Industry expert urges BBC chief to rethink 6Music closure
Industry expert urges BBC chief to rethink 6Music closure
Tuesday, 09, Mar 2010 04:30
By Lewis Bazley.
The editor of industry magazine Music Week has published an open letter urging BBC director general Mark Thompson to reconsider the proposed closure of the 6Music radio station.
Mr Thompson announced the controversial plans last week as the BBC outlined its future strategy, with the Asian Network station also facing closure if the proposals are approved by the BBC Trust.
An online campaign against the closure of 6Music has attracted more than 150,000 members while the BBC has received at least 7,800 messages from listeners unhappy at Mr Thompson's announcement.
Writing in Music Week, Paul Williams said 6Music was "an important and distinctive music radio station" whose closure would be a "huge error".
While appreciating the financial problems experienced by the BBC in light of a licence fee shortfall, Mr Williams' letter added 6Music provided "a platform for many hundreds of artists that would not get a look in if it did not exist".
"Only the BBC can make a station like 6 Music properly work," he continued.
In response, the BBC's head of audio and music Tim Davie said that, should the proposals be approved, the corporation would "reinvest the 6 Music budget in digital radio, which could result in new opportunities to showcase British music".
"Only one in five UK adults is aware of 6 Music, and less than one in 50 listens to the station," he added.
"We believe the best way for us to provide this kind of programming is by looking at other ways to find it a bigger audience."
The strategy proposals will go through a public consultation before the BBC's governing body, the BBC Trust, makes its final decision.