Radio station closure plan provokes outcry

THE proposed closure of BBC 6 Music has prompted one of the biggest complaints campaigns ever directed at the BBC.

Corporation bosses have now received nearly 8,000 complaints in a week and a half, as people object to the axing of the digital service.

The outcry has made the closure one of the hottest topics in terms of complaints with which the BBC has had to deal. Levels rarely reach beyond three figures.

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Only the “Sachsgate” scandal and the BBC’s decision to broadcast Jerry Springer: The Opera have drawn more complaints directly to the BBC. In both those cases upset was directed against specific broadcasts, rather than being sparked by an entire service.

Yesterday, the station celebrated its eighth birthday, prompting artists Damien Hirst and Gary Hume to design and send cards to the BBC to register their protests.

They joined the growing opposition to the axing of the digital service, proposed in a strategic review published last week.

The station is earmarked for closure, with another digital service, the Asian Network, under proposals from director general Mark Thompson.

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By yesterday, the BBC had received 624 complaints about its possible closure.

When the BBC planned to axe long-running music series Top Of The Pops, the BBC received just 143 complaints – which is seen as an indicator of current feeling.