of a more stately era of the BBC, before the glassy, shimmering heights of New Broadcasting House rose up to overshadow its 1930s predecessor. The current incumbent is Sam Jackson. He is, perhaps, the least suited-and-booted of any of his forerunners – he is wearing jeans, sneakers and a printed blue shirt straight out of the wardrobe of Simon Harwood, W1A’s director of strategic governance. This former boss of the commercial radio stations Classic FM, Smooth and Gold is also wearing a high-wattage smile. He uses the word “unpack” a lot and “brand”. He is a radio controller for our age. I can imagine the glowering ghost of Lord Reith staring at him in slight bewilderment.
Jackson, who began at the network in April, and last week added director of the BBC Proms to his responsibilities, is today announcing changes to Radio 3 – always a perilous moment for the much-loved BBC institution. Saturdays will see perhaps the biggest transformation. Music Matters, where Radio 3 did its most probing journalism, is being axed – or rather rebranded, moving to a 1pm slot in which series lasting up to eight weeks will be broadcast. One, presented by violinist Nicola Benedetti, will explore the Edinburgh international festival, which she directs.
