I haven’t had this strange sense of emptiness since the moment I learnt John Peel had died. Today the BBC confirmed a proposal to close BBC 6Music by the end of 2011.

Generally speaking I’m a big fan of the BBC and the unique way it’s funded. It’s because of John Peel and 6Music that I believe in the licence fee. I’ve always been happy to be forced pay out for content I don’t care about because I know the BBC produce content that no one else would dare produce, because the audience numbers aren’t there. Even if I got nothing from the Beeb, I like the idea that people out there are getting something that they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to enjoy without a state-funded organisation. It’s something that us Brits should be proud of.

But the axing of 6Music has caused me to question my faith in the BBC. When I use to read the Digital Spy forums there were always people on there complaining that MTV should play more music and stick to their remit. Granted, its odd that MTV played practically no music but their remit was theirs to set. They’re a commercial company that can do what’s best for their profits. If that means Music TV has no music, then so be it.

But the BBC truly does have a remit to follow. And in my opinion the proposed closure of 6Music goes against the very nature of it.

If someone can name a station (FM, Dab or web based) that plays the same diverse, quality selection of music (Pavement is playing as I write), with DJs as passionate (Marc Riley), as funny (Adam and Joe, Jon Holmes, John Richardson, with as many ‘sessions’ as 6Music with production values as high as the BBC, I’d love to hear about it. Absolute or XFM certainly aren’t candidates. In which case the BBC are leaving a gap in the market. And yet they’re happy to flood the already over-catered for market of soaps with its cliché after cliché that is Eastenders.

To quote a tweet (technically speaking, 2 of them) by Jon Holmes (a BBC 6Music DJ):

BBC want “quality” so they’re axing 6Music (Freak Zone, Guy Garvey, Lauren Laverne, an amazingly diverse playlist uncatered for elsewhere..) … and keeping BBC3 (Britain’s Worst Teeth, Hotter Than My Daughter, The UK’s Hairiest Milf or whatever the fuck) Yep. “Quality”.

I’m sat here listening to 6Music as I write this, and for almost every track played I’d struggle to hear it elsewhere on UK radio.

I use to joke that every radio fan will get to a stage in their life when Radio 1 becomes unlistenable and Radio 2 actually becomes appealing. They’d realise that they’re playing the music they use to listen to and it was the same DJs they grew up with – and with it they’d fall into the rut of old age that leaves people stuck in the past – a nightmare situation if you ask me. I said that before 6Music came about, and thankfully before I got to that point in my life 6Music was created and helped me to avoid such a situation and enabled me to do it with some credibility.

Unfortunately that gap/trap will soon once again exist.

So what now for the future and 6Music?

I said to a friend that I’m now less likely to listen to 6Music. There is something in my makeup that causes me not to use a sinking ship. I haven’t used Friendfeed since they sold to Facebook, and when the closure of Planet Sound was announced I tended to read it less and less as it’s closure date neared. However, my friend made a valid point:

I know what you mean about losing the will to listen to a dying beast…but…I think the people involved might make some of the most interesting broadcasting now that they know the station’s days are numbered.  The ‘f*ck-you Thompson’ attitude could spark moments of genius from Lamb / Keavney / Lamacq / Riley et. al., at least I hope so.

His reply made sense, and reminded me of the final couple weeks of Phil Jupitus’ breakfast show, which was some of the best radio I’ve heard because he ignored the playlist and played exactly what he wanted – including some lengthy epic tracks you’d never expect to hear on the radio. Sure, evening radio shows do that to an extent anyway (although usually influenced by a theme/genre – with the exception of Peel – and no lengthy tracks), but there’s something about it happening during the day when there are more listeners (that is after all one of the joys of radio: knowing that if you’re loving a song, there are others out there also loving it and possibly hearing it for the very first time). Which is why I also loved the final days of Marc and Lard’s Radio 1 show. They were playing the likes of Elbow, The Smiths, Pink Floyd and Belle and Sebastian to the masses and did it with passion.

Hopefully the quality of 6Music will improve for it’s final year and a half. The ‘couldn’t give a f*ck’ attitude that a station closure could potentially bring about is perfect for the music played on 6Music along with the DJs playing it, and the audience would certainly appreciate it – an audience that I’d imagine largely disapprove of playlists.

My fear now is that they’ll lose the talent. Who wants to join or stick with a sinking ship?

Anyways… this is just a proposal. Already the Conservative MP who pushed for this has taken a u-turn, labour MP Tom Watson are pushing for it to be saved and stars including Bowie are speaking out against it. What’s more, as I write this Lauren Laverne is on air between songs encouraging listeners to voice their opinions by going to www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/consultations/.

They haven’t given up.