So it seems that the BBC has ignored a public backlash and announced that it will axe 6 Music and the Asian Network. The official announcement only came yesterday, but a swirl of rumours over the weekend led to a social media campaign propagated by the same people behind the Rage Against the Machine Christmas #1 Facebook group.
Save BBC 6 Music hasn’t manage to capture the mainstream imagination in the same way, since 6 Music and the Asian Network are targeted at minorities, but it has gained mentions in the media and even Parliament. It’s also a brilliant case study of how a grassroots online campaign can reach influencers in the offline world.
The Facebook campaign began after rumours began escalating around the BBC’s proposed budget cuts, and spread into other social networks. Now with over 80,000 Facebook fans, Save BBC 6 Music has also become a trending topic on Twitter. It was only a matter of time before the politicians sat up and took notice, with this particularly clumsy statement from shadow culture minister, Ed Vaizey:
Having not listened to 6 Music, I took it on trust that the BBC knew what it was doing in this regard. Several things have happened since I spoke out. I had no strong views on 6 Music on Friday, I now know it is brilliant with a passionate and articulate fan base – I am now an avid listener to 6 Music. I suspect that 6 Music has doubled its audience. I strongly suspect 6 Music will be saved.
If you read an implicit admission here that Vaizey is being inconsistent, it’s because he is. His support for 6 Music comes after his initial comments that the BBC cuts were ‘intelligent’ and ‘sensible’. Could it be possible that the 80,000-strong Facebook campaigners changed his mind? Nonetheless, his was the first political voice to call for support for 6 Music. Also keeping an ear to the social media ground was Labour’s digital hero Tom Watson, who tabled his Early Day Motion calling for Government encouragement to save 6 Music.
Given the decisive BBC announcement, it’s unlikely the BBC Trust will use its final say to #SaveBBC6Music after all. But it’s at least a possibility. Even if this particular campaign doesn’t achieve what it sets out to do, it’s good to know in an election year how online communities can reach offlines voices with the influence and power to change events.
[...] ← 6 music, communities and influential voices [...]