BBC 'to axe radio stations and halve website' in strategic review

Corporation's focus on quality, not quantity, will mean major cuts, the Times claims

 

Mark Tran

The Guardian, Friday 26 February 2010

 

The BBC plans to axe two radio stations – 6 Music and Asian Network – cut spending on imported shows and halve the size of its website, it is claimed today. The Times says the measures are part of the BBC's strategic review to be unveiled next month. Under the plan, the BBC intends to shrink overall services and focus more on quality over quantity. There have already been reports suggesting that the BBC will axe the digital radio stations 6 Music and Asian Network.

 

Quoting BBC Trust sources, the newspaper states that the BBC director general, Mark Thompson, is also being pushed to slash the budget for imported shows such as Mad Men and Heroes by a third.

 

Thompson reportedly will also introduce a cap on spending on broadcast rights for sports events of 8.5% of the licence fee, or about £300m.

 

The Times says the BBC's web pages are to be halved, backed by a 25% cut in staff numbers. The web operation's £112m budget will also be cut by 25%. It also plans to include more links to newspaper articles to drive traffic to the websites of rival publishers.

 

In November Thompson hinted at a period of retrenchment for the BBC, which is funded by the £3.6bn annual licence fee. He said then he was looking at cutting some of the BBC's digital television and radio services after the analogue TV signal is switched off in 2012.

 

He also raised the prospect of "reductions in some kinds of programmes and content" including a look at the "current scope of our website". He promised that, after the switchover, a higher proportion of the licence fee would be spent on "original British content".

 

The Times reports that the BBC2 budget will be boosted by £25m and the channel will be directed to go upmarket. This will be funded by 25% reduction in the corporation's budget of £100m for foreign acquisitions.

 

A spokeswoman for the BBC said last night she would not comment on "speculation".

 

With comments coming from BBC staff on twitter over the last 24 Hours this really does look like being true. What are your thoughts on this story and what impact do you think this could have on the UK music scene?

I'm absolutely gutted. I don't listen to 6Music as much as I used to now but it's the only thing I do listen to if I listen to the radio. What alternative is there exactly? The BBC are just trying to appease Murdoch Inc. and I hate it. :(

Dead Air, Andrew Collins

 

 

Is 6 Music really on death row? Nobody actually knows for sure, and speculation and paranoid rumour have been rife for some time. But it's looking worse this morning than it did when I left the building at 10am on Wednesday. Well, the news broke last night, when the Times announced that 6 Music was to close and those that were still up went a bit nuts. The full story, by Patrick Foster, is here, but the thrust is this: the BBC will close two radio stations in an overhaul of services to be announced next month. The piece uses the word "will," not "might" or "may" or even "is expected to". Its unequivocal tone is what makes it so scary.

 

We all know that DG Mark Thompson is being forced to make cuts to appease readers of the Daily Mail and the Tory government-in-waiting, who think that the £3.6 billion annual licence fee is being wasted on some programmes and stations that they don't watch or listen to. The bashing of the BBC has long been a national sport among the media conglomerates who control the Rest Of The Media, corporations with fingers in multiple pies that chuck money at redesigns and failed ventures every day but are only accountable to their shareholders. Because of what used to be called "the unique way in which the BBC is funded", the private sector want the BBC to be cheaper and better and have the means to lobby for this outcome; the own all the newspapers. Any medium reliant on advertising income is suffering in the recession. They're bound to be pissed off that one of their major competitors doesn't have to rustle up ads. (Except the likes of Radio Times, for whom I also work, which is run out of the profit-making wing, BBC Worldwide, as a wholly commercial venture - more blurring of the public/private lines that started under the previous Tory government, who demanded the Corporation pay for itself. It's since come under fire to making too much money. A lose-lose situation. Close some things down, quickly!)

 

The Times piece says, "In a wide-ranging strategic review, [Thompson] will announce the closure of the digital radio stations 6 Music and Asian Network and introduce a cap on spending on broadcast rights for sports events of 8.5 per cent of the licence fee, or about £300 million. He will also pledge to close BBC Switch and Blast!, leaving the lucrative teenage market to ITV and Channel 4. But BBC3, which is aimed at 16 to 35-year-olds will not be touched."

 

The question is - and it really doesn't matter in the broader scheme of things - how come Patrick Foster has read this report, which is due to be made public next month? There are jobs at stake here. This is not about me - I just freelance for 6 Music, and have been thoroughly enjoying doing so since just before Christmas - most of the people who work at the network, day in, day out, doing a death-defying job with less resources and less warm bodies than any other comparable 24-hour music network while attracting some of the biggest names in music and receiving full support of the record industry, are on staff, or contracts. I worry for these people first, and for the loyal listeners second, with my own interests a long way down the list. I am like one of those media conglomerates - I have fingers in many pies; that's how the self-employed survive. To axe 6 Music and Asian Network - that's two entire radio stations, think about that for a minute, it would literally strip away two options on your DAB - seems sensational to me. I understand that cuts must be made, and that you can make an argument for or against any of the digital services ("Why don't they just shut BBC3?" say wags - but BBC3 is a fantastic training ground for new talent, whether you watch it or not - I don't listen to Radio 3, but I want it to exist), but my guess is that it's a lot less complicated to do the maths by chopping out entire organs than to put the body on a better diet.

 

The report has been drawn up by the BBC's director of policy and strategy, John Tate, who apparently co-wrote the 2005 Conservative manifesto with David Cameron. I present that simply as a fact. It seems - if the Times has actually read the report - that BBC2 gets a budget hike as long as everybody stops spending money on posh imports, like Mad Men. Frankly, as long as somebody shows Mad Men, I can live with this. (Most of my US imports are watched on FiveUSA and Hallmark anyway.) I'd rather not watch it with adverts, but I can always wait for the box set, or speed through them - oops, look at me contributing to the commercial sector's woes with the fast forward button Sky put on my remote control for me. It's so confusing!

I thought 6 Music's death had been greatly exaggerated, having emerged from the BBC Trust report with a clear brief: to ramp up the specialist music content. Brilliant. We can do that. (I speak as someone who co-hosts a Saturday morning show where the onus is very much on the other stuff.) It seems my optimism was misplaced.

 

Of course, we should all sit back and take a pinch of salt; the Times pieces is necessarily written and published from a stance of wishful thinking, and may not turn out to be gospel. Rupert Murdoch is easy to paint as the villain, as he's foreign and he broke the unions and gave us Page 3, but he also gives me House and Caitlin Moran, and as a media ogre he's no more against the BBC than whoever runs the Guardian Media Group, a media conglomerate to whom I happily give £1 every day, and more than that at weekends (I paid a pound!), and for whom, very occasionally, I work. I do the odd piece for the Times. I subscribe to Sky. It's complicated. But I love the BBC to the very marrow of my bones and always have done. Anything that chips away at its authority, its creativity, its inclusivity, its ability to inspire, its mission to serve and its dominance in the specialist fields of excellence and stimulation is, to my mind, bad. If they'd announced that they were closing 1Xtra and CBeebies I'd be just as pissed off, and they literally do not cross my radar. It's not just about my friends losing their jobs, it's about a prevailing storm.

 

Batten down the hatches, lovers of diversity and cleverness. As I always say, those who seek to give the BBC a good thrashing for being a Communist and having some croissants at its meetings and paying really good presenters some money for doing their job will be the first to write to the letters pages of the Times and the Mail and the Telegraph when the Today programme is sponsored by Immodium Plus.

 

 

I'm absolutely gutted. I don't listen to 6Music as much as I used to now but it's the only thing I do listen to if I listen to the radio. What alternative is there exactly? The BBC are just trying to appease Murdoch Inc. and I hate it. :(

 

Agreed.

 

The BBC at its best should be all about having a USP (Unique Selling Point) that no commercial rival has. Therefore I'm gobsmacked by the concept of culling Radio 6 Music because the likes of Absolute and XFM don't offer anything resembling the diversity that BBC6Music offers.

 

If the BBC had to get rid of something then surely selling off (which Margaret Thatcher's Conservative Government loved to do in the 1980s) Radio 1 would make far more sense at it offers zero USP between 06:30 - 19:00 Hours during the week which other commercial stations don't already offer.

 

Whilst since Jo Whiley & Edith Bowman got moved to the weekends to be replaced by Fearne Cotton & Greg James (and therefore their places at the Radio 1 Playlist committee) it has been noticeable how many Radio 1 friendly songs have been missed from its playlist since then.

 

Surely if the BBC had to save costs then getting rid of Radio 1 by selling it to the private sector earning an estimated £70-100 million would surely make far more sense.

02.26.2010 NEWS: BOWIE BACKS 6 MUSIC AFTER BBC BOMBSHELL

 

Popular musics and aftershocks...

 

David Bowie has released a brief statement expressing his dismay at the proposed axing of the BBC's 6 Music digital station.

 

Here's what he had to say: "6 Music keeps the spirit of broadcasters like John Peel alive and for new artists to lose this station would be a great shame.".

 

His comments follow a front-page report in today's Times newspaper in which it is alleged the BBC will close two digital radio stations, (6 Music and Asian Network) shut half its website and cut spending heavily on imported American programmes in an overhaul of services to be announced next month.

 

Regular readers of BowieNet news will be aware of the mutual admiration which exists between 6 Music and David Bowie.

 

A couple of weeks ago the station made A Reality Tour live it's Album Of The Day (02.12.2010 NEWS: A REALITY TOUR LIVE IS ALBUM OF THE DAY ON 6 MUSIC) and just last night (Thursday 25th) Marc Riley kicked off his show with the title track of Station To Station in its entirety...you can listen to the full show here.

 

But perhaps even more important than the station's continued patronage of David Bowie's music is the point that DB suggests in his statement: the exposure for new bands by the line-up of informed and intelligent DJs, unsurpassed by any other radio station.

 

And though Marc Riley would never suggest he could personally fill John Peel's shoes, to my mind he is the closest thing we have to him broadcasting today.

 

It seems there is already a groundswell of protest against the proposals following DB's comments, a protest that I'm sure is bound to get louder over the next few days as more concerned music lovers learn of the plans.

 

Total Blam Blam - (BowieNet News Editor)

Confirmed.

 

Switch will also be axed.

 

BBC 6 Music and Asian Network face axe in shake-up

 

BBC 6 Music and Asian Network are facing closure, Mark Thompson, director general of the corporation, has said.

 

Speaking to staff, Mr Thompson also announced that half of the websites on BBC online will close by 2013.

 

Among the closures will be teen services Switch and Blast, with Mr Thompson admitting Channel 4 should lead the way with these audiences.

 

The strategy review has now been submitted to the BBC Trust and a public consultation period will take place.

 

Mr Thompson pledged that in the future 90p of every licence fee £1 will be spent on programming and that the corporation would spend 25% less on BBC online.

 

FIVE EDITORIAL BBC PRIORITIES

1. The best journalism in the world

2. Inspiring knowledge, music and culture

3. Ambitious UK drama and comedy

Outstanding children's content

Events that bring communities and the nation together

 

As a result of the changes Mr Thompson said he expected the plans would see an extra £600m ($893m) diverted into programme-making.

 

Radio 2 needed to "sharpen its distinctiveness in its range of music and speech" and while the quality of local radio should be increased, he proposed sharing more programmes across outlets during off-peak periods.

 

During the briefing Mr Thompson said the earliest 6 Music and Asian Network would close would be by the end of 2011.

 

It was reported on Friday that the two digital stations would be closed, after the report was leaked to The Times.

 

The newspaper claimed the measures were due to be made public next month.

 

Following the leaks, the BBC was heavily criticised by music industry figures, with the heads of the British Phonographic Institute and the Association of Independent Music saying they were "surprised and alarmed" by the reports.

 

Comedian and DJ Phill Jupitus described the potential axing of 6 Music as "an act of cultural vandalism".

 

Music producer and musician Mark Ronson told BBC Radio 5 live that he was "definitely joining the petition" to keep 6 Music on air.

 

He added: " It would be a bad thing if it closed down. It's great old music, it's great new bands. People on that station love music."

 

BBC Worldwide will continue its mission to relieve pressure on the licence fee payer through complementary commercial activities.

 

It will also move to a more international focus, deriving at least two-thirds of its revenue from outside the UK by 2015.

 

There are also plans to move away from "physical media" which includes magazines in the UK.

 

During Tuesday's briefing, Mr Thompson said the report was about "putting quality first".

Edited March 2, 201015 yr by Ethan.

Gutted if 6Music goes - it's the only radio staion worth listening to.

 

Bit gutted about Switch in particular to be honest. They played a lot of non-playlisted stuff and were of course the place where acts like Girls Aloud premiered new singles, though I admit that it on occasions suffered from not knowing what it wanted its audience to be. Too much emphasis on Justin Bieber/Disney acts/Perez Hilton at times.

Annie Mac & Grimshaw as a duo were brilliant though, really hope they get to stay in that slot.

 

I cant say I ever listened to it but even I can see that the loss of 6 Music isnt going to be good :(

silly mistake imo, did you read lily allens guardian article today - she slated bbc and said radio 1 should be cut because 6 music meets the requirements of the bbc. She then says its a choice between listening to Lauren Levaerne playing some new unique band and fearne cotton playing the pussycat dolls lol!!i wonder what fearne thought of that!!

Let's be honest, the BBC are NEVER going to axe Radio 1/sell it off. It's too much of a money earner for them.

 

I don't listen to BBC6music, but i'm a bit gutted the BBC are going to axe it. There needs to be diversity about. I'm pretty gutted they're acing BBCSwitch as well - it's a good listen and as it's already been commented - Annie Mac and Nick Grimshaw are a really good duo and are perfect for the age group it's aimed at and have quite a lot of good chemistry as presenters. A real shame tbh.

they may make a u turn for 6music, seems to be enough people complaining about the proposed axing.

I bloody well hope this is a ruse to see off Conservative attempts to dismantle the BBC so the Murdochs can brainwash us all...

Keep changing my mind on the solution, either way i think it's disgusting 6music is being axed.

Edited March 3, 201015 yr by Mark.

If they should get rid of anything it's Radio 3, Classic FM more than caters for that market and it's not needed. 6Music has no commercial station that provides anywhere near the diversity or depth of programming and is therefore needed. I hope they don't ditch it ! :(

In an ideal world, 1extra would be scrapped, Radio 1 moved to 1extra, and 6music moving to Radio1.

Radio 1 then becomes a station of quality again, and 6music gains listeners.

 

The chart show would stay where it is on the new 6music era Radio 1, but go back to the pre-2002 format.

 

Job's a good 'un as Bez would say.

 

That would be silly, as previously mentioned Radio 1 is far too popular, I know you said "in an ideal world" but still, they should scrap 1extra instead of 6music and just include more urban programming on radio 1 as compensation for 1extra being lost, the audience for 1extra is already catered for on radio 1, just not as much, where as 6music isnt at all.

 

If they should get rid of anything it's Radio 3, Classic FM more than caters for that market and it's not needed. 6Music has no commercial station that provides anywhere near the diversity or depth of programming and is therefore needed. I hope they don't ditch it ! :(

 

no they shouldnt, 2 reasons, Classic FM doesnt have the same amount of listeners by far and the quality of programming is no where near as good as on Radio 3, your just dismissing it for being mainly classical based, theres diversity in classical too.

If they should get rid of anything it's Radio 3, Classic FM more than caters for that market and it's not needed. 6Music has no commercial station that provides anywhere near the diversity or depth of programming and is therefore needed. I hope they don't ditch it ! :(

I don't listen to Radio 3 or Classic FM but to say the two are the same is no different from saying that 6Music and XFM are the same. Radio 3 commissions new works; Classic FM doesn't. Radio 3 plays mostly whole symphonies, operas etc.; Classic FM doesn't.

That would be silly, as previously mentioned Radio 1 is far too popular, I know you said "in an ideal world" but still, they should scrap 1extra instead of 6music and just include more urban programming on radio 1 as compensation for 1extra being lost, the audience for 1extra is already catered for on radio 1, just not as much, where as 6music isnt at all.

no they shouldnt, 2 reasons, Classic FM doesnt have the same amount of listeners by far and the quality of programming is no where near as good as on Radio 3, your just dismissing it for being mainly classical based, theres diversity in classical too.

 

I take your point, you're right Radio 1 is needed, i wasn't suggesting keeping R1 off FM, i was suggesting Radio1 taking the 6music format.

It would still be Radio 1.

 

But you have a good point, 6music is better being a niche station.

Edited March 3, 201015 yr by Mark.

True, but Radio 1 do provide for the 1extra audience and it would boost 6music's listeners if they're on fm and raise their profile.

Radio 1 audience wouldn't lose out, they'd just be on digital, and most young people would have access to that medium.

 

I take your point though. Maybe just axe 1extra instead of 6music. Or as suggested above, replace radio 3 with 6music.

Classical music listeners are provided for by Classic FM who are quite a big station.

 

Either way it is completely stupid to axe 6music. A station like that is needed!

 

nah they would lose loads of listeners of Radio 1 if they went completly DAB, especially drivers, I wouldnt be against moving 6music to fm, but radio 1 is just too big to be taken off FM, if 6music replaced it on fm they would have to play things like the offical chart show just to compete with other fm stations who have a similar programme on sunday's, it would just be plain silly to take radio 1 off FM.

 

and if they got rid of Radio 3 it would probaly recieve as much backlash as they have for axing 6music, just in different ways, classic fm is just not the same as radio 3, see the point from suedehead above, I think you are just dismissing classical music alot why should the bbc give us many popular music stations (radio 1, 2, 1extra, 6music if it doesnt get rid of) but no classical stations? would definatly not be reaching all the audiences they should be if they got rid of radio 3.

Radio 3 is awful. It just make wanna sleep.

It just had to happen ....

 

Hitler 6Music Downfall :D

 

On a serious note those people who think getting rid of Radio 6Music is no loss are sadly mistaken:

 

Using the excellent comparemyradio.com wesite to compare Radio stations over the past month:

 

BBC Radio 1 played 4,260 tracks; & played 1,032 unique tracks (Variety gauge 26%)

BBC Radio 2 played 4,207 tracks; & played 2,399 unique tracks (Variety gauge 56%)

BBC 6 Music played 5,415 tracks; & played 3,248 unique tracks (Variety gauge 59%)

 

So as you can see from the above Radio 6 Music plays a huge & vast variety of tracks on it's station compared to Radio 2 & Radio 1.

 

Whilst those people who think Radio 6 Music could be catered for by the commercial indie/alternative stations XFM, Absolute of NME Radio think again:

 

XFM London played 8,559 tracks; & played 535 unique tracks (Variety gauge 6%)

Absolute Radio played 6,236 tracks; & played 1,384 unique tracks (Variety gauge 20%)

NME Radio played 8,064 tracks; & played 1,931 unique tracks (Variety gauge 21%)

 

I think these statistics help explain why getting rid of BBC 6Music would be a disaster for British music & British culture.