“For the first week since 1984, On The Wire will be missing from the airwaves,” says Steve Barker, BBC Radio Lancashire broadcaster and Wire contributor. “Good news is we will continue on Mixcloud.”

According to Steve, the BBC regional network has had to strip back its schedule as 25–30 per cent of staff are no longer able to work for reasons relating to the Covid-19 pandemic. This means the network's specialist shows will temporarily stop broadcasting.

But On The Wire will continue to broadcast weekly via Mixcloud. Scheduled so far are a longform show spanning Nigerian juju music to Japanese ambient on 28 March and a reggae/dub special on 4 April. After that Steve will be hosting regular shows with mixes from Ossia, Beatrice Dillon and Richard Skelton, plus shows on Big Youth, Prince Far I and The Meters vs The Upsetters. He also promises a Martin Rev special focusing on the Suicide musician's solo work and featuring an interview.

You can also check out OTW's archive site for “a massive block of reggae and dub specials”, and listen to Greetings Music Lover, Steve Urquhart's audio documentary exploring Steve Barker's life and work.