A long-running radio show will end in May after decades on the air, its makers have said.
The Popular Music Show on BBC Radio Merseyside will announce its cancellation on the show today at 9pm during its last regular programme. The show's makers said its cancellation was due to the "changes" in BBC local radio, and they would continue to produce the show on local digital station Melodic Distraction after their last BBC show on May 19.
On March 15, BBC Radio Merseyside went on a 24-hour strike after it was announced that local radio stations were to merge and share more shows.
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In a statement, the team behind the show said: "It's worth remembering that we will end as the longest-running alternative music show on UK radio, and that we have always been a pioneering and adventurous programme.
"In November 1992 we broadcast the first on-air live mixing on the BBC. We broadcast a remix of one of our programmes (remixed in Berlin) while the programme was still broadcasting. We were the Regional Rock Show back when regional was first a 'thing'.
"We recently broadcast a live relay from Estonia with Tallinn band Shelton San, only the second time in history that an Estonian band has had a session with the BBC (the first being 40 years ago, a John Peel Session)
"And we have kept faith with the local creative underground where the real genius of the city and region is to be found.
"PMS will continue to exist with our regular shows on local digital station Melodic Distraction, and we may even in the future go back to being weekly if it suits us."
Commenting previously on changes to local radio, Jason Horton, director of production, BBC Local, said: "Our goal over the next 12 months is to modernise our BBC Local services in England to strengthen our online provision for communities across the country.
"We have listened carefully to the feedback we have received about proposed changes to BBC Local Radio programming. As a result, we are making a number of amendments to the original plan to strike the best possible balance between live and on-demand services.”
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