View Full Version : BBC Cuts
Dymetrie
07-03-2010, 09:05
The BBC is currently conducting a strategy review which, it is likely, will result in the closure of BBC 6Music, the Asian Network, and about 50% of online content. The drive for this rationalisation is pressure from commercial rivals.
Whilst I agree that the BBC does need to analyse its spending, its content is world renowned and the two radio stations it's proposing to axe are the only two of their kind in the country.
I am a big fan of 6Music, it's radio made by people who love music. Icons of music are often guest presenters (regulars include Jarvis Cocker, Bruce Dickinson and Huey Morgan) and get to share their musical influences (and mindless drivel, sometimes :D) with the audience.
Regular shows that I listen to include the Adam and Joe show (comedy gold!), Mark Riley (new tunes and classic recordings with the northern monkey) and Craig Charles' Funk and Soul show (seriously cool :)), but most of the presenters, and most of the music is excellent. (Full listings of shows can be found here (http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/shows/))
It's the general public that pays the licence fee which funds the BBC and there are several ways to make your voice heard about these proposals (along with other suggestions) in responses to the strategy review and the online petitions opposing the cuts.
The BBC report on the strategy review can be found here (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8545020.stm).
Responses to the Strategy Review can be made here (https://consultations.external.bbc.co.uk/departments/bbc/bbc-strategy-review/consultation/consult_view).
There are several petitions opposing the proposed cuts, they can be found here (http://love6music.com/) and here (http://www.38degrees.org.uk/BBC-stop-the-cuts).
This seems like a big publicity stunt to me.
Most people I know hadn't even heard of 6music, and now they have. Lots and lots of free publicity which will probably end up in the Beeb saying 'Oh, wow, look at the support we had, lets NOT close anyway?!'.
Cynical, moi?
Briggykins
07-03-2010, 14:29
Things is with both 6 Music and the Asian Network is that the commercial rivals haven't really got a lot to complain about. There's really no other option, certainly for most of the country outside the big cities. 6 Music and the Asian network are exactly the kind of radio stations we need to be keeping because there's no way they could exist outside of public broadcasting. Why is nobody talking about axing Radio 2? There's about a million commercial radio stations which offer the same thing. Even Radio 1 outside of peak hours offers music (awful, awful music) you couldn't find elsewhere.
Bin Radio One, you'd have no complaints from me at all. Dreadful station. Maybe someone should start a petition to do that!
Radio 1 is rubbish. Cut that. Although to be fair I've never heard of 6 or Asian on the BBC
but I don't have a dab radio.
LeperousDust
07-03-2010, 15:52
Radio 1 gets to much **** guys, in peak hours its like anyone else in the heard. But outside of hours theres loads of new electro/dance/house/DnB/dubstep everything! Its an amazing melting pot for new and up and coming electo music. I probably couldn't live without the essential mix, mini mix and annie mac (all pretty much the same and happen only once a week!). But Chris Moyles and Scott Mills and the Chart show and Jo Willey and the rest etc.... Are a waste of time most of the time to me too :) But don't tar all of Radio 1 with that big brush :p
Sorry Alex, I think it's ****. And anything you can hear on radio one, re: dance music, I'm pretty certain you can get in a podcast if you look. I've caught some of the dance stuff, and while it's decent once a week, it's nothing special that you can't get anywhere else. THe dance mixes you get on R1 are far overshadowed by the ones you get on local stations here. Radio One has been up it's own arse for far too long and I for one wouldn't miss it at all if it was gone.
If you're going down that route, close off all of the radio stations bar 6 Music and Asian Network then, as they would all be covered by local stations just as well. None of them are anything special you can't get elsewhere.
LeperousDust
07-03-2010, 16:27
Sorry Alex, I think it's ****. And anything you can hear on radio one, re: dance music, I'm pretty certain you can get in a podcast if you look. I've caught some of the dance stuff, and while it's decent once a week, it's nothing special that you can't get anywhere else. THe dance mixes you get on R1 are far overshadowed by the ones you get on local stations here. Radio One has been up it's own arse for far too long and I for one wouldn't miss it at all if it was gone.
You can't get the essential mix and annie mac on podcasts i wouldn't go to so much trouble to essentially roll my own podcasts of them otherwise. The essential mix is about everything, local talent and all. Only a few weeks ago annie mac was up in Edinburgh hosting the essential mix with Hostage our local "spack-house" (i have no idea ;D) hero! The cover some seriously good stuff, and i've not yet found another radio station with as diverse up and coming stuff :) Jakwob is set to be big soon me thinks, desperately looking out for him playing somewhere :)
Most of Radio 1 is too big for its boots i'll grant, but mostly its peak hour stuff. Then theres the radio 1 big weekend which is pretty awesome once a year, and you'd never get that any other way! :)
I didn't mean the specific podcasts, I meant most of the content - but if you say it's not out there, then I'll have to take your word for it. To be fair, I gave up on R1 a long time ago & as a dance fan, I get my stuff elsewhere, so I might not be best to comment. I'm sure they could stick the dance stuff elsewhere though and get rid of the rest of the ****. Do be aware though that this post may or may not be tainted by my utter hatred of the talentless pretentious tw@t that is Jo Whiley (and Chris Moyles). Any station that has Fearne Cotton on it deserves to be taken down..imo.
Still, I'm sure someone likes them....somewhere!
If you're going down that route, close off all of the radio stations bar 6 Music and Asian Network then, as they would all be covered by local stations just as well. None of them are anything special you can't get elsewhere.
If that's aimed at me, I wouldn't argue. Except I'd not be saving 6 Music or the AN either, because I don't listen to them.
LeperousDust
07-03-2010, 18:05
Do be aware though that this post may or may not be tainted by my utter hatred of the talentless pretentious tw@t that is Jo Whiley (and Chris Moyles). Any station that has Fearne Cotton on it deserves to be taken down..imo.
Still, I'm sure someone likes them....somewhere!
No i do agree, maybe not so vhemantly :p Sara Cox can also be added to that list, and nihal and quite a few others! Where do you get your dance music from then Kitten, i've after somewhere as reliable as annie mac and ther essential mix for a while i've found some nice places but no where great?
The 'problem' in so far as 6music and asian network are concerned is DAB digital radio. It's just not taking off in the UK, limiting their markets. I love 6Music, particularly Mark Riley, Gideon Coe and Steve Lamacq. Mark & Steve's shows cover almost every genre of music there is between them, and routinely pick out obscure and new artists. Mark's is particularly good for the new indies and non-mainstream artists.
There just isn't another radio station like it. The BBC's comments about the commercial sector already doing it are nothing short of absolute crap. There just aren't the stations providing that service, either in the BBC or out of it. The commercial sector sees no value in it because the 6Music listener numbers are low, and the 6 Music listener numbers are low in no small part because it's on digital radio. If 6 Music had an FM license I'm sure they'd be pulling in significantly larger listening figures.
No i do agree, maybe not so vhemantly :p Sara Cox can also be added to that list, and nihal and quite a few others! Where do you get your dance music from then Kitten, i've after somewhere as reliable as annie mac and ther essential mix for a while i've found some nice places but no where great?
The DnB Arena and Hospital Records podcasts are good but don't have quite the genre variety that the late night stuff on Radio 1 has.
Give 6Music the frequencies currently occupied by R1 (and there's no reason why the odd good bits from R1 couldn't move to 6Music). Or just move the good stuff from 6Music over to R1 daytime. Same difference. We don't need both R1 and R2, and out of the two I'd rather have R2, thanks.
If it came to it, R3 could possibly go too - there's Classic FM - though that would leave a decent orchestra without a home. R4 and R5 do have their unique points.
PS - I've never listened to 6Music and quit R1 a long time ago, so my views may not be entirely founded on fact.
Matblack
08-03-2010, 08:08
Get rid of a couple of waste of space celebs who the BBC pay millions a year and we can have all the radio stations we want and more unknown presenters will get opportunities to be on TV.
MB
If it came to it, R3 could possibly go too - there's Classic FM - though that would leave a decent orchestra without a home. R4 and R5 do have their unique points.
Woah, lets leave the classic alone please, otherwise I'll cry.
Radio 1 has some of the best shows I've ever come across in listening to radio every day for about 15 years - by no means am I talking about the mainstream daytime/weekend shows - these are very generic, the playlists are repetitive, the DJs are often annoying and, frankly, overpaid where salary money could be invested into driving the discovery, broadcast and variety of music played.
However, the 'out of hours' shows have some truly excellent coverage of musicality across all genres with expert DJs, breakthrough music, hat-tipping to older or existing music, reviews, connections and information on current and future music and regarding the level of variety; I have never seen such contrasts across a singular station before.
Weekly shows such as The Radio 1 Rock Show with Daniel P.Carter, Punk show with Mike Davies, and the 3/4 "Introducing With..." shows envelope a massive range of alternative music, both old and new so even big music fans with extensive libraries and knowledge in specific genres can enjoy something new. This boundary is further pushed with DJs/shows like Rob Da Bank and Huw Stephens; arguably experts in numerous fields of music, broadcasting and DJing, whose shows can be as eclectic and diverse as having dubstep, folk, ambient, electronica and classical brass within half an hour's airtime.
I fail to understand the comments on quality for the 'Dance' scene - with such established DJs such as Pete Tong, Annie Mac and Judge Jules covering the current frontline international club scene, and for the more distinct variants of the huge genre, Annie Nightingale, Kissy Sellout, Kutski and Mary-Anne Hobbs covering underground scenes and sub-genres I'm not sure what more one would want?
Comparatively speaking, I find alternative specialist stations too broad - with 'rock stations' spamming the airwaves with Kaiser Chiefs, Kasabian etc (Much like daytime r1!) or having DJs who undertake their job of 'pressing play' but offering nothing of other benefit to the listener- no informed opinions, everything is an "amazing track" etc :p
I agree and understand people's dislike for the annoying daytime stints fronted by over-exposed 'personalities' but to label the station as a whole as "****", "rubbish" et al is really excessive and benighted.
There are some fantastic shows out there throughout all of the unsocial hours - and now they're available 24/7 on the iplayer, there's no excuse for not tuning in next time you're fedup with Chris Moyles talking about himself, Fearne Cotton telling you everything is amazing and Jo Whiley making out that she, infact, single-handedly discovered music :p
Maybe R1 should spend some more money promoting their 'out of hours' shows then and not throw cash at the ****ty stuff?
I don't like the way you assume I haven't listened to stuff outside of the generic 'celebrity presenter' daytime crap. I have done over the years and I don't think it's anything special, and don't think it's worth the adulation it gets. That's it. As I've said, I don't believe there is anything on R1 that you can't find somewhere else, and a lot of the time, it's better, or certainly more in tune with what I am looking for. As a consumer, and a listener, that is my priority.
That is my opinion and being one that I have based on listening experience over a number of years, I'm perfectly allowed to say that I think the whole station is **** if I so choose to. What you think of my opinion is completely up to you, and whether I choose to give two hoots about that is completely up to me. :)
Princess Griff
08-03-2010, 13:52
Well I like Radio one.....and Chris Moyles et al. Their shows make me laugh, and yes the music playlist is on repeat - but most of the mainstream peak hour shows are so I dont mind!
So :p
hhhmmmm. A couple of people I like to listen to have podcasts on 6Music, not to mention Collins & Herring who are now on Saturday morning's.
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