FEATURE:
Hey Nineteen
IN THIS PHOTO: BBC Radio 6 Music’s Lauren Laverne and Mary Anne Hobbs (the photo was taken pre-social distancing)/PHOTO CREDIT: BBC
Marking the Survival and Growth of BBC Radio 6 Music
___________
I am a little premature…
when it comes to celebrating the nineteenth birthday of BBC Radio 6 Music - as that does not happen until 11th March. I wanted to discuss why the station continues to grow in popularity and pull in huge listening figures. It is hard to think that, as we look ahead to nineteen years of one of the best and most eclectic radio stations in the world, it was threatened with closure not that long ago! In 2010, the station was faced with closure; seen as expendable amidst, I guess, cost-cutting measures. The Guardian reflected on that event five years later:
“BBC 6 Music, home to presenters Lauren Laverne, Elbow’s Guy Garvey and Jarvis Cocker, will pass a landmark anniversary in the next few days, although it is not one likely to prompt wild celebrations on air.
It will be five years since the BBC tried to axe the fledgling digital station and replace it with a spin-off version of Radio 2.
The decision prompted a wave of unprecedented listener protest – its Facebook campaign an early demonstration of the power of social media – joined by star names such as David Bowie and Mark Ronson, and its own presenters.
After management was forced into a U-turn by the BBC Trust the fortunes of the station have blossomed. Its audience has since tripled, and in the final quarter of 2014 hit 2 million listeners a week, overtaking its long established sister station, Radio 3.
IN THIS PHOTO: Mark Radcliffe (who presents weekend breakfasts with Stuart Maconie)/PHOTO CREDIT: BBC
Now the target is 2.5 million listeners for the station, which the BBC said five years ago had “relatively few unique listeners to BBC radio” and whose audience of 30- to 50-year-olds were well served by commercial radio.
Jeff Smith, head of music for Radio 2 and 6 Music, said 90% of its output today is not heard on any other UK station, with a mix of indie disco, edgier entries in rock’s back catalogue and championing of new artists such as US folk star Father John Misty.
If the station lacked focus in its early years when it promised an enervating mixture of archive and album tracks, it now pursues a different mantra, “celebrating the alternative spirit in popular music since the 1960s”.
Paul Rodgers, head of programmes for 6 Music, said it was an “important phrase defining what the station is about” but admitted it is a “slippery one”.
“I’m loathe to get into a musical definition of it. Which bit of the Human League is the alternative spirit? You can see I’m struggling,” he said.
Other 6 Music presenters also spoke out, including Adam Buxton and Tom Robinson. Cerys Matthews, the former lead singer of Catatonia who joined the station in 2009, recalled appearing on BBC1’s Breakfast programme to debate the closure with then BBC chief operating officer, Caroline Thomson.
“I remember saying, yes there’s a need for the BBC to lose weight but you don’t cut your little finger off, you get fit,” said Matthews. “Threatening to shut 6 Music was a ridiculous way to save money.”
But even given the scale of support, Kershaw was taken aback when the decision was reversed four months later. “In my mind it was rock’n’roll versus the suits,” she said. “And the suits always had the last word.”
Aside from being the best free marketing the station ever had, the threat of closure and its subsequent rescue gave its DJs a new-found confidence. A few years previously its then controller Lesley Douglas had looked to expand its appeal with personalities such as Russell Brand and George Lamb”.
IN THIS PHOTO: BBC Radio 6 Music’s Steve Lamacq/PHOTO CREDIT: BBC
It seems amazing that there was even the feintest possibility of BBC Radio 6 Music not existing. Since its scare, the listening figures continued to grow! The personality and passion of the presenters, tied with a mix of more alternative and mainstream music, ensured that they were not only safe but blossoming! This article from The Guardian of 2014 reflected on a stunning year for the station:
“Lauren Laverne has helped the BBC Radio 6 Music to its biggest-ever audience of nearly 2 million listeners.
6 Music had an average weekly audience of 1.99 million listeners in the third quarter of 2014 and extended its lead over Radio 3, according to official Rajar listening figures published on Thursday.
Laverne, the station’s mid-morning DJ, presented its most popular show with 868,000 listeners.
In a sign of the changing way people are listening to the radio, a record 27% of listening for 6 Music was online or via smartphone and tablet apps, the most of any station and more than four times the industry average of 6.4%.
The new audience figures come a week after Labour MP Tom Watson said 6 Music, which is currently available only on digital, should be given Radio 3’s valuable FM slot because it had more listeners.
6 Music has more than tripled its audience since the BBC said it would close the station in 2010, only to be given a reprieve by the BBC Trust after an unprecedented protest by listeners.
A number of its presenters all had record audiences in the last quarter, including Shaun Keaveny’s breakfast show, Mark Radcliffe and Stuart Maconie’s afternoon programme, Marc Riley, Huey Morgan and Mary Anne Hobbs”.
IMAGE CREDIT: BBC
In the years since BBC Radio 6 Music became secure and proved how popular and needed it was, things have got better and better. There is clear loyalty among the broadcasters and everyone at the station. There are some broadcasters who have been at the station since the first day – including Chris Hawkins -; one can tell how much the station means to them. I think the sense of family comes through. The listeners are, really, like one big family; in turn, the presenters and producers are like old friends. BBC Radio 6 Music has that warmth and sense of comfort that is drawing in new people every day. Last year, the station achieved a new high with its listening figures:
“Congratulations to BBC Radio 6 Music, who scored a record RAJAR of 2.556 million, up 1.6% year-on-year and up 2.8% on the prior quarter. Its previous record was 2.53m two years ago. The RAJAR period covers the 6 Music Festival in Camden, an event that station head Paul Rodgers correctly predicted would help ratings.
James Purnell, director of BBC Radio and Education, said: “It’s wonderful that listeners have granted BBC Radio 6 Music the top spot as the UK’s biggest digital only station by tuning in in record numbers. It’s no surprise that the station’s brilliant presenters and talented teams are proving a winning formula with their love and passion for music.”
The station’s weekday breakfast show with Lauren Laverne had it biggest audience ever with 1.3 million listeners, according to the latest RAJARs. There were also RAJAR records for Mark Radcliffe & Stuart Maconie at weekend breakfast and Steve Lamacq on weekday afternoons. In other good news, Lamacq will be back on air on June 1 after a period of absence following medical advice”.
I am not sure whether this year will see a bit of a stall in regards the growth of the family based, but I do think that more and more people have been coming to the station, as BBC Radio 6 Music offers something truly broad and fascinating. From regular features to the recent Soundscapes for Wellbeing, the station continues to adapt and innovate. Last year, BBC Radio 6 Music appointed Samantha Moy as its head:
“Samantha Moy has been named as the new head of station for BBC Radio 6 Music.
Moy has been 6 Music’s head of content commissioning since 2018, having previously worked as the station’s network editor.
Paul Rodgers, currently senior head of commissioning for 6 Music, is leaving the BBC this summer.
Lorna Clarke, BBC controller of pop, said: “Using her wide range of experience in broadcast production, Sam will continue to evolve this exciting radio station that means so much to music lovers. ”
Moy said: “I’m privileged and honoured to be appointed to lead BBC Radio 6 Music – a radio station made for and made by music lovers. The relationship with our audience has gone from strength to strength, as our brilliant presenters, supported by our talented production teams, have provided the perfect combination of music, conversation and connection during these challenging times. I’m proud to lead this fantastically creative and inspiring team, who I know feel as passionately about 6 Music as I do”.
IN THIS PHOTO: BBC Radio 6 Music’s Matt Everitt and Shaun Keaveny (the photo was taken pre-social distancing)/PHOTO CREDIT: BBC
From Chris Hawkins waking us all up, to Lauren Laverne picking up the baton, the station has these incredible broadcasters who wouldn’t be anywhere else! I listen right through the day on BBC Radio 6 Music and, as it gets to Shaun Keaveny from Mary Anne Hobbs, one is definitely enriched and entertained. I shall not go through all the broadcasters on the station…suffice it to say that one needs to tune in (if they have not done so far); follow the station on Twitter, Facebook; go check out their YouTube channel. During the past year, we have all faced change and restrictions that we were not expecting. Radio, more than ever, has become a portal of calm and company. So many people live alone, so tuning into BBC Radio 6 Music and hearing the dedicated roster of broadcasters keep us distracted and cared for has been a lifeline. BBC Radio 6 Music is keen to involve the listeners as much as possible, whether that is through features or opportunities where they can submit music and mixes – including Lauren Laverne’s Social Recall. Ahead of marking nineteen years of the world’s greatest radio station, I feel it can continue to build. I think that next year is going to be an especially huge one for BBC Radio 6 Music. Not only will they celebrate the big twentieth anniversary in March but, with the pandemic having passed – let’s hope! -, it will be a chance for the station to bring back its annual festival – it has not happened this year because of the pandemic.
IN THIS PHOTO: Arlo Parks
There will be other celebrations planned but, between then and now, I feel BBC Radio 6 Music will keep on wrapping us all warm and providing an essential source of strength. From the Beastie Boys delivering a festive takeover back in December, to Arlo Parks in the chair as the station’s current Artist in Residence, there is something for everyone! I have discovered so many artists and albums through BBC Radio 6 Music, in addition to some older songs that I had forgotten about. There has been some criticism through the years that the station was too guitar-based and Indie when it came to its playlist tastes. I think they have broadened dramatically since 2002; one can tune into the station and hear everything and anything! There are no limits and boundaries when it comes to the music played on BBC Radio 6 Music. I will leave things there, but I wanted to get in first and offer thanks and appreciation to everyone at BBC Radio 6 Music who, through such a tough time, have managed to deliver shows of the highest order! As we start to see signs of improvement and normality, BBC Radio 6 Music will be there to help us to the other side. I wanted to get there ahead of anyone else when it comes to marking nineteen years of BBC Radio 6 Music because, on 11th March, there will be a lot of love pouring in. Everyone hopes that the station will be in our lives…
FOR many years and decades to come.