The BBC is going through a huge financial overhaul and will be redirecting tens of millions of pounds to produce better-quality programming. One of the changes involves shutting down BBC 6 Music, and according to Twenty Four Bit, people, including David Bowie, are pretty upset.
Bowie released a public statement about the importance of BBC 6. Word on the street is someone may actually be getting a Facebook campaign together for the cause.
What's interesting is that according to The Times, the average age of BBC 6 listeners is 35. BBC Three targets the 16- to
35-year-old demographic and will not be affected.
While more and more
American radio stations are having trouble surviving, and continue to
be bought out by the evil conglomerate Clear Channel, we see fewer and
fewer independent radio stations.
Despite it all, National Public Radio
has done quite well for itself, even though it relies on the
contributions of its listeners for support, rather than corporate
sponsorship. For British public radio, with so many options and an
entirely different set of regulations and means of funding, the model
is different. They hope to improve their stations through quality over
quantity, but we have to wonder at what cost -- and by whose standards.
