6Music

[johnnybrolly]

Dear old BBC has decided it is going to axe 6Music...my favourite radio station ever.

It makes no sense.  6Music provides what no commercial station could.  If the aim of the game is giving commercial propositions more room to operate then you should take aim at Radio 1 (competes with all manner of commercial stations, a lot of them local), Radio 2

Comments

[barrysarll]

Now begins the consultation period. And while public consultation is often a sham, I think and hope that the BBC have engineered this whole situation precisely to defang their critics in the Murdoch press and Tory government-in-waiting (pretty much interchangeable, but then so are either group and the current government). OK, says the Beeb, you want us to cut back - and then offers to sacrifice the two most public interest stations, the ones no commercial broadcaster is anywhere near. So now even the Tory culture spokesman is declaring himself a 6Music convert, and everyone loves them, and the BBC gets to keep all its stations after all on account of this cross-party outpouring of support - something which would not have happened if they'd proposed the obvious solution of dropping BBC3.

I think the website cutbacks are fairly inevitable, though, if only as a sop.

[johnnybrolly]

The stumbling block to any reversal is Mark Thompson. The decision can't be reversed without him losing face (and therefore his job). Personally, I'd be happy to see him go. He never did Ch4 any favours, did he? Anyway, my prediction is that if 6Music and/or Asian Network stays then Mark Thompson goes.

Speaking of numpty CEOs. Why did ITV appoint Adam Crozier? Do they want to run themselves into the ground?

[barrysarll]

Everything else they've done over the past decade or so certainly suggests as much.

[wardytron]

There was a meeting the other week at which someone asked was it really such a brilliant idea to bring in as Chairman & Chief Executive Archie Norman and Adam Crozier, neither of whom have any experience in broadcasting. The answer that came back was yes, it's a marvellous idea. I forget why.

[johnnybrolly]

BTW I had my own suggestion on how the BeeBeeBee could throw a bone to the commercialists; BBC.co.uk, iPlayer and radio streaming should all be available on a subscription basis to overseas viewers. Everyone who pays their licence fee gets a subscription thrown in. The technology already exists to barr overseas persons viewing the iPlayer. Lots of foreigners have said they are willing to pay for BBC content. We already pay for it. That would be addressing a fairness issue and opening up a potential revenue stream.

In fact, do we even need to make it just overseas viewers? We could make it subscription even within the UK, with licence fee payers getting an subscription with their licence.

[fille_a_paris]

You're making me homesick.

[johnnybrolly]

What? For the A4 in Brentford?

[misswyoming]

Did you hear about the woman who walked into a bar and asked for a double entendre? The barman gave her one.

Found you whilst searching for Tindersticks fans. Added you if thats ok.