With the new Sounds app, the BBC is ignoring its own audience

A public broadcaster should not act like a commercial organisation, writes Anthony Lawton, while Jo Valentine says it is not sustainable to keep buying new devices and Colin Burke believes the BBC should value its older listeners. You report that James Purnell, the BBC’s radio and education director, said the following in justification of the limited reach of its new Sounds app (as opposed to iPlayer Radio): “It is standard practice for updated apps to no longer support older operati