Assessing the Delivery of BBC Radio 5 Live's Public Service Commitments

Twenty-four years since the launch of Radio 5 Live, the BBC describes as its primary public purpose the duty 'to provide impartial news and information to help people understand and engage with the world around them'. It explains that: 'The BBC has no more important purpose than to inform. All citizens have a stake in the news. In a democracy, it is an essential public purpose. Every member of the public needs access to reliable information in order to understand the world around them and to make decisions for themselves, their communities and their shared future'. The Corporation presents 5 Live's broadcast output as an important contribution towards its fulfilment of this duty. By first defining news journalism as a crucial asset, intrinsic to the efficient functioning of democratic societies, the authors assess whether Radio 5 Live is really meeting Ofcom's regulatory requirement that 75% of its output should be news and current affairs.