DJ Steve Lamacq Slams 'Public Flogging' of BBC 6 Music

Posted on Mar 11th 2010 5:00AM by Luke Slater
Comments

DJ and BBC radio presenter Steve Lamacq has criticised the recent decision by the corporations director-general, Mark Thompson, to close digital radio station 6 Music, warning of dire consequences for the industry.

Lamacq wrote on his own blog, "On a personal level, I believe that shutting 6 Music would be disastrous for the British music scene -- and alternative music from further a field too. There is so much music being played every week on Six that simply doesn't get played anywhere else, that losing it would be unthinkable."

The former presenter of Radio 1's Evening Session was also confused at the justifications for the closure which were made by the BBC's Strategy Review, arguing that the proposals "don't all stack up" and that the station was "up for a public flogging."

He wrote: "One argument is that the BBC should be allowing space in the 'market' for commercial stations to operate. But what commercial outfit is ever going to replicate 6Music?"

Lamacq, who has worked for the BBC for over 16 years, is the latest 6 Music DJ to publicly slam the closure of station, following Adam Buxton and Richard Bacon -- the latter only started his on 6 Music a few months ago. Lamacq also admitted that he'd been touched by the "passion and eloquence" of the campaign by listeners to keep the 6 Music open, adding that he was "almost in tears" on hearing some of their pleas.

He continued, "The cultural hole it would leave if scrapped, would have terrible repercussions for everyone from small promoters to indie labels to bands and to music fans of all ages."

Lamacq finally urged the BBC not to scrap the station before "it fully discovered its true identity", writing that it understood and "celebrates our musical history -- while always looking to the future."

Elsewhere in the campaign to save 6 Music, independent record label Domino released a statement of solidarity and support, from both them and their artists.

Domino's statement read, "We would like to make it clear that we are extremely concerned by BBC plans to cut BBC 6 Music from its schedule. BBC 6 Music is an extremely important and rare outlet for much of the music that we release on Domino."

Noah Lennox of Animal Collective, Four Tet, Hayden Thorpe of Wild Beasts and Alison Mosshart all spoke out in support, Lennox writing, "When I was a lot younger radio used to be the place I'd go to find new music and I feel like I would find it everywhere on the dial. Since then it seems like less and less stations are willing to or have the means to play new music. I miss unpredictable radio. Please support these guys ... "