Media Brief

I'm the BBC's media correspondent and this is my brief selection of what you need to know.

The controller of Radio 4, Mark Damazer, is to leave the BBC to become head of St Peter's College, Oxford. He will take up the post in October, after six years running Radio 4 the BBC reports. During his time, the audience has risen to 10 million a week and in 2008 it was named UK Station of the Year in the Sony Radio Awards.

Gordon Brown has joined the calls to save 6Music. The Daily Mail reports that he told the Radio Times the BBC "should not have succumbed to pressure" to axe some of its output. He said: "I don't think politicians should make that decision about what the BBC
produces." The Conservative arts spokesman Ed Vaizey has already said the BBC should save the station.

BBC Worldwide has confirmed that it is to seek a partner for its magazine business, which includes Radio Times and Top Gear magazine according to the Financial Times. Talks with other publishers will begin shortly but BBC Trust approval would be needed for any deal.

The Guardian reports that the Labour election manifesto promises to bring in libel law reforms to encourage freedom of speech.

The first regeneration of Doctor Who was modelled on a bad LSD trip, according to a 1966 memo from the BBC Archive, now published online. A BBC article says audience research reports show an attempt to inject humour did not go down well with viewers.

The day's papers are dominated by reaction to the launch of Labour's election manifesto as reflected in the BBC newspaper review.

Links in full

BBC | Radio 4 controller Mark Damazer leaves the BBC
Daily Mail | Gordon Brown backs campaign to save BBC Station 6 Music
Ben Fenton | Financial Times | BBC wants partner for Worldwide magazine division
Mark Sweney | Guardian | Libel law reform promised in Labour manifesto
BBC | Doctor Who regeneration was 'modelled on LSD trips'
BBC | Newspaper Review

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