'Bullied by BBC' (From Penarth Times)

'Bullied by BBC'

A PENARTH radio presenter is claiming racial discrimination against the BBC saying she was "bullied by male-dominated management".

Asian Annand Jasani, 53, of Uppercliff Close, told a Cardiff tribunal this week she suffered 15 years of racism, a claim denied by broadcasting chiefs.

Mother-of-two Mrs Jasani, awarded an MBE for being a cultural ambassador, said: "It's as if I'm an unintelligent native from the Raj years."

Mrs Jasani, who interviewed Tony Blair, the Dalai Lama and Vanessa Redgrave on her BBC Radio Wales Asian show A Voice For All, revealed she has to buy records and competition prizes out of her £267 weekly wages. She now has nearly £10,000 of Asian music.

She said her husband and daughter have to answer listeners' phone calls.

Mrs Jasani added her BBC portrait was taken down at Broadcasting House, Cardiff, before being put back as a show of "petty tokenism" for a visit of former director general John Birt.

Her live show was "relegated to graveyard shift" from 10.30pm to midnight on Sundays. Mrs Jasani, who says she got diabetes because of the case, told she was upset after a meeting with BBC commissioning editor Daniel Jones.

But BBC Wales controller Menna Richards said: "Part of Daniel Jones' brief was to revamp the schedules to try and counter the fall in Radio Wales' audience share.

"Given that some programmes were discontinued and others only recommissioned on a much reduced basis some might argue that Mrs Jasani had very little to complain about."

Miss Richards said there was nothing discriminatory, either on a racial or sexual basis.

Mr Jones, who has since left, said: "As a presenter, she was technically poor and would not have been suitable as a mainstream presenter on BBC Wales. She wanted her show to be at 11am on Wednesday but we couldn't put wall-to-wall Asian music on at that time."

The tribunal adjourned to make its ruling, due in six to eight weeks.