BBC proposed cuts

[juliet]

Bah, the BBC are proposing cutting 6Music & the Asian Network (among other things). Dammit, 6Music is about the only listenable-to music station going (apart from when George Lamb's on. If they cut George Lamb I'd be cheering them all the way).

Argh. Quote from the report, courtesy of the Guardian:

With an average listener age of 37, the report said, 6 Music "competes head on for a commercially valuable audience". Closing it, and refocusing BBC Radios 1 and 2, would "recognise the lead role that commercial radio plays in serving popular music to 30- to 50-year-old audiences".

Xfm? No ta. Also, why the fuck *shouldn't* the BBC compete for a commercially valuable audience? If they're providing something that people want to listen to, surely that is precisely what they're supposed to be doing? (And then later on they talk about their commitment to "new and live music" -- isn't that something that 6Music is doing well? This seems to be decidedly incoherent!)

I am not at all sure what the argument for closing the Asian Network is. I doubt that it's a good one.

This all sounds like a reaction to the continual banging on from the Murdoch empire about how the BBC are CHEATING and providing FREE stuff (or rather, stuff that we have already paid for) thus meaning that commercial media has to either a) follow suit, or b) actually generate content that people want to pay for. Obviously they can't manage b), so they do a) and whinge about it.

38 Degrees have a petition. This is at the 'proposal' stage so public opinion is in theory being solicited.

Comments

[flick]

I am not at all sure what the argument for closing the Asian Network is.

From what I just heard on The World At One, it seems to be that actually, 'Asian' is a bloody broad brush, and the variation in the community can never be matched by the variation in the broadcasting on a single station, so it's better served by local broadcasting.

[sashajwolf]

The BBC's ability to compete with commercial organisations is highly restricted by competition law because the licence fee is a form of state subsidy and the EU Doesn't Like It, basically.

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

the argument for closing the Asian Network is that it would be easier and cheaper to email podcasts to the listeners individually (something awful like <50k listeners per week on the last RAJAR figures)

...but yes, there are no commercial outlets that deliver the mix of music that 6 does and they have *almost* got rid of george lamb (shunted off to weekend breakfast) and admitted that he was a massive mistake.

given that there are only 400k of us, i'm not entirely sure we *are* a commercially valuable audience (although i haven't seen the demographics beyond age and ethnicity), BUT we're a loyal audience. if bbc radio spits us out at 25 when we're too old for radio 1 and doesn't attempt to reengage us until we're 40 and ready for radio 2, we might not come back. something will play music for us, be it spotify, last.fm or some enterprising soul who buys up all this free digital radio spectrum (<semi-joke)

[valkyriekaren.livejournal.com]

The thing is, Radio 6 doesn't provide 'popular music'. It provides new music that may or may not become popular.

[steer.livejournal.com]

I guess I see XFM as just 6music with ads. Do they really play that different a playlist?

[beingjdc.livejournal.com]

Also, why the fuck *shouldn't* the BBC compete for a commercially valuable audience?

Could be something about the Treaty of Rome, and derogations from competition law on cultural services only seeming to get negotiated if they are convenient to France (and mess us up horribly by giving us free trade with countries that don't speak English, and trade barriers with countries that do, but never mind).

[friend-of-tofu.livejournal.com]

Those damn Communists at the Beeb have been getting away with giving people quality entertainment for too long! IT MUST STOP!

Pfft, Asians. Everyone knows they don't like radio. They only want films! (I honestly bet this argument will be raised somewhere.)

[thekumquat.livejournal.com]

What is this 6Music?

Is it one of those digital radio stations I have to turn on the telly to watch? And what does it do that Radio 2 doesn't nowadays (I still find it unnerving that whenever retuning the car radio when going up the motorway, I always end up on R2 outside London, and XFM/Virgin within it)

[hsenag.livejournal.com]

or rather, stuff that we have already paid for

I've paid for it too and I'm not very happy about it :-)

[dogrando.livejournal.com]

The Guardian has a leader about this today. Brief version (which we already knew): it's all politics, innit.