The writing organisation known as the Society of Authors has made complaints to the BBC about their plans to cut Radio 4 short story broadcasts from three a week to one from spring 2012.
Radio 4 is currently the world's biggest commissioner of short stories. Even with this proposed cut it will still commission around 100 stories each year.
The cuts were announced on 6 July as part of controller Gwyneth Williams' first reorganisation of the Radio 4 schedule.
The Society of Authors stated on the 18th July that they had sent Gwyneth Williams a letter of complaint, which included the following passage: 'The short story is experiencing a revival in popularity, having proved a perfect medium for the internet age; it is excellent for podcast and download. We are surprised that the BBC has not seen the commercial possibilities of this format.'
'It would be a huge shame if this BBC legacy of fostering the art of storytelling, which it has done so well for so long, were to be reduced. Especially when one considers that only a few years ago there were five broadcasts a week,' the letter continued.
The Society of Authors urges people who feel strongly about these cuts to fill in the online petition at the National Short Story Week website (http://www.nationalshortstoryweek.org.uk/noshortstorycuts.htm ) and to express their concerns in writing to Gwyneth Williams.
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