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BBC 6 Music radio lives on

by Parm Mann on 5 July 2010, 12:38

Tags: BBC

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The BBC Trust has rejected plans to shut down the 6 Music radio station.

In March, director general Mark Thompson announced plans to close two radio stations - 6 Music and the Asian Network - as part of a strategic review that would also see the corporation's budget for imported overseas programming cut by 20 per cent and its online output reduced by up to 50 per cent.

However, despite the review stating that 6 Music brings "relatively few unique listeners to BBC radio", the corporation's governing body - BBC Trust - has concluded that "the case has not been made for the closure of 6 Music".

Whilst approving of the BBC's "underlying ambition to do fewer things better and thereby focus the BBC more effectively on its core mission", the Trust added that it "does not agree that there is a consistent strategic rationale for closure on grounds either of promoting digital development or market impact".

Following the director general's March proposal, a high-profile campaign was set up to "Save 6 Music". With the support of big-name artists - including David Bowie and Coldplay - the campaign has drawn over 60,000 petition signatures, and the number of 6 Music listeners has risen from 600,000 to one million a week.

Although the "significant show of public support" may have influenced the BBC Trust's decision, similar campaigns to save the Asian Network have not been successful.

In its review, the Trust stated that it "would consider a formal proposal for the closure of the Asian Network", before adding that the proposal "must include a proposition for meeting the needs of the station's audience in different ways".



HEXUS Forums :: 4 Comments

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yey, all media attention diverted from the things they were going to cut anyway, but now can with the good PR that its not 6 radio.
To be honest, now that they canned Bruce Dickinson's Rock Show and lost the only decent show on their station. They can close 6 Music for all I care as the rest of their line up is pure toss to say the least. Only thing decent I have seen on there in months is the four parter Lee Perry show.
Grey M@a;1947524
To be honest, now that they canned Bruce Dickinson's Rock Show and lost the only decent show on their station. (snipped)
Kind of agree - I'd be keen to lobby for Bruce's show to come back - even if it didn't have him at the helm - any metal gods “resting” at the moment? ;) If there is a campaign going to bring back the Rock Show, where do I sign up?

I truly think that the BBC must have something akin to the old Tommy Vance or Alan Freeman “rock” shows* - otherwise the rock end of the music market isn't being covered, (yes, I know there's Kerrang radio and Planet Rock - but the latter is “classics” only, and the former has degenerated into a Radio1-lite - plays way too much indie to be regarded with anything other than contempt in my book)
(* yes, I know referring to the Vance/Freeman shows makes me sound old - but I don't care!)

Haven't heard the show that replaced Bruce's Rock Show - but when they were bigging it up as a “wide coverage of music” I figured that it's the usual Radio 1 fare. :mad: Still at least there's still Rock Radio, although unfortunately I'm in a very poor signal area for that (it's basically DAB only for me, because the local commercial radio 'casts on the 96.3 FM band that RR use alongside DAB).

Probably get me well and truly flamed, but I still listen to the Huey Morgan show on 6Music - I like FLC and at least Huey plays a wide selection of music. :)

Bob
Wow, they kept this one quiet after all the fuss that kicked off when they said they were going to close it. I'm glad it got saved though, it's the only BBC station I can listen to these days that isn't Radio 4 :)