BBC attacked for 'Unfair' Coldplay Promotion

The BBC has been criticised for its promotion of U2 and Coldplay in recent months, it has emerged. Commercial radio body RadioCentre accused the corporation of giving undue prominence to the bands' work in broadcasts and online.

The organisation has also taken issue with the use of the Radio 1 logo to promote Coldplay's Viva La Vida tour. It argued that the BBC should spend its funds on up-and-coming artists, rather than larger established acts, The Daily Telegraph reports. RadioCentre chief executive Andrew Harrison said: "The BBC's excessive promotion of some artists, using licence fee funding, overwhelms any opportunity for commercial competitors. If BBC = U2, then by definition commercial radio does not = U2."

More on this at the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks mimixxx]