Radio Times wonders: Why’s there no classical music on BBC TV?

A letter published in this week’s issue of the listings magazine:

Classical Absence
What has happened to classical music on British TV, apart from the token Christmas opera or ballet? BBC4 used to have a regular classical music spot on Fridays, before the five or six hours of vintage pop, but even this has disappeared.
I remember seeing, as a teenager, orchestral and chamber concerts, masterclasses and documentaries about composers and performers. Andre Previn’s Music Night and Barenboim on Beethoven inspired me to become a professional musician.
Showing some of the “less” taxing concerts at the Proms is no substitute for regular coverage. Through the licence fee (long may it continue), the BBC funds a number of symphony orchestras and choral groups. Can we please see more of them?
David Cathcart
London SW15