6 Music 'saved' as BBC Trust rejects DG Mark Thompson's cuts plan... but 25% will go from internet budget

 

 

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 3:37 PM on 5th July 2010

 

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BBC 6 Music will be saved from closure with the BBC Trust stating that 'a convincing case' has not been made for the station to be shut down.

The BBC proposed the station's demise under a strategy rethink, sparking protests from politicians and stars from the worlds of music and broadcasting.

The Trust said the Asian Network - the other station the BBC intended to turn off - was 'performing poorly' and that there was a 'case for closure'.

Today's announcement is welcome news for the growing number of 6 Music's fans, as well as stars like David Bowie, Jarvis Cocker, Lily Allen and Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis, who have been vocal opponents of plans to axe it.

 

 

 

 

 

Supporters: Chart star Lily Allen spoke out against the proposed closure. Right, Jarvis Cocker presents an acclaimed show on 6 Music

 

 

Publicity generated by their campaign helped boost the small station's audience to more than one million listeners a week.

In the Initial Conclusions of its Strategy Review published today, the Trust wrote: 'We endorse the BBC Executive's underlying ambition to do fewer things better and thereby focus the BBC more effectively on its core mission, ensure that it plays its full part in promoting the move from analogue to digital and have due regard for the BBC's competitive impact.

 

 

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• Audiences bored by lack of 'fresh and new' shows on BBC1, broadcaster's trust warns
  

 

'The Trust does not agree that there is a consistent strategic rationale for closure on grounds either of promoting digital development or market impact.'

The BBC Trust said that, if the BBC wanted to put forward a 'different proposal' for the overall shape of its music radio stations to 'further increase the distinctiveness of the output', it would consider it.

But it 'would not expect to see a further proposal to make changes to 6 Music' unless the BBC could meet several conditions, including giving reassurance that there would be 'long-term protection for the type of distinctive content currently available uniquely on 6 Music' and providing evidence that 'the changes we have already requested to Radio 1 and Radio 2 are under way'.

 

Snub: Mark Thompson, BBC director general outside Television Centre in west London, earlier this year when he proposed closing 6 Music and the Asian Network

 

The BBC's Director-General, Mark Thompson, announced earlier this year that the station would be earmarked for closure, pending a wide-ranging strategy review.

The plan needed the approval of the Corporation's governing body, the BBC Trust.

According to previous Corporation figures, BBC 6 Music costs £9 million a year to run.

The BBC Trust also criticised aspects of the Corporation's flagship channel BBC1 today, saying it should be 'more ambitious and distinctive, in particular by increasing the variety of programming in pre-watershed peak time and showing greater creative and editorial ambition at 9pm.'

BBC2 needed to become 'a clearer alternative to BBC1, even at the risk of reaching fewer viewers', it said.

Both BBC1 and BBC2 in daytime are 'not meeting audience expectations' on the delivery of public purposes, it said.

Cheers: 6 Music presenter Lauren Laverne welcomed the announcement live on-air this morning

 

Today's announcement came as the BBC published its annual report.

It published updated figures on its talent pay, an issue which has caused much controversy in recent years.

In 2009-10, a total of £52.2 million was spent on salaries above £150,000, down from £54.4 million in 2008-09.

 

Today's announcement will be seen as a victory for the campaign to save the station which had seen musicians, record labels bosses and politicians voicing their concerns. Even Gordon Brown spoke out while still Prime Minister.

The potential closure had also seen a number of protests and petitions in a bid to put pressure on the BBC to retain the station.

It will also be an embarrassment for a number of senior BBC figures who have justified the need to close the station including Mr Thompson and director of audio and music Tim Davie.

Many within the station thought the closure had seen the proposed closure as a 'done deal'.

Cocker, who is one of 6 Music's presenters, made an impassioned plea for the station's survival in front of radio executives when he collected the Rising Star award at the Sony Awards in May.

This morning, 6 Music presenter Lauren Laverne used her Twitter feed to express her delight: '6Music has been saved. Hooooorrrayyyyy!' she wrote.

Publicity surrounding the closure helped to raise awareness of the station and pushed audience considerably.

Its audience grew 50 per cent in only three months, pushing it through the million listener barrier, according to figures from industry body Rajar in May.

It added almost a third of a million listeners in a quarter.

Total talent spend in 2009-10 was reduced by nearly £8 million following the controversy over the pay packets of the likes of Jonathan Ross, Chris Moyles and Jeremy Clarkson.

 

The Trust said 6 Music, like other BBC digital stations, was helping the take-up of digital radio listening.

It rejected the idea of moving 6 Music content into a new '2 Extra' station as part of Radio 2 and said it might be possible to grow the station's one million audience 'without losing any distinctiveness'.

The Trust said it had received 'no evidence from the commercial radio sector to suggest that 6 Music presents any kind of threat either now or in the future so long as it remains true to its distinctive remit', adding: 'We also note the strong view expressed by many in the music industry that 6 Music plays a very valuable role in the cultural life of the UK that would not be easily replaced and that would not be filled by the commercial sector.'

The BBC Trust has already concluded that the station is comparable with other BBC digital radio stations in 'terms of value for money'.

It said there had been 'a significant show of public support for the service'.

The Trust has received 47,933 online responses, more than 25,000 emails and 242 letters, the majority of them focusing on 6 Music.

The BBC's Annual Report showed that total remuneration for the BBC Executive board, which includes the likes of Director-General Mr Thompson, went up in 2009-10, to £4,769 million from £4,601 in 2008-09.

Laverne thanked the station's listeners for their support and campaigning as she read out the trust's verdict during her show.

 

'We want to say a huge thank you for all of the incredible support you have given us and for telling the trust exactly how you feel because they have obviously heard you.'

 

She added: 'We're incredibly excited and pleased by that news about 6 Music today.'

 

Geoff Taylor, chief executive of the BPI - which made representations to the BBC Trust to voice its fears about the impact on the music industry - welcomed today's announcement.

 

He said: 'We are delighted that the BBC Trust agreed that the case for closing 6 Music was unconvincing.

 

'The trust's initial findings support our case that 6 Music makes a unique contribution to the UK's cultural life - and its requirement that any future proposal to incorporate 6 Music programming into Radio 1 or 2 must ensure long-term protection for the distinctive nature of 6 Music's content.

 

'We'll be watching carefully to ensure the executive's review of the BBC's digital radio strategy is not used as cover for a further attempt to close the station.'

 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1292124/6-Music-saved-BBC-Trust-rejects-DG-Mark-Thompsons-cuts-plan--25-internet-budget.html#ixzz0sp8DAvLy

6 Music listeners have great taste.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/events/theaxefactor/

 

The top 10 are all hard to choose from with the exception of Peter Buck but that's because I don't like REM much, Omar Rodriguez Lopez deserved to make the top 10 in my opinion.

 

Look Mark Johnny Buckland didn't even make the list :p

lets hope they keep it for the forseeable future, much more important than some of the commercial droll on our radiowaves :dozey:

Would someone be kind enough to explain the difference between the stations to this clueless yank? Do they each have their own focus? I seem to be more aware of Radio 1, and I can't even explain why. It's just that that's the one I seem to come across when reading articles about the BBC, etc. They are all non-commercial, publicly funded, right?

 

Pardon my ignorance. :embarrassed:

hahaha that's a totally unflatering picture of Lily Allen :lol:

 

Anyway, bitchiness aside....Good news for 6music :thumbsup:

 

To answer the question above, the bbc radio channels are publicly funded yes, funded by the licence fee. Radio 1 tends to be aimed at the 13-25 year market, very very mainstream, lots of rn'b but occasionally they let some decent stuff through, it has a horribly restricted playlist tho :(

 

There's also Radio 2, which has a much wider playlist/audience but they play far too much dodgy old crap. R2 is more conservative than R1. There's Radio 3 & Radio 4 that go more connservative again, have current affairs progs and radio plays, that sort of thing. Radio 5 is sport as far as I know :shrug:

 

There's Radio 1 Xtra, plays mostly rn'b , urban, rap that sort of rubbish. Dunno, actually never tune in. Ofc, there's 6Music plays more under the radar stuff and some of the less mainstream alternative stuff. There's plenty of regional BBc radio stations too and Radio Cymru in welsh :D There's probably others I've missed that someone else'll know. Then there's the commercial radio stations full of Robbie Williams records and adverts for carpet, double glazing and insurance companies. I absolutley hate commercial stations, they are bloody awful. Hope that answers your question, no doubt someone'll else'll come along and answer it far better than me :P

Radio 1 - Youth, normally top 40 stuff

Radio 1 Extra - Youth normally rubbish

Radio 2 -for old people + Ian

Radio 3 - Classical Music

Radio 4 - Doesn't play music

Radio 5 - Sport

6 Music - Plays a wide range of music from all over the place, new & old, has access to the vast BBC Sessions vault and generally plays stuff you wouldn't hear anywhere else

 

What they should do to save some money is get rid of Radio 3 or even Radio 1 as there are other stations which cover their remit (Classical Music & Top-40)

Why thank you for explaining! I feel much smarter. :P

 

Actually, since it sounds like the other stations are pretty locked into their markets, I'm surprised that there'd be problems keeping Radio 6 afloat. Maybe it's just my focus, but there seems to be lots of need for 'under the radar,' interesting music.

 

I'm pretty old so I remember the days of progressive FM radio stations in the U.S. that would play full albums (yes, actual albums) without interruption. But those days have been gone for a long, long time. Even though I'd be considered ancient by most of you, I have no desire to listen to the same old, tired stuff I listened to when I was 20.

Ha. BBC 6 is one of the few good radio stations out there. Glad it's staying. :nice:

 

(for now anyway :dozey:)

I gues the powers that be think that radio 1 covers a lot of the less mainstream/under the radar/ alternative genre stuff (they've even done the whole album thing on occasion, so it is still around) during the evenings and into the night when they do the speicialist programmes and stuff, so maybe they thought there was no need for a whole dedicated channel like 6 music.

 

I'm way older than the Radio 1 demographic but I still tune in, mostly cos my music taste isn't decrepid enough for Radio 2 just yet :P It's a shame 6 music is a digital only channel, if it was on the normal old fashioned wireless I'd tune in all day :(

 

What they should do to save some money is get rid of Radio 3 or even Radio 1

 

Including Moylesy?:rolleyes:

Radio 2 -for old people + Ian

:laugh3::P

:laugh3::P

 

Well at least he didn't say you were an "old person"!:P

 

What they should do to save some money is get rid of Radio 3 or even Radio 1 as there are other stations which cover their remit (Classical Music & Top-40)

 

:o Radio 3 can stay!

Well at least he didn't say you were an "old person"!:P

I grew up listening to mum's Radio 2 when Ken Bruce, Derek Jameson and Jimmy Young were the top presenters so it feels like Dave's not far off the mark! :o :D

I'nt Ken Bruce still there..? :\

6 Music listeners have great taste.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/events/theaxefactor/

 

The top 10 are all hard to choose from with the exception of Peter Buck but that's because I don't like REM much, Omar Rodriguez Lopez deserved to make the top 10 in my opinion.

 

Look Mark Johnny Buckland didn't even make the list :p

 

Matt Bellamy got number 3! :cheesy: He deserves it.

I'nt Ken Bruce still there..? :\

yep he's been going donkeys years, since 1982!

Matt Bellamy got number 3! :cheesy: He deserves it.

 

Matt Bellamy deserves top 10 for sure.

 

I was happy my living guitar hero got the top spot though :dance:

Although I've never listened, glad it is staying.

although im not a listener as such im glad it is staying. for a few reasons. one i love their twitter account, always informative and up to date. two, i listened to them almost non stop during the glastonbury weekend and they did a wonderful job with it. and three. my beloved triple j bases themselves heavily on the 6music model so if that disappears i fear that triple j might become more like Radio 1.

Can't beat a bit of Freak Zone with Craig Charles

He'll never be the same since he started working for Street Cars