Petition to save Radio 4 Extra nears 2,500 signatures

Dismay at the loss of a valued resource: 'Give me a curator over an algorithm any day'

Radio 4 Extra fans are signing our petition to save the station at the rate of more than one every 40 seconds.

More than 2,300 people have called on the BBC to reverse its decision to axe the station, which showcases the best of the broadcaster’s audio comedy and drama archive, both vintage and more recent.

At most, the move will save £4million a year – just .067 per cent of the BBC’s almost £6billion-a-year budget. That same percentage of the £180 a year licence fee works out at around 12 pence.

The BBC says some programmes will still be on BBC Sounds after Radio 4 Extra closes in the spring – but that will require listeners knowing what to search for, rather than being offered a curated selection of shows that may be new to them.

Many listeners have also left comments such as: ‘I've laughed and learned more in one evening listening to 4 Extra than a month of on demand services. Give me a curator over an algorithm any day.’

‘Radio 4 Extra is preserving Britain's radio heritage. It's an historically important resource. Just dumping programmes on Sounds will deprive people from being exposed to programmes they wouldn't have known about otherwise. Please reconsider this shortsighted decision.’

‘The nightly Comedy Club slots have done more to help me discover recent and old comedy shows than any amount of bedtime hunting ever could.’

‘A curated library is better than an online store that hides most content and uses an algorithm to tell you what you already like.’

‘The BBC has an amazing archive of intelligent & entertaining radio that Radio 4extra has brought to our attention. It's the lowest costing BBC radio station and is a completely irrational budget cut.’