BBC Radio 6 Music

Broadcast area	United Kingdom – Nationally via Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB)
Frequency	DAB: 12B Freeview: 707 Freesat: 707 Sky (UK only): 0120 Virgin Media: 909 TalkTalk TV: 632 UPC Ireland: 912
First air date	11 March 2002
Format	Modern Rock Classic rock Album Adult Alternative Alternative rock Experimental Jazz Classic soul, Soul & Funk Caribbean music Blues, Folk & Americana Rhythmic Contemporary[1] (disregarding Dance pop & 2000's[2] Contemporary R&B)
Audience share	1.2% (December 2011, [1])
Owner	BBC
Webcast	eAAC+ AAC
Website	bbc.co.uk/6music

BBC Radio 6 Music is one of the BBC's digital radio stations. It was known officially as BBC 6 Music from its launch on 11 March 2002 until April 2011.^[3] 6 Music was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years.^[4] It is available only on digital media: DAB radio, the Internet, digital television, and in northern Europe through the Astra 2B satellite.

It is claimed^{[by whom?]} 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.^[5][6] In actuality, it regularly shares selective tracks on its 'A' playlist with radio 1's 'A' list (and other tracks played on mainstream stations that have a high play), although less reliant upon than the more mainstream stations.

Evening and weekend programming, however, features a more diverse selection of tracks across genres both popular and on the fringes, with dedicated shows towards different forms of dance, jazz, soul, and Jamaican music, among others. The station also features performances from the 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.^[7] The Trust commented that the station was "well-liked by its listeners, was highly distinctive and made an important contribution."^[8] 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.^[9]

History[link]

BBC 6 Music was proposed in October 2000 as a "digital-only" radio station and named "Network Y".^{[10][11][12][13]} ("Network X" became BBC 1Xtra and "Network Z" BBC 7).^[14]

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.^[15] The first record played was Ash's Burn Baby Burn ^[16] 6 Music attracted criticism for changing daytime schedules during late 2007 and early 2008.^[17][18] 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.^[19]

In March 2006, BBC 6 Music moved from Broadcasting House to new studios in the adjacent Western House to allow the regeneration of Broadcasting House.^[20]

In 2011, BBC Radio 6 Music started the process of moving some of its presenters, staff, and shows from London and elsewhere to the new studios at MediaCityUK in Salford near Manchester. The studios will be located in Dock House.^[21][22][23]

Proposed closure[link]

In February 2010, in anticipation of a review by the BBC Trust, newspaper reports suggested 6 Music might be axed.^[24] 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.^[25] The Times 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.^[26] 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.^[27]

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^[28] but Tim Davie, head of audio and music at the BBC, denied this was a possibility.^[29]

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.^[30][31][32]

In the first quarter of 2011 some BBC radio services, including 6 Music, were part of an efficiency review conducted by John Myers.^[33] His role, according to Andrew Harrison, the chief executive of RadioCentre, was "to identify both areas of best practice and possible savings."^[33] The Telegraph suggested that this was due to 'commercial sector criticism'^[33] whilst The Guardian cited an National Audit Office report.^[34]

BASCA was actively circulating petitions challenging the BBC's plan to close down 6 Music.^[35]

Nominations and awards[link]

Several of BBC 6 Music's presenters and shows have won Sony Radio Academy Awards. In 2006 presenter Marc Riley won a Silver award for The Music Radio Personality of the Year.^[36] 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.^[37] George Lamb also won the Sony 'Rising Star' award. In May 2009, Adam and Joe won three Sony Radio Silver awards.^[38]

Following the announcement that 6 Music was to be closed, Adam and Joe won the best comedy prize at the Sony Radio Academy Awards in May 2010, with Jarvis Cocker winning the rising star award, voted for by listeners, for their 6 Music shows.^[39] Two years later, the station was named UK Station of the Year at the Sonys, with the judges citing its "confidence across its schedule that not only reflects a real passion for music but also a firm understanding of the audience they are broadcasting to." ^[40]

Ratings and listenership[link]

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.^[41] 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%.^[42]

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.^[43] 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.^[44] 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.^[45]

In 2011, 6 Music had a total audience of 1.3 million listeners in the three months to 27 March, 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.^[46]

Press coverage[link]

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.^[47] On 20 September 2007, it was announced that the Head of Programmes, Ric Blaxill, had resigned.^[48]

In May 2008 George Lamb was reprimanded for using his programme to back Conservative candidate Boris Johnson for London mayor.^[49]

Station management[link]

• Lesley Douglas – Network Controller 2004–2008
• Ric Blaxill – Head of Programmes 2004–2007
• Bob Shennan – Network Controller Radio 2 & 6 music 2009–^[50]
• Lorna Clarke – Network Manager Radio 2 & 6 music, 2010–^[51]
• Jeff Smith ( twitter @jeffxsmith^[52] ) - head of music, Radio 2 and 6 Music / head of the weekly playlist meeting^[53][54][55]

Presenters and shows[link]

Current[link]

Past[link]

See also[link]

• BBC Radio 1
• British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors
• CBC Radio 3
• Digital Audio Broadcast
• FM4
• Internet radio
• Le Mouv'
• MDR Sputnik
• Triple J
• Studio Brussel

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• BBC Radio 6 Music at BBC Online
• 6 Music Schedule at BBC Online
• 6 Music Podcasts at BBC Online
• BBC Radio 6 Music on Facebook

Links to related articles v t e BBC Radio 6 Music DJs Adam Buxton Craig Charles Jarvis Cocker Gideon Coe Joe Cornish Matt Everitt Guy Garvey Chris Hawkins Jon Holmes Shaun Keaveny Liz Kershaw Steve Lamacq Lauren Laverne Don Letts Stuart Maconie Cerys Matthews Huey Morgan Nemone Gilles Peterson Mark Radcliffe Tom Ravenscroft Marc Riley Tom Robinson Notable programmes Adam and Joe Radcliffe & Maconie Related articles BBC Radio BBC Introducing Bob Shennan v t e BBC Radio BBC UK stations Analogue/digital Radio 1 Radio 2 Radio 3 Radio 4 Radio 5 Live Digital only 1Xtra Radio 4 Extra Radio 5 Live Sports Extra Radio 6 Music Asian Network National DAB multiplex Nations Scotland (Shetland Orkney) nan Gàidheal Wales Cymru Ulster Foyle English regions BBC Local Radio International stations World Service Albanian Arabic Bangla Nepali Brasil Mundo Persian Russian Ukrainian Defunct stations 2LO London 5IT Birmingham 2ZY Manchester 5NO Newcastle 5WA Cardiff 5SC Glasgow 2BD Aberdeen 6BM Bournemouth 2FL 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Coordinates: 51°31′09″N 0°08′34″W / 51.5192°N 0.1427°W / 51.5192; -0.1427

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (May 2010)

Lauren Laverne
Lauren Laverne in 2007
Born	Lauren Cecilia Gofton (1978-04-28) 28 April 1978 (age 34) Sunderland, England, UK
Nationality	British
Other names	La La
Occupation	Disc jockey, television presenter, singer, author
Years active	1994–present
Television	The Culture Show 10 O'Clock Live

Lauren Cecilia Fisher (née Gofton) (born 28 April 1978), known professionally as Lauren Laverne, is a British radio DJ, television presenter, author and singer. She currently presents a radio show on BBC Radio 6 Music, and has presented a variety of television programmes including 10 O'Clock Live for Channel 4, and The Culture Show and coverage of the Glastonbury Festival for the BBC. Laverne has also written a published novel entitled Candypop: Candy and the Broken Biscuits.

In her previous career as a musician, Laverne was best known for being lead singer and sometime guitarist in pop band Kenickie, although her greatest chart success came when she performed vocals on Mint Royale's "Don't Falter" single.

Early years[link]

Laverne was born and brought up in Sunderland.^[1] She first attended St. Mary's R.C. Primary School in 1982, where she befriended Marie Nixon, later to become a fellow Kenickie guitarist, and then St. Anthony's R.C. Comprehensive School between 1989 and 1994, where she and Nixon met Emma Jackson. Laverne went on to study at City of Sunderland College from 1994 to 1996.^{[citation needed]}

Music[link]

During her time at college, Laverne, Nixon and Jackson formed a teen punk band called Kenickie with Laverne's brother Peter, taking the stage names Lauren Laverne, Marie du Santiago, Emmy-Kate Montrose and Johnny X. As their popularity grew, Laverne had to continually alternate between studying for A-levels and touring with the band. Despite this strain, Laverne won a place at nearby Durham University to study Medieval History, but her entry was deferred in order to concentrate on the band in 1996-7. The band's rapid rise to prominence in 1997 coincided with a relocation from Sunderland to London, as the thrice-weekly commute was proving too costly and tiring, which meant she never took up the place. In all, Kenickie achieved four top 40 hits and a top ten album and became darlings of the British music press, due to their refreshing style and outspoken views.^{[citation needed]}

Laverne became as famous for her funny and acerbic interview style as for her music, making her a popular contestant on comedy panel shows such as Never Mind The Buzzcocks and Have I Got News For You, memorably referring to contemporaneous girl group the Spice Girls as "Tory scum".^[2]

In 2000, she brought out a solo EP, Take These Flowers Away, contributed a version of "In The Bleak Midwinter" to Xfm London's It's A Cool Cool Christmas album, played at the Reading Festival and made the top 20 for the only time in her singing career as vocalist on "Don't Falter" by Mint Royale. She was also working on a solo album at this time, but this was permanently put on hold by the collapse of Deceptive Records.

She subsequently provided guest vocals on The Divine Comedy's 2004 single "Come Home Billy Bird".^[3]

Television[link]

Laverne's first television presenting job was Play UK's series The Alphabet Show, with Chris Addison, made while Kenickie were still together. She has since presented Planet Pop and Loves Like A Dog for Channel 4, Fanorama for E4, Party in the Park with Melanie Brown and Pop for Five and Orange Playlist for ITV, as well as reporting for RI:SE, leading the house band on Johnny Vaughan Tonight and appearing as an expert in a music special of BBC One's Test the Nation. In recent years she has been seen as one of BBC2's main presenters for their coverage of the Glastonbury Festival and the host of ITV2's coverage of events such as the British Comedy Awards and the BRIT Awards.

She also presented a documentary for Sky One on the rise of popularity of the US hit TV Show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, called Buffy: Television With Bite. This was done when the show was returning for its sixth season in 2001.^{[citation needed]}

In 2004 she was a regular guest on the quiz show HeadJam. She could also be seen briefly in the movie Shaun of the Dead, where she was one of the zombies (more obvious in the bonus content).

In 2005, she became host of ITV's Saturday morning music show CD:UK, along with Myleene Klass and Johny Pitts, starting on 17 September with a programme featuring Laverne interviewing Sir Paul McCartney. The show finished in April 2006.

in April 2006, she appeared as guest host of Never Mind The Buzzcocks. In August, Laverne presented Channel 4's coverage of the V Festival. In March 2007, she presented the NME Awards live from the Hammersmith Palais.

In July 2007, Laverne appeared on the satirical comedy show Mock the Week, and on Have I Got News for You on 14 December of the same year. She appeared on Never Mind the Buzzcocks on 10 January 2008, this time as a guest. In September 2008, Laverne appeared again on Mock the Week.

In March 2008, Laverne appeared on the Lily Allen and Friends show with fellow Sunderland musicians The Futureheads, and on Would I Lie To You?.

From 2006 to 2010, she was a regular presenter with the weekly BBC arts magazine programme The Culture Show, alongside Mark Kermode. She also presented the second series of the late-night Channel 4 music show Transmission with T-Mobile opposite Steve Jones.

Laverne replaced radio DJ Jo Whiley on the talent show Orange Mobile Act Unsigned, which searches for the top unsigned acts in the country.

Laverne became a regular presenter in the new 'magazine' format third series of It's Not Easy Being Green, first broadcast on BBC Two in January 2009. She also narrated Tough Guy or Chicken? on BBC Three in August 2009.

On 6 May 2010, she was a co-host of Channel 4's Alternative Election Night, along with Jimmy Carr, David Mitchell, and Charlie Brooker. Starting 20 January 2011, she re-joined her co-hosts in Channel 4's satirical news programme 10 O'Clock Live.^[4]

Radio[link]

Having previously sat in for BBC Radio 1's Steve Lamacq, Laverne joined Xfm London in 2002, co-hosting a Saturday morning show with Mark Webster, while occasionally standing in for various DJs on BBC Radio 6 Music, including Phill Jupitus' breakfast show where one morning she interviewed her own brother Pete (who records under the name J Xaverre) Laverne took over XFM's drivetime slot from Zoe Ball at the start of 2004, winning Best Newcomer at the Commercial Radio Awards in 2004.^[5] She became host of the XFM breakfast show on 31 October 2005 after Christian O'Connell moved to Virgin Radio, but left suddenly in April 2007 to pursue her television interests. However, Laverne has recently guest presented on BBC Radio 2. She stood in for Russell Brand on BBC Radio 2 on 9 February 2008 whilst he was taking a break.

She presents her own show on BBC Radio 6 Music Weekdays 10-1pm.^[6] Laverne was widely quoted by mass media in early March 2010 when her emotional reaction to proposals to kill BBC 6 music captured the attention of her listeners and the press. Following the BBC Director General's announcement that the station would be recommended for closure as part of cost-cutting plans, she started her show saying "This is probably not the easiest of day for us, probably not the easiest day to be on the radio, to be honest with you, especially not this station, which I love with all my heart. So thank you very much for all your kind words." ^[7]

She has also been a panelist on BBC Radio 4's Just a Minute.

Writing[link]

In 2010, she published her first novel Candypop – Candy and the Broken Biscuits, about rock chick Candy Caine, 15, on her journey to the world's biggest music festival, Glastonbury. The book is published by HarperCollins.

Personal life[link]

Laverne dated music journalist Taylor Parkes while in the band Kenickie and later Malcolm Middleton, from the band Arab Strap. She married television producer and DJ Graeme Fisher in County Durham^[8] in August 2005,^[9] and the couple live in Muswell Hill, London.^[10] Laverne also retains a flat in Sunderland. The couple had their first child, a boy named Fergus James, in October 2007.^[11] On 30 March 2010, Laverne revealed on her BBC Radio 6 Music show that she was pregnant with their second child. Lauren gave birth to the couple's second son, Mack, in the early hours of 20 September 2010. She is a vegetarian.^[12]

In 2005, Laverne's passion for her home city resulted in her becoming an ambassador promoting and raising awareness of Sunderland. She received an honorary fellowship from the University of Sunderland in July 2009.^[13]

Laverne is a supporter of the Labour Party, famously referring to Geri Halliwell as "Tory scum" for her support for the Conservatives in the 1997 general election.^[14] Laverne's mother, Celia Gofton, was elected a councillor for the Pallion ward in the City of Sunderland in 2006, and sought nomination as Labour candidate in 2008 in the Sunderland Central constituency but was defeated by Julie Elliott, who went on to win the seat for Labour in the 2010 general election.^[15]

Laverne identifies herself as Roman Catholic.^[16]

Discography[link]

See also Kenickie discography.

Solo singles[link]

• Take These Flowers Away EP (did not chart)

1. "I Fell Out Of A Tree"
2. "Good Morning Sunshine"
3. "To Have A Home"
4. "Some Kind Of Other Presence"
5. "If You Phone (Netmix)" (internet only bonus track)

Other solo releases[link]

• "Don't Falter", Mint Royale featuring Lauren Laverne, #15 (w/b 31 January 2000)
• "In The Bleak Midwinter" (on It's A Cool Cool Christmas compilation) (did not chart)
• "Come Home Billy Bird", The Divine Comedy (uncredited vocalist), #24 (w/b 28 March 2004)

Miscellaneous solo songs[link]

Other solo songs performed on radio sessions include:

• "Don't Falter (acoustic)"
• "Mexico"
• "Thank You"
• "Ian"
• "Open"

References[link]