FEATURE:
The College Genius
IN THIS IMAGE: Lauren Laverne presents weekday breakfasts between 7:30-10:30 on BBC Radio 6 Music/IMAGE CREDIT: BBC
BBC Radio 6 Music As It Prepares for Its Eighteenth Birthday
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I know its birthday is not until…
IN THIS PHOTO: Mark Radcliffe (alongside Stuart Maconie) presents weekend breakfasts between 7:00-10:00/PHOTO CREDIT: BBC
11th March but, with about a month to go, it is like celebrations of album anniversaries. You post something ahead of time so people are aware and, let’s be fair, so other people do not beat you to it! I have written about BBC Radio 6 Music quite a few times in the past (including this recent article) but, as the station is about to turn eighteen – and it can legally buy itself a beer! -, I think that is worth celebrating! Known as BBC 6 Music from its launch in 2002 to April 2011, it has added the ‘Radio’ since – I prefer it. BBC Radio 6 Music – I shall refer to it as such from here on -, was the first national music radio station to be launch by the BBC in thirty-two years. One can access the official site or tune your DAB in – you can also access the station on digital television. Whilst I am going to tip my hat to the presenters and everyone who makes the station run and grow, I wanted to focus on two things as BBC Radio 6 Music turns eighteen: its survival and how influential it is. BBC Radio 6 Music has always been dogged by the perception that it caters heavily towards Alternative music and guitars. Maybe that was partially true when they started – the first song played was Ash’s Burn Baby Burn -, but the station is broader than any out there. This is why I, and so many others, make it our station of choice! I hope that, one day, the station broadens out a bit when it comes to Pop and older songs; maybe picking up a few songs one might find on BBC Radio 2’s playlist!
IN THIS PHOTO: Steve Lamacq (pictured with Nadine Shah) presents weekdays from 4-7 p.m./PHOTO CREDIT: BBC
That is a minor quibble because, as you will notice when you tune in and listen to all the shows, there is a huge variety of music on display. I listen to the fabulous Lauren Laverne and Chris Hawkins a lot. I also listen to the brilliant Shaun Keaveny every weekday in addition to Steve Lamacq. From Cerys Matthews, to Gideon Coe, through to Craig Charles, Liz Kershaw, Iggy Pop, and Gilles Peterson, each presenter has their own flavour and theme - I cannot write a detailed appraisal of each presenter, but trust me when I say they are ace! Each person on the station adores what they do, and the fact so many of the presenters have been at the station for many years shows it is a place to be; a haven and station that does what others cannot. A few of the talent – including Chris Hawkins and Tom Robinson (who also presents the BBC Introducing Mixtape) – have been there since the early days, and one feels they will be at the station for many years more – let us hope so! Whether you love the wit of Mark Radcliffe and Stuart Maconie on weekend breakfasts or Mary Anne Hobbs’ expertise weekday mornings, there is something for every ear! I also love Miranda Sawyer’s Sound and Vision, Guy Garvey’s Finest Hour, and Don Letts’ Culture Clash Radio! I am going to try and tag every presenter and music news peep I can when posting this article but, if I have left too many people off, I hope they will forgive me! The BBC Radio 6 Music family is a united and strong one, where everyone there provides golden radio; one can hear the passion in every single moment. BBC Radio 6 Music have seen their listener figures increase, and the station is growing larger and stronger:
“And Virgin’s digital-only rival BBC Radio 6 Music had a stonking quarter, up 8.4% year-on-year at 2.49m – it’s now back in front of Kisstory (2.2m, up 22.1% year-on-year) and the biggest digital station. The result for 6 Music comes 10 years after the BBC announcement that the station would close - a decision later reversed. Meanwhile, 1Xtra is still hovering around a million, but slips back with a 6.5% decline year-on-year to 987,000. BBC Radio 3 had its biggest audience since 2016 (2.13m, up 16.4% year-on-year)”.
It is testament to the dedication of the broadcasters and the quality of the shows that means BBC Radio 6 Music will continue to swell and build its empire. It is shocking to imagine what could have been if the BBC had scrapped the station in 2010! There were plenty of articles published around the time perplexed by the BBC’s cut plans.
IN THIS PHOTO: Mary Anne Hobbs at Jumbo Records in 2019 - Hobbs can be heard weekdays from 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. on BBC Radio 6 Music/PHOTO CREDIT: BBC
Music news presenters like Matt Everitt, Georgie Rogers, Helen Weatherhead, Siobhán McAndrew, and Clare Crane keep us informed of all the latest happenings and need-to-know announcements…and one often overlooks the dedicated producers who do not get the same credit as presenters but are invaluable and ensure we actually get to hear a show! I think we can put the issue of diversification, sonically, to bed, as one of the most frequent things I see on social media related to BBC Radio 6 Music is how varied they are! Not only does this extend to the classics and well-known tracks, but the brand-new stuff. Not limited by genre, the station throws the door open to the best music around. I first encountered BBC Radio 6 Music quite a few years after it started, but I have found so many artists through them; many I have written about and follow closely. In the same vein, I am always picking up on songs I had forgotten about, those that BBC Radio 6 Music bring back into my life. Whether it is Jon Hillcock, Lauren Laverne, Tom Ravenscroft or Tom Robinson digging up some new brilliance, or Marc Riley and the ultra-cool Huey Morgan offering up some tasty cuts, there is no station like BBC Radio 6 Music! I have not even mentioned the wonderful Amy Lamé and Nemone - check out their incredible shows! (The marvellous Katie Puckrik and Huw Stephens are passionate stand-in presenters who would be popular in a larger role). It was only eight years into its life that BBC Radio 6 Music was faced with extinction. By July 2010, a BBC Trust announced that it had rejected plans by the BBC to close the station; though the mere suggestion BBC Radio 6 Music is expendable is laughable. The station has grown since but, even a decade ago, the BBC Trust knew that BBC Radio 6 Music was highly-valued and offered a rich contribution.
By 2018, BBC Radio 6 Music was the most-listened-to digital-only station; it brings new listeners in all of the time, and there will never be talk again of closures or cutbacks. The station is not perfect, I’ll admit: the comparative lack of female broadcasters is alarming (even if there is more balance in terms of gender when it comes to producers), and I think there could be greater recruitment in that area. We have Gemma Cairney (who presents The Leisure Society) and Georgie Rogers on the music news – who, as I have said many times, is qualified and popular enough to helm her own show. This is an aside because, aside from some minor quibbles, BBC Radio 6 Music goes from strength to strength! The dedication of its broadcasters, producers, and staff will ensure the station continues to draw in new listeners for decades to come. It is humbling to think that, in a matter of weeks, BBC Radio 6 Music will be eighteen! In 2002, albums like The Streets’ Original Pirate Material, Queens of the Stone Age’s Songs for the Deaf, and Norah Jones’ Come Away with Me were turning heads. In the middle of an eclectic and exciting year for music, this fledgling station was coming into the world. BBC Radio 6 Music responds with the times, and it keeps its music roster fresh and multifarious. There are great features one gets hooked on, and there is this addictive, warm quality that means, once tuned in, one is hooked!
In its third decade (making me feel old!), I can see new successes for BBC Radio 6 Music. The 6 Music Festival is back and coming from Camden this year. It runs from 6th-8th March, and you can see more details here. Keep abreast of all the latest happenings via the station’s Instagram and fantastic Twitter accounts. Go and see all the latest videos and live sessions on BBC Radio 6 Music’s YouTube channel. I think the fact BBC Radio 6 Music is alternative and strays away from the mainstream is appealing to people. Whereas other big BBC stations tend to have a defined demographic, BBC Radio 6 Music speaks to listeners of all ages and tastes. A decade after the station was threatened with closure, the future looks very bright for BBC Radio 6 Music! I think the success and growing popularity of BBC Radio 6 Music has inspired so many people to get into radio; it has influenced others to start their own podcast and, actually, I wouldn’t be surprised to see another digital station appear on the BBC that builds on BBC Radio 6 Music and adds in new angles and ideas – a sister station that would have a similar ethos. On 11th March, the station turns eighteen and leaves college; it is bound for university, it can buy alcohol and it is an adult. So many people remember when BBC Radio 6 Music was an infant and finding its feet - my, how our child has grown! Now, it is one of the jewels in the BBC crown, and a station that offers so, so much. Artists consider it a badge of honour being played on BBC Radio 6 Music and, with so many stations providing very little in the way of entertainment, variety and wide-ranging music, we are very lucky to have BBC Radio 6 Music! It is only left for us to raise a glass and wish this sensational station…
IMAGE CREDIT: BBC
ONE hell of a birthday!