Monday 8 March 2010

Save BBC 6Music & The Asian Network

I've had so many people get in touch and ask me to link things to the petition, and have tried to help where I can. However, it's starting to look messy and harder to navigate.
So this is why I have set up this page to try and help link everything together in one place.
This is not my own personal blog, it's one that was set up just for this.
If anyone has any questions etc please just ask.
And keep spreading the word about 6Music and the Asian Network, they need their fans more than ever.

INFORMATION:

The BBC Trust Survey - VERY IMPORTANT, we all need to do this!

BBC complaints - Complain about the cuts that are proposed!

38degrees petition - I have to thank these guys for all the help they have given me so far. They are not involved with this petition but feel so passionate about the issue that they have given me some wonderful advice.

Websites:

6Music - Without them where would we be?
The Asian Network - Try it, it's fantastic!

iPlayer - 6Music
Listen again to everything you miss when your at work, school etc!

Podcasts: 6Music

Save 6Music Facebook page - Thanks for the support!
love6music - Great support from day 1!

Blogs:

NEW BLOG: Audiotavern

Email campaign:

Interested in doing something once a day or once a week in a
coordinated way - for instance, writing to a particular individual,
website or publication - until the consultation period ends? Blank email to this address:

keepbbc6music@googlemail.com

Put ‘Day’ or ‘Week’ in the header and you’ll get an email that reflects your wishes once we’re clear about the ‘targets’.

(This is not run by me)

If there is anything that you think needs to be added to this Blog then please let me know

Dave x


The following was written by Nick Spong. It is a overview of the BBC Trusts report in to 6Music and Radio 2.
I'd like to thank Nick for sending me this, and hope that you will all appreciate it.

Explanation:
I made this document to guide myself through the BBC Trust report and was surprised, considering the current situation, at just how positive the report is about 6Music.
Technically I suppose I’ve cherry picked all the good points – but they’re really weren’t that many bad points: 6Music needs to increase its audience or at the very least the number of people who are aware of the station and the BBC needs to have a sustained campaign to promote the station.
The rest, as you will see is all good, and it beggars belief that the BBC would consider closing the station.
Nick Spong

Findings of the BBC Trust Report relating to 6Music
Below are some of the key points from the BBC Trust's research into BBC 6Music. Arranged by heading they indicate how the BBC Trust considers 6Music to be unique, distinctive and offering a range of music unavailable on other radio stations. At the same time 6Music fulfils the BBC's own remit with regards to meeting service license conditions and the BBC's public purpose aims.
Find the full report at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/assets/files/pdf/our_work/r2_6music/r2_6music.pdf

With an annual cost of £6.3 million (in 2008-09) to make 6Music's programmes (see Main Report point 151) - this represents barely 1% of the £600 million that the BBC is aiming to save for redirection into "into higher-quality content" (source http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/media/article7041).

When the BBC's own Trust recognises that 6 Music is distinct from other radio stations, and that this distinctiveness should be encouraged, what value, and what comparatively small amount of money, will they gain by axing such a unique and well regarded radio station? In management speak 6Music represents a flagship, premium brand, digital radio station.


In personal terms I love the fact that it caters to non-mainstream, non-chart oriented music listeners, those with an alternative bent or those who just plain enjoy witty, intelligent DJ-ing. It provides access to established, new and up-and-coming bands - providing the latter with one of the few platforms that bands of such small stature could hope to get and a chance to be heard by a larger audience.
I'm heavily indebted to the station for helping to keep me up to date with what's happening on the side of the music world that I care about.



Distinctiveness
Press Release (http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/news/press_releases/february/radio2_6music.shtml) : "the majority of 6 Music listeners thought the station was distinctive with 82 per cent believing that it offered something that could not be found elsewhere"
Main Report 137: "We also found that the majority of listeners felt the station offered something different to that which was available elsewhere. Some 82 per cent named at least one 6 Music programme which they felt could not easily be replaced by another station"
Heading, pre Main Report point 138:" 6 Music's breadth and depth of music content are the things which set it apart from other stations"

Key findings 16: "6 Music's distinctiveness is driven by its breadth and depth of music content and this is reflected in data on music overlap between stations, which shows that very few tracks are on both 6 Music and Radio 1, Radio 2 or comparable commercial radio stations in a typical week."

Main Report 140: "...content analysis which shows that the station plays different music to other radio stations"

Main Report 116: "The Executive has positioned the station as ‘a community that celebrates the alternative spirit in popular music since the 1960s to the present day’. This alternative spirit refers to the thread in music, originating in the late 1960s, when some popular music became more radical and challenging"


Live Music
Main Report 142: "Live music, delivered under the ‘Hub’ brand, is a feature which sets 6 Music apart from many other digital radio stations"

Recommendations 4c: "6 Music’s live music is performing well and exceeding audience expectations ... The station is currently exceeding by some margin its service license condition for the number of live music sessions broadcast each year" re. Main Report 144


Service License Conditions
Main Report 127: (see fig 21.6 showing 6Music is meeting and exceeding its service license conditions re. older music, archive music, new & old sessions, independent productions, education, news).
Main Report 138: "6 Music’s service license requires the station to contribute to delivery of the BBC’s creativity purpose by extending the range of music available to its listeners and increasing their understanding by putting the music in context. Figure 22 shows that the station performs well for statements relating to music, indicating that it is delivering these aspects of its remit successfully."

Recommendations 3c: "One of the things which set 6 Music apart from other stations is its potential to extend listeners’ musical repertoire and equip audiences to make informed choices without the influence of commercial pressure"


Public Purposes
Key Findings 15: "We have found that the station is well liked by its listeners and on the whole meets their expectations for delivery of the public purposes "

Main 130: "6 Music’s high performance scores, particularly for statements relating to music and music news, indicate that listeners feel the station makes an important contribution to delivery of the BBC’s public purposes"


New Music & UK artists

Main Report 141: "the station plays between four and five times more new songs than comparable commercial stations and up to four times the number of new UK songs in its daytime output. Some 75 per cent of live music recorded is from UK artists"


Quality & Regard
Main Report 123: "our consultation responses indicate that most of those who do listen tend to think highly of 6 Music"

Main Report 124: "The station is also well regarded by the radio industry. In March 2009, 6 Music received 11 nominations for Sony awards, more than Radio 1, Radio 2 or Radio 3 and more than the rest of the BBC digital stations combined"


Awareness and Reach

Main Report 117: In 2009 6 Music was the lead station for Glastonbury coverage, broadcasting both live events and archive recordings while Radio 1 focused on a limited number of major artists and Radio 2 provided news coverage"

Main Report 109: "Over the last four years the station’s reach has grown faster than that of any other BBC digital-only radio service"

Main Report 114: "awareness of 6 Music has increased from 14 per cent in 2004-05 to around 20 per cent in 2008-09. This level of awareness is in line with the average for BBC digital radio stations "

Main Report 110: "6 Music attracts the second highest number of requests to listen on-demand among the BBC’s digital radio stations. "

Main Report 111: "6 Music attracted the highest volume of live streamed listening among the BBC’s digital radio stations in 2008-09 "



Promotion

Main Report 115: "6 Music carried out a promotional campaign on television in early 2009 but there has not been a significant increase in awareness or reach since then. The Executive has concluded that the campaign had limited impact because the station lacked a clear brand identity and because isolated campaigns are likely to be less successful than sustained promotion"

Main Report 117: [re. In 2009 6 Music was the lead station for Glastonbury coverage...]
"Events like this should help promote the station to new listeners and should also help encourage digital radio take-up."