6 Music to be shut down – don’t let it happen!
So the BBC announced today it is planning to shut down BBC 6 Music and Asian Network by the end of 2011 in a cost cutting exercise.
From when the rumours of this announcement first came out I thought it sounded like a terrible idea to close down the only music station that actually really cares about the music they play, so was interested to hear the BBC’s justification for this act. The strategy review which is suggesting the changes states the key aim is “putting quality first“.
I don’t see how 6 Music could do a better job of being a “quality” music station. The suggestion that commercial rivals could fill the space left by 6 Music is massively unlikely, it’s the sort of service only the BBC can provide, and at a relatively low cost as a proportion of the total licence fee budget. David McCandless, author of the fantastic Information is Beautiful
There’s a great deal of political discussion regarding the BBC and their fear of what a potentially incoming Conservative government might do to them, well summed up here, but personally all I want is that the only BBC Radio I have contact with be kept alive.
There’s a strong movement building up online, headed mainly by the love6music website, where you can sign the petition, and find details on how to contact the BBC to lodge your objections. There’s a chance this can all help, with the BBC Trust chairman Sir Michael Lyons saying if there was a big enough public response about the cuts then he would ask management to rethink its strategy.
So please, do the following:
- Go to love6music.com to keep up with news
- Sign the petition to save BBC 6 Music
- Watch Dan Bull’s open letter to the BBC
- Watch the video of 6 Music’s Adam Buxton challenging Mark Thompson to a fight live on Channel 4 News
Please do sign the petition though, the BBC have to listen if enough people speak up!
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