BBC 6 Music
Encyclopedia
BBC 6 Music is one of the BBC's digital
radio stations, was launched on 11 March 2002 and originally codenamed Network Y. It was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years.
It is available only on digital media: DAB radio
, the Internet, digital television
, and in northern Europe through the Astra 2A
satellite. The station plays "alternative" genres of music, including indie
(which includes indie pop
, indie folk
, indietronica
, shoegaze, post-punk
, goth rock, garage rock revival, grunge
& brit pop etc.), wonky pop
, classic rock
, cock rock
, punk
, funk
, Jamaican music, blues
, folk rock
, soul music
, jazz
, trip hop
, hip hop
, classic dance
, krautrock
& art rock
. It is claimed to be an alternative to the mainstream chart
oriented Radio 1
and Radio 2
. It operates a playlist of similar 'A/B/C' structure to Radio 1.In actuality it regularly shares selective tracks on its 'A' playlist with radio 1's 'A' list (& other tracks played on mainstream stations that have a high play), although less reliant upon than the more mainstream stations.
6 Music features BBC music archives (including the "Peel Sessions" put together by John Peel
from the late 1960s to his death).
In July 2010 the BBC Trust
announced it had rejected a proposal by the BBC to close 6 Music in order to provide commercial rivals more room. The Trust commented that the station was "well-liked by its listeners, was highly distinctive and made an important contribution." In the second quarter of 2010, 6 Music was reported to be the most listened to BBC digital radio station with an average weekly audience of 1.194 million.
).
The station opened at 7 am, Monday, 11 March 2002, with a show presented by Phill Jupitus
. At the start-up, presenters included Liz Kershaw
, Andrew Collins
, Tom Robinson
, Gideon Coe
, Janice Long
, Chris Hawkins
, Gary Burton
, Craig Charles
, Stuart Maconie
, Brinsley Forde
, Suggs
, Clare McDonnell
, Bruce Dickinson
, Tracey MacLeod
, Sean Hughes
, and Bob Harris
.
6 Music attracted criticism for changing daytime schedules during late 2007 and early 2008. In response, Lesley Douglas
, Controller of BBC Radio 2
and 6 Music at the time, said that the changes were intended to attract more female listeners. She claimed that men listened to music in an intellectual way while women were more emotionally attached. This in turn brought on more criticism of perceived sexism on Douglas' part.
In March 2006, BBC 6 Music moved from Broadcasting House
to new studios in the adjacent Western House.
claimed that Mark Thompson
, Director General of the BBC, proposed closure as part of a bid to scale back BBC operations and allow commercial rivals more room. A high profile campaign to oppose closure of the station attracted media attention and led to "#SaveBBC6Music" quickly becoming a trending topic on Twitter. A Facebook group set up to oppose the proposed closure gained nearly 180,000 members.
The Sunday Times
reported that following the public outcry over the proposed closure, 6 Music would be rebranded as Radio 2 Extra, retaining a similar playlist but broadcasting for only 12 hours a day but Tim Davie, head of audio and music at the BBC, denied this was a possibility.
Five months after rumours of closure first emerged, the BBC Trust announced that it was not convinced by the BBC Executive's plans and that the station would not be closed.
In the first quarter of 2011 some BBC radio services, including 6 Music, were part of an efficiency review conducted by John Myers. His role, according to Andrew Harrison, the chief executive of RadioCentre, was "to identify both areas of best practice and possible savings." The Telegraph
suggested that this was due to 'commercial sector criticism' whist The Guardian
cited an National Audit Office
report.
. In 2006 presenter Marc Riley
won a Silver award for The Music Radio Personality of the Year. In April 2008, comedy duo Adam and Joe
's 6 Music Saturday morning show
won the Broadcasting Press Guild
award for Radio Programme of the Year. George Lamb
also won the Sony 'Rising Star' award. In May 2009, Adam and Joe won three Sony Radio Silver awards.
Following the announcement that 6 Music was to be closed, Adam and Joe won the best comedy prize at the Sony Awards in May 2010, with Jarvis Cocker
winning the rising star award, voted for by listeners, for their 6 Music shows.
According to the BBC's service review of Radio 2 and 6 Music, published in February 2010, the average age of 6 Music listeners is 36, which it considers too low. The review implied that the deficiency in appeal to female listeners apparent in 2007 was still in existence, and that there should be changes to attract more listeners from ethnic minorities and lower income groups. However, the review did not give details of the scale of these issues.
Following the proposal to close the station, online listening figures rose significantly. The number of unique online listeners rose to an average of 133,653 in March 2010, up 50 per cent on the previous March. When the RAJAR
listening figures were released in May 2010, it was revealed that 6 Music had an average of 1.02 million listeners in the first three months of the year, compared to 695,000 the previous year.
In 2011, 6 Music had a total audience of 1.3 million listeners in the three months to March 27, up from 1.14m in the previous quarter, according to the latest data from the Radio Joint Audience Research (RAJAR) board. Buoyed by shows from high-profile DJs such as Jarvis Cocker, Huey Morgan and Lauren Laverne, 6 Music has also grown its audience from 1.02m in the first quarter of 2010.
In May 2008 George Lamb
was reprimanded for using his programme to back Conservative candidate Boris Johnson
for London mayor
.
Digital radio in the United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, the roll-out of digital radio is proceeding since test transmissions were started by the BBC in 1990. The UK currently has the world's biggest digital radio network, with 103 transmitters, two national DAB ensembles and 48 local and regional DAB ensembles...
radio stations, was launched on 11 March 2002 and originally codenamed Network Y. It was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years.
It is available only on digital media: DAB radio
Digital audio broadcasting
Digital Audio Broadcasting is a digital radio technology for broadcasting radio stations, used in several countries, particularly in Europe. As of 2006, approximately 1,000 stations worldwide broadcast in the DAB format....
, the Internet, digital television
Digital television
Digital television is the transmission of audio and video by digital signals, in contrast to the analog signals used by analog TV...
, and in northern Europe through the Astra 2A
Astra 2A
Astra 2A is a communications satellite owned by SES Astra. Launched in 1998, half its expected end-of-life capacity of 28 transponders were pre-booked by BSkyB, who utilised it to launch their new Sky Digital service...
satellite. The station plays "alternative" genres of music, including indie
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
(which includes indie pop
Indie pop
Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
, indie folk
Indie folk
Indie folk is a music genre that arose in the 1990s from singer/songwriters in the indie rock community showing heavy influences from folk music scenes of the 50s, 60s and early 70s, country music, and indie rock. A few early artists included Lou Barlow, Beck, Jeff Buckley and Elliott Smith...
, indietronica
Indietronica
Indietronica is a music genre that combines indie, electronica, rock and pop music. Typical instruments used in indietronica music are electronic keyboard, synthesizer, sampler and drum machine...
, shoegaze, post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
, goth rock, garage rock revival, grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
& brit pop etc.), wonky pop
Wonky Pop
Wonky Pop was a term used to describe a loose grouping of musical acts that played what the BBC called "quirky, catchy and credible pop", rooted in the eccentric side of 1980s pop music, which was briefly popular in the late 2000s...
, classic rock
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
, cock rock
Cock rock
Cock rock is a term, typically used derogatively, to describe a style of rock music that emphasised an aggressive form of male sexuality. It developed in the later 1960s and came to prominence in the 1970s and 1980s.-Use of the term:...
, punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
, funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
, Jamaican music, blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, folk rock
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
, soul music
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, trip hop
Trip hop
Trip hop is a music genre consisting of downtempo electronic music which originated in the early 1990s in England, especially Bristol. Deriving from "post"-acid house, the term was first used by the British music media and press as a way to describe the more experimental variant of breakbeat which...
, hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
, classic dance
Electronic dance music
Electronic dance music is electronic music produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment...
, krautrock
Krautrock
Krautrock is a generic name for the experimental music scenes that appeared in Germany in the late 1960s and gained popularity throughout the 1970s, especially in Britain. The term is a result of the English-speaking world's reception of the music at the time and not a reference to any one...
& art rock
Art rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, with influences from art, avant-garde, and classical music. The first usage of the term, according to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, was in 1968. Influenced by the work of The Beatles, most notably their Sgt...
. It is claimed to be an alternative to the mainstream chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
oriented Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
and Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
. It operates a playlist of similar 'A/B/C' structure to Radio 1.In actuality it regularly shares selective tracks on its 'A' playlist with radio 1's 'A' list (& other tracks played on mainstream stations that have a high play), although less reliant upon than the more mainstream stations.
6 Music features BBC music archives (including the "Peel Sessions" put together by John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
from the late 1960s to his death).
In July 2010 the BBC Trust
BBC Trust
The BBC Trust is the governing body of the British Broadcasting Corporation. It is operationally independent of BBC management and external bodies, and aims to act in the best interests of licence fee payers....
announced it had rejected a proposal by the BBC to close 6 Music in order to provide commercial rivals more room. The Trust commented that the station was "well-liked by its listeners, was highly distinctive and made an important contribution." In the second quarter of 2010, 6 Music was reported to be the most listened to BBC digital radio station with an average weekly audience of 1.194 million.
History
BBC 6 Music was proposed in October 2000 as a "digital-only" radio station and named "Network Y". ("Network X" became BBC 1Xtra and "Network Z" BBC 7BBC 7
BBC Radio 4 Extra, formerly known as BBC 7 and BBC Radio 7, is a British digital radio station broadcasting comedy, drama, and children's programming nationally 24 hours a day. It is the principal broadcasting outlet for the BBC's archive of spoken-word entertainment...
).
The station opened at 7 am, Monday, 11 March 2002, with a show presented by Phill Jupitus
Phill Jupitus
Phillip Christopher Jupitus is an English stand-up and improvised comedian, actor, performance poet, musician and podcaster....
. At the start-up, presenters included Liz Kershaw
Liz Kershaw
Liz Kershaw is a UK radio broadcaster.-Early career:The elder sister of fellow broadcaster and world music exponent Andy Kershaw, she began her career as a pop journalist for the Yorkshire Post before joining Leeds station Radio Aire, where her brother also worked for a time.While in Leeds, she...
, Andrew Collins
Andrew Collins (broadcaster)
Andrew Collins is the creator and writer of Radio 4 sitcom Mr Blue Sky. His TV writing work includes EastEnders and the sitcoms Grass and Not Going Out .-Personal life:Collins was a member of the Labour Party between the late 1980s and early 1990s, leaving after Labour's...
, Tom Robinson
Tom Robinson
Tom Robinson is an English singer-songwriter, bassist and radio presenter, better known for the hits "Glad to Be Gay", "2-4-6-8 Motorway", and "Don't Take No for an Answer", with his Tom Robinson Band...
, Gideon Coe
Gideon Coe
Gideon "The Guv'nor" Coe is a radio DJ, presenter, sportscaster, voiceover artist and journalist.Coe was one of the child presenters of the BBC 1 children's programme "Why Don't You?"....
, Janice Long
Janice Long
Janice Long is an English radio broadcaster currently working on BBC Radio 2. Her show is on Sunday to Thursday nights from midnight to 02:00. She is the older sister of TV and radio personality Keith Chegwin.-Early career:...
, Chris Hawkins
Chris Hawkins
Chris Hawkins is a presenter, performance DJ, reporter, journalist, producer, and music pundit....
, Gary Burton
Gary Burton
Gary Burton is an American jazz vibraphonist.A true original on the vibraphone, Burton developed a pianistic style of four-mallet technique as an alternative to the usual two-mallets. This approach caused Burton to be heralded as an innovator and his sound and technique are widely imitated...
, Craig Charles
Craig Charles
Craig Joseph Charles is an English actor, stand-up comedian, author, poet, radio and television presenter, best known for playing Dave Lister in the British cult-favourite science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf...
, Stuart Maconie
Stuart Maconie
Stuart Maconie is an English radio DJ and television presenter, writer, journalist, and critic working in the field of of pop music and popular culture. He is currently a presenter on BBC 6 Music, where he hosts an afternoon show five times a week , alongside Mark Radcliffe, called the Radcliffe...
, Brinsley Forde
Brinsley Forde
Brinsley Allan Forde is best known as the founding member of the reggae band, Aswad and as a child actor in the children's television series, Here Come the Double Deckers ....
, Suggs
Suggs (singer)
Graham McPherson , better known as Suggs, is an English singer, actor, former radio DJ, TV personality, and most famous as the frontman of the band Madness.-Early life:...
, Clare McDonnell
Clare McDonnell
Clare McDonnell is a Sony Radio Academy Awards winning British radio broadcaster and presenter.- Career :Clare began as a reporter in local radio in England, and from there moved on to be a radio presenter....
, Bruce Dickinson
Bruce Dickinson
Paul Bruce Dickinson is an English singer, songwriter, airline pilot, fencer, broadcaster, author, screenwriter, actor and marketing director, best known as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden....
, Tracey MacLeod
Tracey MacLeod
Tracey MacLeod is a journalist and broadcaster who has presented a range of BBC arts and music programming, including The Late Show 1989-95 and its musical offshoots New West and Words and Music, Edinburgh Nights The Booker Prize and The Mercury Music Prize...
, Sean Hughes
Sean Hughes (comedian)
Sean Hughes is a British-Irish stand-up comedian, writer and actor.-Career:Hughes was born in London, but spent most of his youth in Firhouse, Dublin...
, and Bob Harris
Bob Harris (radio)
Robert Brinley Joseph "Bob" Harris, OBE , known as "Whispering" Bob Harris, is British radio host who currently works for BBC Radio 2, presenting music two nights a week...
.
6 Music attracted criticism for changing daytime schedules during late 2007 and early 2008. In response, Lesley Douglas
Lesley Douglas
Lesley Douglas is a former British radio executive. She was the Controller of BBC Radio 2 and 6 Music from early 2004 until her resignation in October 2008 over the Russell Brand Show prank telephone calls row.-Early life:...
, Controller of BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
and 6 Music at the time, said that the changes were intended to attract more female listeners. She claimed that men listened to music in an intellectual way while women were more emotionally attached. This in turn brought on more criticism of perceived sexism on Douglas' part.
In March 2006, BBC 6 Music moved from Broadcasting House
Broadcasting House
Broadcasting House is the headquarters and registered office of the BBC in Portland Place and Langham Place, London.The building includes the BBC Radio Theatre from where music and speech programmes are recorded in front of a studio audience...
to new studios in the adjacent Western House.
Proposed closure
In February 2010, in anticipation of a review by the BBC Trust, newspaper reports suggested 6 Music might be axed. The review stopped short of recommending closure but noted that only one in five UK residents were aware the station existed, and that it lacked presenters with credibility as music experts. The TimesThe Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
claimed that Mark Thompson
Mark Thompson
Mark John Thompson is Director-General of the BBC, a post he has held since 2004, and a former chief executive of Channel 4...
, Director General of the BBC, proposed closure as part of a bid to scale back BBC operations and allow commercial rivals more room. A high profile campaign to oppose closure of the station attracted media attention and led to "#SaveBBC6Music" quickly becoming a trending topic on Twitter. A Facebook group set up to oppose the proposed closure gained nearly 180,000 members.
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
reported that following the public outcry over the proposed closure, 6 Music would be rebranded as Radio 2 Extra, retaining a similar playlist but broadcasting for only 12 hours a day but Tim Davie, head of audio and music at the BBC, denied this was a possibility.
Five months after rumours of closure first emerged, the BBC Trust announced that it was not convinced by the BBC Executive's plans and that the station would not be closed.
In the first quarter of 2011 some BBC radio services, including 6 Music, were part of an efficiency review conducted by John Myers. His role, according to Andrew Harrison, the chief executive of RadioCentre, was "to identify both areas of best practice and possible savings." The Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
suggested that this was due to 'commercial sector criticism' whist The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
cited an National Audit Office
National Audit Office
National Audit Office can refer to:* Australian National Audit Office* National Audit Office * National Audit Office of the People's Republic of China* Swedish National Audit Office...
report.
Nominations and awards
Several of BBC 6 Music's presenters and shows have won Sony Radio Academy AwardsSony Radio Academy Awards
The Sony Radio Academy Awards , started in 1983, are some of the most prestigious awards in the British radio industry. They are run by ZAFER Associates in association with the Radio Academy...
. In 2006 presenter Marc Riley
Marc Riley
Marc Riley is a British musician, alternative rock critic and radio DJ on BBC 6 Music. Formerly a member of The Fall, he had his own record label, In-Tape, and also worked as a record plugger...
won a Silver award for The Music Radio Personality of the Year. In April 2008, comedy duo Adam and Joe
Adam and Joe
Adam Buxton and Joe Cornish are British comedy performers known together as Adam and Joe. They are best known for presenting Adam and Joe on BBC 6 Music, and The Adam and Joe Show on Channel 4 from 1996 to 2001.-History:...
's 6 Music Saturday morning show
Adam and Joe (radio show)
Adam and Joe is a Sony Award winning radio show on BBC 6 Music presented by Adam and Joe; comedians Adam Buxton and Joe Cornish. The show began in October 2007 and runs for three hours in a Saturday morning slot, originally from 9:00am to 12:00pm before moving to 10:00am to 1:00pm...
won the Broadcasting Press Guild
Broadcasting Press Guild
The Broadcasting Press Guild is a British association of journalists who specialise in writing and broadcasting about television, radio and the media generally....
award for Radio Programme of the Year. George Lamb
George Lamb (presenter)
George Martin Lamb is a Scottish-born British radio and TV presenter. He is the son of actor Larry Lamb.-Career:Lamb's radio career peaked with presenting his own daytime show on BBC Radio 6 Music for two years from October 2007 to November 2009, before being moved the early weekend mornings for 6...
also won the Sony 'Rising Star' award. In May 2009, Adam and Joe won three Sony Radio Silver awards.
Following the announcement that 6 Music was to be closed, Adam and Joe won the best comedy prize at the Sony Awards in May 2010, with Jarvis Cocker
Jarvis Cocker
Jarvis Branson Cocker is an English musician and frontman for the band Pulp. Through his work with the band, Cocker became a figurehead of the Britpop movement of the mid-1990s. Following Pulp's hiatus Cocker has led a successful solo career...
winning the rising star award, voted for by listeners, for their 6 Music shows.
Ratings and listenership
In February 2010, 6 Music was reported as showing growth in its audience, winning an audience of 695,000 listeners, up 12.3% year-on-year. However, in the quarter to December 2009, its 'reach' (proportion of the adult population who listen for at least 5 minutes in the course of an average week) was 1%, and Total Survey Area share (of total listening time) was 0.4%.According to the BBC's service review of Radio 2 and 6 Music, published in February 2010, the average age of 6 Music listeners is 36, which it considers too low. The review implied that the deficiency in appeal to female listeners apparent in 2007 was still in existence, and that there should be changes to attract more listeners from ethnic minorities and lower income groups. However, the review did not give details of the scale of these issues.
Following the proposal to close the station, online listening figures rose significantly. The number of unique online listeners rose to an average of 133,653 in March 2010, up 50 per cent on the previous March. When the RAJAR
RAJAR
RAJAR was established in 1992 to operate a single audience measurement system for the radio industry in the United Kingdom. RAJAR is jointly owned by the British Broadcasting Corporation and the RadioCentre...
listening figures were released in May 2010, it was revealed that 6 Music had an average of 1.02 million listeners in the first three months of the year, compared to 695,000 the previous year.
In 2011, 6 Music had a total audience of 1.3 million listeners in the three months to March 27, up from 1.14m in the previous quarter, according to the latest data from the Radio Joint Audience Research (RAJAR) board. Buoyed by shows from high-profile DJs such as Jarvis Cocker, Huey Morgan and Lauren Laverne, 6 Music has also grown its audience from 1.02m in the first quarter of 2010.
Press coverage
In 2007 BBC 6 Music was in the press because of scandals over rigged competitions. It emerged that in 2006 the Liz Kershaw Show faked a competition by using producers and their friends as 'competition winners', leading to the firing of a junior producer. On 20 September 2007, it was announced that the Head of Programmes, Ric Blaxill, had resigned.In May 2008 George Lamb
George Lamb (presenter)
George Martin Lamb is a Scottish-born British radio and TV presenter. He is the son of actor Larry Lamb.-Career:Lamb's radio career peaked with presenting his own daytime show on BBC Radio 6 Music for two years from October 2007 to November 2009, before being moved the early weekend mornings for 6...
was reprimanded for using his programme to back Conservative candidate Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson is a British journalist and Conservative Party politician, who has been the elected Mayor of London since 2008...
for London mayor
London mayoral election, 2008
The London mayoral election, 2008 for the office of Mayor of London was held on 1 May 2008 and was won by Conservative Party candidate Boris Johnson....
.
Station management
- Ric BlaxillRic Blaxill- Career :From 1988 to 1994, he was Producer/Senior Producer at BBC Radio 1, and 1994 to 1997, he was a Producer and Executive Producer, BBC 1's Top of the Pops, and later A&R Director for Independiente Records....
– Head of Programmes 2004–2007 - Bob ShennanBob ShennanRobert Duncan James Shennan is a British radio executive who was appointed as Controller of BBC Radio 2 and BBC 6 Music in January 2009.-Early life:...
– Network Controller 2009–
Current
- Andrew CollinsAndrew Collins (broadcaster)Andrew Collins is the creator and writer of Radio 4 sitcom Mr Blue Sky. His TV writing work includes EastEnders and the sitcoms Grass and Not Going Out .-Personal life:Collins was a member of the Labour Party between the late 1980s and early 1990s, leaving after Labour's...
& Josie LongJosie LongJosie Long is an English comedian.-Background:Long spent her early life in Orpington, South East London, where she attended Newstead Wood School for Girls in Swift House. She also attended GIFT Ltd. summer schools. She began performing stand-up comedy at 14, winning the BBC New Comedy Awards at...
(Saturday mid-mornings) - Craig CharlesCraig CharlesCraig Joseph Charles is an English actor, stand-up comedian, author, poet, radio and television presenter, best known for playing Dave Lister in the British cult-favourite science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf...
(Funk & Soul Show) - Jarvis CockerJarvis CockerJarvis Branson Cocker is an English musician and frontman for the band Pulp. Through his work with the band, Cocker became a figurehead of the Britpop movement of the mid-1990s. Following Pulp's hiatus Cocker has led a successful solo career...
(Sunday afternoons) - Gideon CoeGideon CoeGideon "The Guv'nor" Coe is a radio DJ, presenter, sportscaster, voiceover artist and journalist.Coe was one of the child presenters of the BBC 1 children's programme "Why Don't You?"....
(Monday – Thursday evenings) - Guy GarveyGuy GarveyGuy Edward John Patrick Garvey , is the singer/guitarist in the band Elbow, as well as a presenter for BBC 6 Music and A&R manager of Skinny Dog Records...
(Sunday evenings) - Chris HawkinsChris HawkinsChris Hawkins is a presenter, performance DJ, reporter, journalist, producer, and music pundit....
(Weekday and Weekend early breakfast) - Jon HolmesJon HolmesJon Holmes is a seven time Sony award-winning and double Bafta winning British writer, comedian and broadcaster.-Early life:...
(Saturday early evening) - Shaun KeavenyShaun KeavenyShaun William Keaveny is a British broadcaster, who presents the breakfast show on digital radio station BBC 6 Music.- Career :He played guitar for John Ariss in the student band Mosque between 1987 and 1993....
(Weekday breakfast)
- Liz KershawLiz KershawLiz Kershaw is a UK radio broadcaster.-Early career:The elder sister of fellow broadcaster and world music exponent Andy Kershaw, she began her career as a pop journalist for the Yorkshire Post before joining Leeds station Radio Aire, where her brother also worked for a time.While in Leeds, she...
(Saturday lunchtime) - Steve LamacqSteve LamacqSteve Lamacq , sometimes known by his nicknames Lammo or "The Cat" is an English disc jockey, currently working with the BBC radio stations BBC 6 Music and BBC Radio 2.-Early career:He was born in Basingstoke, Hampshire...
(Weekday drivetime) - Lauren LaverneLauren LaverneLauren Cecilia Fisher , known professionally as Lauren Laverne, is an English radio DJ, television presenter, author and singer...
(Weekday mid-mornings) - Don LettsDon LettsDon Letts is a British film director and musician. He is credited as the man who through his DJing at clubs like The Roxy brought together punk and reggae music.-Biography:...
(Sunday – Monday late nights) - Stuart MaconieStuart MaconieStuart Maconie is an English radio DJ and television presenter, writer, journalist, and critic working in the field of of pop music and popular culture. He is currently a presenter on BBC 6 Music, where he hosts an afternoon show five times a week , alongside Mark Radcliffe, called the Radcliffe...
(Weekday afternoons (Radcliffe & Maconie), Freak Zone (Sunday, early evening)) - Mark RadcliffeMark RadcliffeMark Radcliffe is an English broadcaster who has worked in various roles for the BBC since the 1980s and remains one of Britain's most recognised DJs. He is currently a presenter on BBC Radio 2 and BBC 6 Music, where he hosts an afternoon show five times a week alongside Stuart Maconie, called...
(Weekday afternoons (Radcliffe & Maconie)) - Cerys MatthewsCerys MatthewsCerys Elizabeth Matthews is a Welsh singer and songwriter. She is known as the lead singer of the Welsh rock band Catatonia, her more recent bilingual solo career, and for a 1998 Christmas duet with Tom Jones.-Biography:...
(Sunday mornings) - NemoneNemoneNemone Metaxas is a British DJ, Radio Presenter, Television Presenter/Producer and former athlete of Greek descent.Her family's Greek ancestral village is in Sekhia and the family name is `Anastasakis'....
(Weekend breakfast) - Huey Morgan (Sunday afternoons)
- Marc RileyMarc RileyMarc Riley is a British musician, alternative rock critic and radio DJ on BBC 6 Music. Formerly a member of The Fall, he had his own record label, In-Tape, and also worked as a record plugger...
(Monday – Thursday evenings) - Tom RavenscroftTom RavenscroftThomas James Dalglish Ravenscroft is a radio presenter. He is the son of the late Radio 1 DJ John Peel.He currently presents Global Soundtracks, an experimental music podcast and the Friday 9pm-midnight slot on BBC 6 Music, having previously sat in for other DJs on the station, including Tom...
(Friday evenings) - Tom RobinsonTom RobinsonTom Robinson is an English singer-songwriter, bassist and radio presenter, better known for the hits "Glad to Be Gay", "2-4-6-8 Motorway", and "Don't Take No for an Answer", with his Tom Robinson Band...
(Friday evenings, BBC Introducing...)
Past
- George LambGeorge LambGeorge Lamb was a British politician and writer.The youngest son of Peniston Lamb, 1st Viscount Melbourne and his wife Elizabeth, and the brother of William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, Frederick Lamb, 3rd Viscount Melbourne and Emily Lamb, Lady Cowper, he was educated at Eton College and Trinity...
- Asha
- Bob DylanBob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
- Nick ConradNick ConradNick Conrad is a British radio and television presenter. He presents a daily phone-in programme on BBC Radio Norfolk in Norwich, which he describes as the programme 'that gets the whole county talking'...
- Russell BrandRussell BrandRussell Edward Brand is an English comedian, actor, columnist, singer, author and radio/television presenter.Brand achieved mainstream fame in the UK in 2004 for his role as host of Big Brother spin-off, Big Brother's Big Mouth. His first major film role was in the 2007 film St Trinians...
, Matt MorganMatt Morgan (comedian)Matthew "Matt" Morgan is an English comedian, actor, writer, DJ and radio presenter. He is best known for his work with Russell Brand, with whom he shared numerous writing credits, as well as co-hosting The Russell Brand Show on BBC Radio 2 and BBC 6 Music.-Writing:Morgan met Russell Brand when he...
and Trevor LockTrevor LockTrevor Lock is an English comedian, actor and playwright. He is noted for the circuitous and surreal nature of his stand-up comedy.-Early life:Lock was born in Lincolnshire... - Jen BristerJen BristerJen Brister was born in February 1975 and is a stand-up comedian from South London.Brister studied theatre at Middlesex University, where she took a course in stand-up comedy in the mid 90s, which was the only course of its kind at the time in the UK...
- Gary Burton
- Andrew CollinsAndrew Collins (broadcaster)Andrew Collins is the creator and writer of Radio 4 sitcom Mr Blue Sky. His TV writing work includes EastEnders and the sitcoms Grass and Not Going Out .-Personal life:Collins was a member of the Labour Party between the late 1980s and early 1990s, leaving after Labour's...
- Gary CrowleyGary CrowleyGary Crowley is an English broadcaster and DJ.When he was at school in the late Seventies Crowley started a punk fanzine titled The Modern World, interviewing some of the most important bands of the day including the Sex Pistols, the Clash and the Jam.After leaving school he took up a junior...
- Brinsley FordeBrinsley FordeBrinsley Allan Forde is best known as the founding member of the reggae band, Aswad and as a child actor in the children's television series, Here Come the Double Deckers ....
- Natasha DesboroughNatasha DesboroughNatasha Desborough is a radio presenter, author, DJ, and radio and television producer. Her debut book, Parental Advisory Manual, was published in October 2009....
- Bruce DickinsonBruce DickinsonPaul Bruce Dickinson is an English singer, songwriter, airline pilot, fencer, broadcaster, author, screenwriter, actor and marketing director, best known as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden....
- Jane GazzoJane GazzoJane Gazzo is an Australian television presenter, radio presenter, performance and club DJ, television personality, voice artist, and music journalist....
– Jane Gazzo's Dream TicketJane Gazzo's Dream TicketJane Gazzo's Dream Ticket was a music radio show on BBC 6 Music, presented by Jane Gazzo from July 5, 2004 to September 29, 2005.It operates on the premise of making a Dream Ticket or Ultimate Gig requested by its listeners, and carefully chosen and drawn by the producer and staff from the BBC... - Bob HarrisBob Harris (radio)Robert Brinley Joseph "Bob" Harris, OBE , known as "Whispering" Bob Harris, is British radio host who currently works for BBC Radio 2, presenting music two nights a week...
- Clare McDonnellClare McDonnellClare McDonnell is a Sony Radio Academy Awards winning British radio broadcaster and presenter.- Career :Clare began as a reporter in local radio in England, and from there moved on to be a radio presenter....
- Russell HowardRussell HowardRussell Joseph Howard is an English comedian best known for his TV show Russell Howard's Good News and his appearances on the topical panel TV show Mock The Week...
- Sean HughesSean Hughes (comedian)Sean Hughes is a British-Irish stand-up comedian, writer and actor.-Career:Hughes was born in London, but spent most of his youth in Firhouse, Dublin...
- Iyare IgiehonIyare Igiehon-Early life:Igiehon grew up in London and studied Pop Music Studies at the University of Leeds and graduated with 1st class honours. Returning to London he worked as a recording engineer, mixing house tunes for Studio 33 in West London...
- Phill JupitusPhill JupitusPhillip Christopher Jupitus is an English stand-up and improvised comedian, actor, performance poet, musician and podcaster....
- Phil KennedyPhil KennedyPhil Kennedy is a British broadcaster who currently presents with two BBC Local Radio stations.-Biography:Phil's radio career began on Radio Jackie when it was still a pirate radio station, he then moved to Top Shop's instore radio station on London's Oxford Street...
- Janice LongJanice LongJanice Long is an English radio broadcaster currently working on BBC Radio 2. Her show is on Sunday to Thursday nights from midnight to 02:00. She is the older sister of TV and radio personality Keith Chegwin.-Early career:...
– Dream TicketDream TicketDream Ticket was a music radio show on BBC 6 Music, and on the air since the opening of the radio station in 2002 until 2007 with that show title... - Queens of NoizeQueens of NoizeQueens of Noize are an English indie/disco or Wonky pop DJ duo based in London. The constituent members are Mairead Nash and Tabitha Denholm.-Career:...
- Stephen MerchantStephen MerchantStephen James Merchant is an English writer, director, radio presenter, comedian, and actor. He is best known for his collaborations with Ricky Gervais, as the co-writer and co-director of the popular British sitcom The Office, as the co-writer, co-director and a co-star of Extras, and as the...
- Jayne MiddlemissJayne MiddlemissJayne Middlemiss is a London-based British television and radio presenter, originally from Northumberland. She began presenting music television shows such as The O-Zone and Top of the Pops in the mid '90s, before presenting a variety of other television and radio shows, including on BBC 6 Music...
- Tracey MacLeodTracey MacLeodTracey MacLeod is a journalist and broadcaster who has presented a range of BBC arts and music programming, including The Late Show 1989-95 and its musical offshoots New West and Words and Music, Edinburgh Nights The Booker Prize and The Mercury Music Prize...
- Vic McGlynnVic McGlynnVictoria Claire McGlynn, known as Vic McGlynn, is an English radio presenter and disc jockey ....
- Pete Mitchell
- Eddie PillerEddie PillerEddie Piller is an English DJ and record label entrepreneur.Starting his career in the 1980s as a part of the English mod revival, Piller launched the underground fanzine Extraordinary Sensations and operated as a DJ and concert promoter. In 1985, he started the Countdown Records label, through...
- Andrew Purcell
- Anita RaniAnita RaniAnita Rani is an English born ethnic Indian radio and television presenter and journalist.-Early life:Rani was born and raised in Bradford in Yorkshire, to a mother of Sikh origins, and Hindu father...
- Jon RichardsonJon Richardson (entertainer)Jon Joel Richardson is a British comedian.Jon co-hosted a Sunday morning radio show on BBC 6 Music with fellow comedian and friend Russell Howard, and continued to present the show himself after Howard left, until 7 March 2010...
- SuggsSuggs (singer)Graham McPherson , better known as Suggs, is an English singer, actor, former radio DJ, TV personality, and most famous as the frontman of the band Madness.-Early life:...
(Graham McPherson from the band MadnessMadness (band)In 1979, the band recorded the Lee Thompson composition "The Prince". The song, like the band's name, paid homage to their idol, Prince Buster. The song was released through 2 Tone Records, the label of The Specials founder Jerry Dammers. The song was a surprise hit, peaking in the UK music charts...
) - Philippa Treverton Jones
- Willan & Ghion
- Sean RowleySean RowleyNot to be confused with the late Sean Rowley from the band, Cause And Effect.Sean Rowley is a disc jockey on BBC London 94.9 and BBC Radio Kent....
- Clare GroganClare GroganClare Grogan is a Scottish actress and singer. She is sometimes credited as C. P. Grogan.-Early life:...
- Danny WallaceDanny Wallace (humourist)Daniel Frederick Wallace is a British filmmaker, comedian, writer, actor, and presenter of radio and television. His notable works include the books Join Me, Yes Man, and the TV series How to Start Your Own Country.He lives in London, with his wife, an Australian publicist...
- Richard Bacon
See also
- BBC Radio 1BBC Radio 1BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
- CBC Radio 3CBC Radio 3CBC Radio 3 is a radio station that consists of two parts devoted to Canadian arts and music: a radio service which is available on Sirius Satellite Radio and streaming audio, and several daily and weekly podcasts from the CBC Radio 3 website...
- Triple JTriple Jtriple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
- Studio BrusselStudio BrusselStudio Brussel is a radio station in Belgium, owned by the VRT. The music played is considered more alternative than the other big radio stations, and is aimed mainly at a youth audience....
- Le Mouv'Le Mouv'Le Mouv' is a French youth-oriented radio station which began broadcasting on 17 June 1997. As part of Radio France, it is a public radio station. The station primarily plays alternative rock. Initially based in Toulouse, it moved to Paris in December 2001. The radio station does not claim to be a...
- MDR Sputnik
- FM4FM4FM4 is an Austrian national radio station, operated by the ORF. Its main target is the youth audience, and much of the music output is characterised by an alternative rock and electronic music slant....
- Digital Audio Broadcast
- Internet radioInternet radioInternet radio is an audio service transmitted via the Internet...