2. We know that the strategy review recommends a big shift in focus on Radio 2, making it at least 50% speech-based in the day time and giving its specialist, comedy, concert and jazz shows higher-profile slots. This is to create greater distinction between R2 and commercial radio.

3. We know that the strategy of creating branded digital “sister channels” which allow more diverse and in-depth content is seen as a success. 1Xtra costs more per listener hour than 6Music but is not being threatened with any cuts – instead it will have “closer ties” to Radio 1 (a very dubious idea, but that’s for another post!). The relatively successful Radio 7 is being rebranded as Radio 4 Extra (R4 listeners are uncool enough to need the ‘E’ in Extra, apparently).

4. We know that 6Music as it stands has passionate fans, but we also know that at least until its existence began to be threatened, it was open to a good deal of criticism: the comments on this Martin Kelner piece, from only a year ago, are especially interesting partly because very few are from 6 Music listeners saying how wonderful it is – most agree that changes are badly needed.

So taking all these things together, one really obvious course of action suggests itself: push through the changes suggested by the Trust anyway and rebrand 6Music as Radio 2Extra.

This would have the following benefits:

- continue to make the BBC’s radio channel strategy more coherent and justifiable.
- preserve the good elements of 6Music – specialist shows like Craig Charles and Stuart Maconie, their live and session broadcasts, etc.
- raise awareness of 6Music/2Extra among listeners to the biggest radio station in the UK.
- widen the channel’s non-new music programming away from its current comfort zone of the post-punk and indie eras and make it think a bit more widely about what “alternative” might mean to different and more diverse audiences.
- give 2 Extra a distinct music-based identity compared to the more speech-led identity of Radio 2 proper.
- lower the listener cost per hour over time by using 2 Extra as a seed for formats, presenters etc. on its sister channel.

So simple! I bet they’ll end up actually doing something like this so I thought I’d blog about it now.

And while they’re at it they could nick all of Resonance’s best programming for 3 Extra too ;)

in the meanwhile we may just allow a blitheness to unsettle our hearts and carry us away to someplace Else. for a space. but before THAT there’s the concluding episode of the slug of time radioshow, airing this tuesday on resonance FM at 10pm but quite possibly available as a sneak peek here first, as a thank you to our listener(s).

bon voyage, bon vivants!

DARE YOU MISS IT?

A Bite of Stars, a Slug of Time, and Thou will delve deep into the science fiction short stories of SF’s Golden and Silver Ages. The pulp and avant-garde writing of c.1935-65 has fallen out of public memory; hosts ELISHA SESSIONS and MARK SINKER and their astounding guests* will return to this forgotten motherlode, once bedrock of the entire field. Eli will read evocative extracts, then quiz Mark and guest on authors, styles, subtexts sexual and political, technique, value, impact and legacy, plus changing fashions and meanings in backdrop, tech and alien allure — and anything else that pops into their pulsating crystalline brain-lobes.

THERE WILL BE SPOILERS! hurrah so we will announce the story in advance, and you can read it if you like.

Episode one:
Extracts from John W. Campbell’s 1938 classic novella WHO GOES THERE?
Guest = “Starry” Sarah Clarke, Hegemon Ambassadrix of the Nebuline Dark-Matter Cluster J-Pop 9

Update:
Sluggards are go! You can hear Episode 1 now, or keep up to date with all the episodes on the Slug of Time page.

*viz Fellow Lollards and more: fans, experts, creators, backroom boffins, visitors and elder beings overground AND underground, squamous AND unnameable…