Listen. Here's a sound idea! Songs, nursery rhymes and stories for children should replace birdsong on the national radio network licensed to Digital One.
This vacant Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) capacity has streamed birdsong for over a year, since the US company Bloomberg pulled its rolling news option from its bouquet of proposed formats. Pretty though birdsong may be, this scarce radio space could be more usefully employed.
Let's bring some common sense to this valuable public resource and deploy it intelligently, even if only in the short term. The charity I CAN has found that many early years staff are worried about language and communication problems in young children. And Basic Skills Agency research has found some teachers saying that up to half their pupils are starting school without the necessary language and communication skills for learning and social integration.
For the past two years we have broadcast abracaDABra!, a bespoke radio service for London's children that is the only radio service in the world dedicated to the pre- and primary school sector. Feedback is most enlightening. Parents claim their children rush to turn on the radio and are learning to listen, imagine, concentrate, sing, dance, talk and physically co-ordinate, which shows the value of this uniquely accessible medium to early learning and play.
The Government invests billions in early years care and education, which would be cost-effectively enhanced by a complementary radio network.
Our proposal offers Digital One a year's free programming in exchange for a year's free carriage. It would focus on children from birth to eight, sharing best practice and supporting parents and carers. Primary schools, nurseries and Sure Start centres would be offered DAB radios for 52 a year, and the project would be independently evaluated.
Nor will birdsong be left out, because we are working with the RSPB on a radio quiz to teach our young listeners to identify British birds.
