A BBC Asian Network spokesperson today admitted to AIM Magazine that its future was in doubt as senior executives carried out a review of services across the corporation.

The uncertainty was sparked when chief operating officer Caroline Thomson said the BBC was finding it difficult to try and “cater for many disparate groups simultaneously”.

She told a communications committee inquiry in the House of Lords that, “one of the difficulties of the Asian service is its concept. It broadcasts in a number of different languages to an audience that varies from younger to older [listeners].”

She added: “It is trying to cater for many disparate groups simultaneously. We are wrestling with how to best serve this audience and whether one whole network is the right way to do it.”

The Committee is examining digital TV and radio switchover and considering shutting down analogue FM signals entirely.

A spokesperson told AIM Magazine: “All the services are being reviewed at the moment and as Mark Thompson has said we will announce the review at the end of February.”

Asian Network is certainly likely to face some questions, most notably over value for money.

Thanks to falling audiences last year (since reversed) it became the BBC’s most expensive radio station at one point: 6.9p per listener per day.

It’s budget was estimated to be around £12 million last year.

The BBC is looking to make drastic chops in the expectation that an incoming Conservative government would demand some serious cost-cutting.

According to the Media Guardian, Caroline Thomson added that the BBC remained committed to serving an Asian radio audience.

While that may come as some relief for Asian Network staff, they may not be so heartened with her view that the idea of a single station aimed at British Asians reflected the view that if you “come from the sub-continent … you must somehow be the same”.

But the BBC is bound by its charter to support Asian audiences.

It’s executives have admitted in the past that with satellite television highly popular with families – Asian Network remains their main outlet for attracting and engaging Asian audiences.

The digital station’s last measured audience, for the third quarter of 2009, stands at 357,000 weekly listeners.

Audience figures for the final quarter of 2009 will be published by industry body Rajar later today.