6 Music saved, Asian Network not so lucky
Nice to see that despite regularly capitulating to idiots, BBC Trust still has some balls. According to BBC News, BBC Trust has rejected plans to close 6 Music, with chairman Sir Michael Lyons saying the case for closure had not been made.
Given that even so-called rivals were saying 6’s closure would have been a huge error, and the fact that in the grand scheme of things, 6 Music costs bugger-all to run (unlike, say, the money-sink that is the mostly awful BBC Three), it’s great that common sense has mostly prevailed. I say ‘mostly’, because while 6 is safe, Asian Network hasn’t been so lucky and may still be axed, with BBC Trust saying it would “consider a formal proposal for [its] closure”.
Good to hear that there is some common sense there. Hopefully the successful programs/DJs from Asian Network can be given space on the other channels to help preserve the diversity of broadcast.
The key difference is that Asian Network has some viable commercial competitors. There is and never will be a commercial station that can do what 6 Music does. That is why it should survive.
Keen eyes will notice I just obliquely called for Radio 1 to be closed. Let me make it less so.
CLOSE RADIO 1.
Well, yes. I’ve argued the same elsewhere, that the BBC has no reason to kill 6, since it offers content you cannot get on commercial radio, but 1 has a ton of competition. 6 is also dirt cheap to run (in the scheme of things). Still, common sense prevailed (for now), and because MPs from all parties jumped on the popular bandwagon before the election they cannot argue against the decision either. Hurrah!