No short story cuts on Radio 4

If you love short stories, and if you are reading this you probably do, you will be concerned to hear that BBC Radio 4, traditionally champions of the short story, are reducing their short story programming from 3 to 1 a week.

Disbelief and bewilderment have quickly spread around the web; the form is currently enjoying a popular renaissance, due in part to its support by the BBC. The Guardian point out that demand for short stories among the listening public is only increasing, and that the decision to reduce output is 'baffling'.

An online petition has already collected 2688 signatures (at time of writing). Please sign it if you haven't already!

As the Guardian say in their article, short stories are a 'perfect fit' for radio:
the ideal marriage of medium and message. Cheap and quick to produce, they come with none of the problems and pitfalls of adaptations: with a short story on the radio, one is privy to much more of an author's intention; far fewer corners cut, hardly any descriptions excised.