Friday 26 February 2010

The Day We Tried To #SaveBBC6Music (not forgetting #AdamAndJoe)

I don't have the heart to post my daily Adam and Joe sound nugget today.

This is what the hoo-ha is all about.  Rumours have been rife for months but this piece in the business section of the Times seems to be written with the booming death knell of authority. 

This blog and associated social mouthpieces only exist as a vacuous, recreational outlet for my admiration of Adam and Joe but today's problem is much more than that. 

It's true, I would be sad to think that when Joe has the time to bring the show back on-air, it won't have it's lovely secret home but if Radio2 don't snap them up, they'll still remain a fiercely marketable product that broadcasters will not allow to slip through their fingers. 

The demise of the entire station is the real, lamentable situation. I cannot articulate my passion for 6Music eloquently enough to be of any use so I'd ask you to take some time to read this thoughtful piece from Andrew Collins who has the privilege and integrity to offer the point of view from a long respected music and film journalist and latterly that of a broadcaster who has helped to shore up the very fabric of the station's unique qualities.

If you feel at all moved to do so, please go here to sign a petition. There are many difficult and sometimes arbitrary decisions made in broadcasting every week but this one leaves a nasty taste.

The Times further reports that Absolute Radio may 'bid' for 6Music. I need time to digest my feelings about this but my gut reaction is not a good one.

For your further entertainment, you could take a little look at Sparks' "Now That I Own The BBC" and to the 6Music Flickr Library.  If you use Twitter you can sport a Twibbon. There are several out there so do a search and choose the one that shouts loudest and suits your avatar.

I watched #SaveBBC6Music creep up the Twitter trending topics during the morning. I think it peaked at 4th place behind the usual 'FF', 'followfriday' and 'nowplaying'. On any other day of the week, it would have easily made it to the top. As I write, it's in 6th position and 'BBC' is a few below it.

This has moved the people and it would seem that the love has been flowing into Western House today as well. I shall be driving past it later on and I'll not flinch if I see floral tributes. It has been a very difficult day for all those people on-air who are unable to make a truly informed comment but are expected to remain buoyant and entertaining. I suspect that in most cases their concern is not so much for their pay-packet but for where they will ever be able to broadcast to this quality ever again......and as Andrew Collins was kind enough to point out earlier in the week, broadcast to an audience of the diversity and integrity of 6Music listeners.

I can't leave without a sound bobble so I'm going to include a few words from the end of Shaun Keaveny's show today.

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