Caroline Thompson, Chief Operating Officer at the BBC, has made comments about the closure of BBC 6 Music and changes to BBC 7.
The Guardian report which details these comments is linked below, but I'm drawn to a few quotes from the article:
"The average age of its listeners - 37 - is at the heart of the demographic targeted by commercial radio", she told delegates at a Westminster Media Forum event.
I'm intrigued to know where the commercial alternative is for those within 6 Music's demographic. Around here, alternative music is played on stations such as XFM and Absolute Radio but the diversity of music pales in comparison to the BBC's offering. By closing 6 Music, can I expect new commercial stations to appear or the aforementioned stations to broaden their playlist? I doubt it. I'd like to be proved wrong, but I'd be very surprised if I am.
There were also questions, she said, about whether the BBC should run three popular music stations - Radio 1, Radio 2 and 6 Music.
Can 6 Music really be labelled is a 'popular music station'? It's not exactly playing Cheryl Cole, Pixie Lot and Scouting for Girls is it? A diverse playlist that leads the listener on a journey of musical discovery and appreciation is not popular music. A playlist that gives airtime to the struggling indie artist is not popular music. Yes, okay, there may be some similarities between these three stations particularly when considering the specialist aspects of Radios 1 and 2. The daytime playlist of those two though is unashamedly mainstream and safe.
...the money saved by the closure would be reinvested in radio, with a particular focus on digital services.
It's interesting that 6 Music is a radio station and a digital service. Am I missing the point?
The Guardian report which details these comments is linked below, but I'm drawn to a few quotes from the article:
"The average age of its listeners - 37 - is at the heart of the demographic targeted by commercial radio", she told delegates at a Westminster Media Forum event.
I'm intrigued to know where the commercial alternative is for those within 6 Music's demographic. Around here, alternative music is played on stations such as XFM and Absolute Radio but the diversity of music pales in comparison to the BBC's offering. By closing 6 Music, can I expect new commercial stations to appear or the aforementioned stations to broaden their playlist? I doubt it. I'd like to be proved wrong, but I'd be very surprised if I am.
There were also questions, she said, about whether the BBC should run three popular music stations - Radio 1, Radio 2 and 6 Music.
Can 6 Music really be labelled is a 'popular music station'? It's not exactly playing Cheryl Cole, Pixie Lot and Scouting for Girls is it? A diverse playlist that leads the listener on a journey of musical discovery and appreciation is not popular music. A playlist that gives airtime to the struggling indie artist is not popular music. Yes, okay, there may be some similarities between these three stations particularly when considering the specialist aspects of Radios 1 and 2. The daytime playlist of those two though is unashamedly mainstream and safe.
...the money saved by the closure would be reinvested in radio, with a particular focus on digital services.
It's interesting that 6 Music is a radio station and a digital service. Am I missing the point?
The BBC has today announced cutbacks to it's services intended to save £600m which will be re-invested into programming and original content.
The victims of these cutbacks are the radio stations 6 Music and the Asian Network along with a significant proportion of the BBC's website.
Initially this was reported in the newspapers a number of days ago so the announcement is in no way a surprise but I wanted to wait until it was official before commenting.
I'm disappointed that the BBC deems it necessary to wield the axe over 6music. The station is exactly what a publicly funded broadcaster should be providing - a station that would not exist in the commercial sector. Absolute Radio and XFM are probably the nearest big commercial stations but these do not have the diversity offered by 6music. Losing this station will leave a gap that will not be filled.
Part of the problem of the station has been the number of listeners it attracts. I wonder if this problem is down to it's broadcast medium though. Personally speaking I listen to the vast majority of radio whilst in the car. I do not have digital radio in the car. I therefore cannot listen to 6music. I'd be surprised if this is not the case for many people, and therefore I do proportion some of the blame on to the fact that in-car digital radio equipment is not easy to come by (I've checked Halfords and they have precisely none). Most cars do not have digital radio fitted as standard. Until this changes, digital-only stations may well suffer from lack of audience.
The BBC's proposals have now been submitted to the BBC Trust and will be subject to a 12 week consultation period, so there is still hope for the station. If things go the wrong way though, 6music could disappear by the end of 2011.
The BBC Trust are accepting views on this consultation, so to petition the broadcaster to save the station visit:
https://consultations.external.bbc.co.uk/departments/bbc/bbc-strategy-review/consultation/consult_view
The victims of these cutbacks are the radio stations 6 Music and the Asian Network along with a significant proportion of the BBC's website.
Initially this was reported in the newspapers a number of days ago so the announcement is in no way a surprise but I wanted to wait until it was official before commenting.
I'm disappointed that the BBC deems it necessary to wield the axe over 6music. The station is exactly what a publicly funded broadcaster should be providing - a station that would not exist in the commercial sector. Absolute Radio and XFM are probably the nearest big commercial stations but these do not have the diversity offered by 6music. Losing this station will leave a gap that will not be filled.
Part of the problem of the station has been the number of listeners it attracts. I wonder if this problem is down to it's broadcast medium though. Personally speaking I listen to the vast majority of radio whilst in the car. I do not have digital radio in the car. I therefore cannot listen to 6music. I'd be surprised if this is not the case for many people, and therefore I do proportion some of the blame on to the fact that in-car digital radio equipment is not easy to come by (I've checked Halfords and they have precisely none). Most cars do not have digital radio fitted as standard. Until this changes, digital-only stations may well suffer from lack of audience.
The BBC's proposals have now been submitted to the BBC Trust and will be subject to a 12 week consultation period, so there is still hope for the station. If things go the wrong way though, 6music could disappear by the end of 2011.
The BBC Trust are accepting views on this consultation, so to petition the broadcaster to save the station visit:
https://consultations.external.bbc.co.uk/departments/bbc/bbc-strategy-review/consultation/consult_view
Tomorrow morning at 6am marks the official start of Heart Essex - the new name for the station formerly known as Essex FM, and Essex Radio before it.
It's not just Essex FM that is disappearing. Local stations up and down the country are receiving the re-brand treatment. For many, it's already happened. For the remaining few, the transition is completed tomorrow morning. As an example, other stations include Invicta FM, Ocean FM, Southern FM, 2CR, Buzz 97.1, Champion 103, Coast 96.3 and Marcher Sound.
This means that 33 stations now carry the well known brand. 33 stations will carry more networked programming and have decreased local output. According to The Guardian there will be 14 hours per day of networked content.
I will mourn the loss of the once local brands, but not too much. It's been a long time since Essex FM at least was a truly local station. Many times, when driving around England, have I tuned through the car radio and received the same programmes throughout the journey. Now, thanks to this re-brand, it will feel almost like one of the national stations.
The saving grace for localness comes in the form of breakfast shows and local programming between 1pm and 7pm. News is suffering though, with local opt-outs only between the hours of 6am-9am and 4pm-6pm.
I hope that local radio will be revived in the coming years as the switch to digital radio gathers pace. With the plan for major FM stations to broadcast solely on DAB around 2015, the vacated FM space will hopefully encourage new local and community stations.
So, although the brand Essex FM has already disappeared from the airwaves* I say now goodbye to the station that captured my interest in broadcast radio.
* There is now no official name - just a mention that Heart is coming. Tomorrow morning, from 6.
It's not just Essex FM that is disappearing. Local stations up and down the country are receiving the re-brand treatment. For many, it's already happened. For the remaining few, the transition is completed tomorrow morning. As an example, other stations include Invicta FM, Ocean FM, Southern FM, 2CR, Buzz 97.1, Champion 103, Coast 96.3 and Marcher Sound.
This means that 33 stations now carry the well known brand. 33 stations will carry more networked programming and have decreased local output. According to The Guardian there will be 14 hours per day of networked content.
I will mourn the loss of the once local brands, but not too much. It's been a long time since Essex FM at least was a truly local station. Many times, when driving around England, have I tuned through the car radio and received the same programmes throughout the journey. Now, thanks to this re-brand, it will feel almost like one of the national stations.
The saving grace for localness comes in the form of breakfast shows and local programming between 1pm and 7pm. News is suffering though, with local opt-outs only between the hours of 6am-9am and 4pm-6pm.
I hope that local radio will be revived in the coming years as the switch to digital radio gathers pace. With the plan for major FM stations to broadcast solely on DAB around 2015, the vacated FM space will hopefully encourage new local and community stations.
So, although the brand Essex FM has already disappeared from the airwaves* I say now goodbye to the station that captured my interest in broadcast radio.
* There is now no official name - just a mention that Heart is coming. Tomorrow morning, from 6.
With the publication of Lord Carter's Digital Britain report comes the plan to switch off analogue radio by 2015. The plan is for FM stations to move to DAB vacating the VHF spectrum for ultra-local broadcast services. The MW spectrum would be vacated by those stations moving to DAB too or if they are ultra-local stations, then on to FM
This means that in the not-to-distant future, UK MW broadcasts will cease. It's unclear if this also affects LW and SW.
I find it quite sad that one of the oldest and simplest forms of radio broadcasting will soon be no more. Granted, audio quality isn't great (but it's fine for speech) and it's not as efficient as a digital signal, but the resilience for analogue radio is very important. Enthusiasts will know that usually a MW signal will travel far further than an VHF signal and that a receiver can be built from very few components cheaply and easily. This will surely mean an end to crystal sets.
There is a big issue over the equipment that will be left behind. There must be millions of MW and FM radios that will become pretty much obsolete come switch-over. This isn't like television where a converter can be plugged in - many of these devices will be car radios, table top sets and walkmen. All becoming useless. And what about the cost of replacement equipment? Digital radios are still more expensive than analogue equivilent. The battery life isn't as good either.
Overall, I think it'll be a sad day for broadcast radio when this switchover happens.
This means that in the not-to-distant future, UK MW broadcasts will cease. It's unclear if this also affects LW and SW.
I find it quite sad that one of the oldest and simplest forms of radio broadcasting will soon be no more. Granted, audio quality isn't great (but it's fine for speech) and it's not as efficient as a digital signal, but the resilience for analogue radio is very important. Enthusiasts will know that usually a MW signal will travel far further than an VHF signal and that a receiver can be built from very few components cheaply and easily. This will surely mean an end to crystal sets.
There is a big issue over the equipment that will be left behind. There must be millions of MW and FM radios that will become pretty much obsolete come switch-over. This isn't like television where a converter can be plugged in - many of these devices will be car radios, table top sets and walkmen. All becoming useless. And what about the cost of replacement equipment? Digital radios are still more expensive than analogue equivilent. The battery life isn't as good either.
Overall, I think it'll be a sad day for broadcast radio when this switchover happens.