Radio workforce does not reflect ethnic reality

The BBC and other major radio providers must improve ethnic diversity, Ofcom, the industry watchdog, has said.

Its report, called Diversity in Radio, found that in the BBC workforce, 8 per cent came from ethnic minorities, while for Bauer and Global, the other two main broadcasters, just 6 per cent did. Bauer owns stations such as Kiss, Magic and Absolute while Global owns Gold, Heart and Classic FM.

Ofcom said: “Listeners expect to hear programmes that authentically portray life across the UK, its nations and regions. But that is hard to achieve if people working in radio do not reflect the breadth of modern society.”