Now then! as Jimmy Saville once said.  There’s plenty of things you can do to help save 6 Music so let’s get cracking…

1. Take the BBC survey on these proposals

You can express your opinions on the proposal to close 6music by filling out the BBC consultation questionnaire.

A word of advice….type your answers in a word document and then copy and paste them into the boxes on the website.  A lot of people have said the site keeps crashing, we’re annoyed enough as it is without having re-type the same thing 15 times!  This is also means you can save it and come back to it as and when you please….just make sure you get it done before the 25th May!

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2. Send an email to the BBC

The decision to close 6 Music IS NOT final.  If enough people express their opinion to the BBC that 6music appeals to them and that people think it’s worth the licence fee then it will play a big part in turning around this ridiculous idea.  We’re currently in the consultation period which closes on 25th May, after which the final decision will be made, meaning now is the time to voice our concerns.  This will make a difference as the BBC is a public service broadcaster, meaning they have to listen to us….essentially we collectively own the BBC.

There’s been quite a few email addresses flying about, however, the one that really matters is this one srconsultation@bbc.co.uk.  By all means, email people at the BBC and the trust email address, but make sure you email the srconsultation@bbc.co.uk first, as this email address is directly related to the proposal to close 6music (it’s also the address that all the 6music presenters have been giving out).  You also need to attach a cover note to the email which can be found here.

I’m sure you lovely people are more than capable of expressing your love and opinion for 6music, but if you’re feeling lazy then here’s a template email you can copy…

NB. If you do write your own email, don’t slag off other TV or Radio stations on the BBC.  Simply declare your love for 6music, state you think its worth the licence fee and that its distinctly different from any other radio station available (BBC or commercial).

EMAIL TEMPLATE:

Subject:  Please Do Not Close 6 music

To whom it may concern,

I am writing to address proposals announced on 2nd March 2010 which suggest the possible closure of BBC 6music.

As a loyal supporter of the BBC and the licence fee, it is my belief that, contrary to the stated aim of closing 6music, I strongly believe it fulfils a remit that commercial broadcasting cannot, and indeed, one that it has repeatedly shown no interest in fulfilling.  I also believe the BBC does not offer anything similar to the output of 6 music in terms of content and quality.  I firmly belive 6music is great value for the licence fee and it would be a travesty on British culture to lose this quality output.

I understand that these proposals have to be considered and approved by the BBC Trust before any cuts are made, and so would like to add my voice to those requesting that the Trust strongly consider rejecting the call to close this station. It’s very existence proves the validity and necessity of both the license fee and the BBC, especially in an age when commercial pressure on public broadcast media is stronger than ever.

Finally, may I point you back to the values which the BBC hold as a public service broadcaster:

1: It enriches people’s lives

2: It educates, informs, and entertains

3: It celebrates diversity

4: It takes pride in delivering quality and value for money

5: Audiences are at the heart of everything it does.

I can think of no other part of the BBC which delivers all 5 of these values as magnificently as 6music does.  Please do not close 6music.

Kind regards,
[YOUR NAME]

Big props to www.jrhunt.co.uk and Seb Patrick who originally posted this.

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3. Listen to 6 Music

It sounds simple, and you’re probably already doing it, but listen to it through iPlayer as much as possible as the BBC can monitor the listener numbers directly.  If you listen to it through a DAB Radio or a TV then the BBC are not directly involved in the monitoring listenership through these mediums.  NB. some people have reported iPlayer isn’t loading, hopefully due to demand for people listening to 6music!  If this is the case for you, leave it for an hour or so and keep trying.  Click ‘Listen Live‘ at the top of this page.

Also, if you’ve been meaning to catch up on a 6musc show….do it!!!!  most recent 6music highlights here.

Downloading podcasts also helps the numbers….the perfect opportunity to try something new.  Do a spot of downloading right here.

If possible, send in emails and text messages (I know for a fact text messages are monitored) to 6music shows declaring your support, as well as getting involved with the features of each show.  Txt number is 64046.

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4. Comment on Tommo’s blog and his pal Davey

If you’ve still got some opinion ‘juice’ left in you comment on BBC’s Director General Mark Thompson’s blog – be nice now and state what’s positive about 6music….being negative about other parts of the BBC won’t help….add your comments here.  Tommo has posted this in response to the uproar caused by the proposed closure – read here.  You can email him here: mark.thompson@bbc.co.uk

Tim Davie, the director of BBC’s Audio & Music output has commented on the proposals.  His line is much the same as Tommo’s, so put your case forward to him by being positive about 6music and not saying any naughty words….post you comments here.  You can email him here: tim.davie@bbc.co.uk

Here’s some other email addresses of senior execs at the BBC who may have had a say in these proposals:

mark.byford@bbc.co.uk – Deputy Director General
bob.shennan@bbc.co.uk – Controller Radio 2 and 6music
will.jackson@bbc.co.uk – Head of Strategy, Audio & Music
john.tate@bbc.co.uk – Director of Policy & Strategy

Happy Emailing!

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5. Speak to your MP

What with it being an up and coming general election, those politicians will do anything to get your vote.  Make them work for you and put pressure on the BBC.  Get in touch with your upstanding local Member of Parliament here.  On another political tip try contacting the Department for Culture, Media & Sports here, as it’s their job to oversee the running of the Beeb.

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6. Sign a petition or two…or three…or four

You can sign a whole bunch of petitions….try these for starters

- 38 Degrees Petition

- Petition FM

-  Go Petition

- Avaaz petition

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7. Join the facebook group

You’ve most likely come via this Facebook group, but if not…join it!  Save 6 Music Facebook Group

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8. Spread the ‘Save 6 Music’ message

You can spread the word with this virtual Save 6 Music pin badge by putting it as your profile pic on Twitter, Facebook etc.  If you’d like to make some pin badges you can get the design here (it’s a PhotoShop (.PSD) file).

You can also wear a T-shirt, preferably with ‘Save 6 Music’ message on it – see bottom of page for full details.

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9. Have a laugh and take a breather…

I know this has all been a bit hard for us to take and many of us will be upset by the proposals…but hey!  let’s be positive about what we CAN do.  Here’s some funny bits of video that have cropped up over the past 24hrs….mainly Adam Buxton’s invitation to Mark ‘Tommo’ Thompson for a fight.

Dr. Buckle’s takes on Tommo

Paxman vs Tommo (plus the BBC4 schedule – who thought skippy the kangeroo would be brought into this debate?)

Tommo, Paxman & Tucker (a great mash-up of the video above mixed with the Thick Of It.  Well done cowbag!  That’s not me being rude, thats their name on youtube.)

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10. Don’t take a breather…

If you’re one of those people with lots of energy, have a go at putting some of it into these further suggestions:

- Twitter

Get on twitter and spread the word…make sure you put in either #save6music or #savebbc6music in your tweets…it’ll help bring attention to it.  And while your at it, put a link in for this website so people can come and see what they can do.

- Complain!

If there’s one thing the BBC is good for – its complaining.  And if your British then you were born to complain, and if not – complain anyway!  You can complain to the BBC about this ridiculous proposal here. NB. Choose ‘Make a Complaint’ from the drop-down list….I know it sounds simple but it flummoxed me for a good 5 minutes….then again I am pretty thick.

- Get clued up.

The more we know about the workings of the BBC, political motivations, public feedback etc. the better argument we can put forward for keeping 6music.  There’s a whole load to read up on…..take a deep breath:

• Interesting graph of running costs for the whole of the BBC here.
• Article that actually uses BBC’s very own values to describe why 6music should be treasured here.
• More graphs you say?  Well here you go then….this compares the amount of unique tracks played by 6music and its closest commercial rival (I’m using rival in the loosest possible sense of the word here)….HIT ME WITH ANOTHER GRAPH!
• Cheeky little spreadsheet showing you the listener figures & hours spent have been going up, compared to majority of BBC radio stations which have been in decline…..have a peep at it here

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Right…now you can take a breather.  Well done you!

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‘Save 6music‘ T-Shirts Available on Ebay….£15 incl P&P 4-day dispatch.

£1.50 of every shirt sold will go towards the Teenage Cancer Trust.  Please see Ebay listings for full details.

Click here to take a look. This isn’t a money making scheme.  So you don’t feel ripped off let me explain what costs have gone into selling these T-Shirts:

£5.64 – T-Shirt and Printing costs.
£6.00 – 4 day dispatch delivery
£0.40 – Ebay listing fee.
£1.50 – Charity donation via Ebay.
£0.71 – PayPal fee.

Total: £14.25.

Leaving me with a whopping 75p.  However, I’ve had to pay a one-off fee to the printing company to upload and process the ‘Save 6 Music’ logo which was £15.  This means I’ll have to sell 20 to break even.  After that all proceeds will go to charity…..If you feel there’s any particular charity worth donating to then let me know and I’ll see which one is the most requested.

Hope that sums it all up!  Thanks for spreading the message and viva la 6!

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