It’s hard to understand BBC Radio 4‘s recent decision to reduce its short story broadcasting by two thirds, to just one a week.  Not only is the move unpopular, it doesn’t make any sense. You might not guess it from a glance around your local bookshop, but the short story’s time has come. It’s not clear from the bookshop because all the action’s going on elsewhere: while the book has never been the ideal format for short stories, they’re perfect as podcasts and on the radio, and in magazines, both print and online. The buzz in the lit mag and periodical scene over the past few years, and the success of the New Yorker‘s fiction podcast series, show that this is a very strange time indeed to shorten your short fiction allowance.

There’s been a reassuringly vociferous response to the baffling decision: the Guardian, Independent and Telegraph have run pieces, the Society of Authors is astonished and disappointed, and the Writers’ Guild called it ‘pointless cultural vandalism’.  You can add your voice to theirs by signing the petition here.

It’s also worth reminding ourselves that the BBC isn’t the world’s only cultural institution. Granted, it’s got authority, and of course enviable resources, but isn’t one of our arguments that short story readings cost little and deliver a lot? Plenty of other s seem willing to take advantage of that happy confluence. I’ve already mentioned the New Yorker‘s series, which includes possibly the best example of any human speaking words ever, Donald Antrim reading Donald Barthelme‘s ‘I Bought a Little City‘. Just before Christmas last year The Guardian gave the gift of a series of short-story podcasts, among which Angela Carter‘s ‘The Kitchen Child‘, read by Helen Simpson, is a particular joy. Miette‘s bedtime story podcasts are a bit more offbeat, with a great list and plenty of works in translation. The quality of the recordings can vary, though some might argue that the odd barking dog adds a quirky charm – maybe it’s meta. Meanwhile  PRI’s Selected Shorts is broadcast to 300,000 people on public radio every Monday; episodes are available for download here.

Of course, a change of heart at the BBC would be wonderful. Meanwhile, there are plenty of other places to look.