Wednesday, 3rd March 2010
LILY ALLEN has leant her weight to the growing campaign to save 6 Music, the BBC radio station which has been put up for the chop by the broadcaster's management.
"It will be awful if they do decide to close BBC 6 Music, and I hope that the backlash they've received so far will make them think twice," Allen told The Guardian.
"Clearly it will continue to cause an uproar, which is the last thing the BBC want."
That uproar has so far gained over 100,000 supporters via a Facebook campaign, as well as stars of the British music scene.
"For new artists to lose this station would be a great shame," said David Bowie, referring to 6 Music's role of showcasing new and unusual acts.
What puzzles onlookers is that the output provided by 6 Music is exactly the kind of distinctive programming BBC high-ups say they want to concentrate on.
BBC chief Mark Thompson has looked ill at ease when asked to square this circle in interviews, or, as Allen says on Twitter, “hmmmmmmm, mark thompson. squirmy wormy. stutter stutter.”
Nor do cost control reasons make much sense. The BBC says it wants to save £600M, but 6 Music costs somewhere between £6M and £9M a year.
Allen has an answer to the puzzle.
"We're in the run-up to a general election in which it's looking increasingly likely that David Cameron will be our prime minister," she said.
"I think that whatever decisions are being made now are being done so with a view to who will be in charge of the country this time next year."
Cameron's Tories have long demanded the BBC concentrate on what it sees as core areas, believing private broadcasters should fill any gaps left by BBC retrenchment.
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