You’re right – the “sell-off Radio 1″ argument reappears with depressing regularity.

The BBC should try and provide a service to all its Licence payers, and Radio 1 seems integral to such a policy to me.

Rather than sell Radio 1, it should be sub-contracted out to a commercial operator on a lowest bid basis. Bidders would quote a price at which they could maintain the same service commitments (in terms of overall output, format and public service obligations) on a commercial-free basis. The sub-contractor would be accountable to BBC management for its performance, and ultimately accountable to the BBC Trust, but the competitive nature of the bid process (and the fact that the BBC itself would still own and pay for, but not be directly managing the station) would reduce costs and so enhance value for money.