The BBC today confirmed the strong rumours that it is set to scrap music station 6Music by 2013.
A report in The Times newspaper last week claimed to have unearthed a report outlining plans to withdraw various sections of the BBC in a downsizing project, and those findings have now been officially announced by the Director General Mark Thompson.
Thompson told BBC officials today that BBC 6Music and the BBC Asian Network would be casualties of the downgrading, and also revealed plans to end programmes such as Blast! and BBC Switch. In addition, the BBC intend to half the number of its website pages by 2013.
Thompson said the proposed changes would free up £600 million for the BBC, which would be re-invested in programme making. The review will now be submitted to the BBC Trust, who will make a final decision on the new plans.
The BBC has come under fire from some sections of the media over the past few years after details of large salaries for it’s presenters were leaked to the press. Critics have also suggested the public-funded corporation has become too large, and that license fee payers are not getting value for money. The decision to axe 6Music and the Asian Network has sparked fierce debate however, as both stations have a strong fanbase and are seen to provide a service for music fans which is not provided by the BBC’s main radio stations Radio 1 & 2. A Facebook campaign launched to show support for 6Music has attracted over 90,000 members to date.
Read our view on the proposed move here: