6 Music Is Reprieved - The Campaign Worked!

BBC Radio 6 Music has been saved this week, after massive petitions and campaigns to keep the station alive, have been approved by the BBC Trust.  The initial plans to shut the station in January 2010 seem to have been overturned.

The governing body of the BBC – which is the BBC Trust, said it was still planning cuts to its digital service, but understood the support fans have for 6 Music, and clearly felt under pressure and a possible public uproar, should their controversial plans had gone ahead.  It is now believed that the BBC is considering its digital radio future, at the next broadcasting strategic review, planned for the autumn this year.

The chairman of the BBC, Sir Michael Lyons is still convinced that there is a lot of uncertainty over the national switchover to DAB.  The government is expecting a switch to the DAB in 2013.  The government believes that by 2013, 50% of people should be listening to digital radio, despite its very slow uptake on sales since it made its technological breakthrough seven years ago.  The high prices and poor coverage reception, might well explain why forecasts of people listening, via the digital format is 22% behind where they should be.  The recession has also played a major factor – with Channel 4 shutting down its digital radio plans back in 2008. 

The Culture Secretary, Jeremy Hunt has pledged his support for 6 Music, and since news of its expected closure were broken in the press, the audience viewing figures have risen by over 50%.  However, there are still plans to trim spending of the BBC Online format by 25%, as well as the full shutting down of the BBC Asian Network.

Whilst 6 Music looks like it has been saved, the traditional analogue TV have finally disappeared from the High Street.  Last month saw absolutely no sales of the old television format for the first time ever, since it was invented back in 1925, by John Logie Baird.  The digital switchover began in Whitehaven, back in 2005 and now 20% of the UK has been converted.  By 2012, the whole of the UK will have a digital TV signal.