So, the BBC Trust's consultation on those proposals to shut BBC 6music, as well as a plethora of other services, ends tomorrow, making this your very very very last chance to protest.

As previously reported, former culture minister Ben Bradshaw said at a UK Music event earlier this year that he had been assured by the Trust's top man Michael Lyons that this was a genuine consultation and nothing in the Strategy Review written by BBC twonks was untouchable if the Trust believed management had got it wrong.

Much has been written since plans to shut 6 emerged as to why the BBC's only music-for-music's-sake service should be saved. As the Consultation deadline approaches, we summarise the argument in six sentences:

1. The UK has one of the most exciting, innovative and prolific music communities in the UK, contributing to ever expanding catalogues of great music across a plethora of genres; this cultural brilliance should to be represented by a truly eclectic media platform.

2. The commercial TV and radio networks represent only a tiny portion of this community, and do little to champion musical innovation, because the commercial sector struggles to monetise niche audience services, even when the niches together constitute a substantial number of people.

3. The BBC therefore has a duty to provide this truly eclectic media platform - and it does so through 6music - no other part of the BBC TV or radio network performs this task, despite the Corporation having an entire division with 'music' in its name (a division currently run by a fizzy drinks marketer).

4. The BBC Strategy Review is in part designed to placate the new Conservative government who are concerned about the Beeb unfairly competing with commercial rivals - but 6music competes with no one, and senior Tories have said they recognise 6 as an example of a great BBC service.

5. The Review is also in part designed to placate the commercial media moguls who accuse the BBC of using licence-fee funds to unfairly compete - but 6music does not compete with any commercial media, and shutting it won't placate any commercial player for even six seconds.

6. The BBC is committed to encouraging radio listeners to move to the DAB network; doing so requires providing compelling, innovative DAB-only programming - like 6music and The Asian Network - so the BBC's strategy review not only doesn't satisfy the aims of the Tories, or the commercial media barons, it doesn't even satisfy the aims of the BBC.

As the consultation deadline approaches, the Facebook group leading the campaign to rescue 6music staged a second demonstration outside the BBC's Broadcasting House on Saturday. Liz Kershaw, Cerys Matthews, Andrew Collins, Richard Herring, Shaun Keaveny, Matt Everitt, Lib Dem peer Tim Clement-Jones and comedian Ed Byrne were among those who spoke at the event, which - aided in part by the impromptu heatwave - saw an even bigger crowd of supporters gather than at the first rainy demo. After waving their fists in the general direction of BBC management, the always polite Save 6 protestors headed en masse to 229 for some quality music.

Speaking after the demo, one of its organisers, Georgina Rodgers, told CreativeBusiness: "We believe that our responses to the BBC Trust consultation, our complaints to the BBC, and our public protests have put forward a compelling counter-argument to [that of] BBC management. We have provided hard evidence that, rather than being a station that can be sidelined, 6music is a shining example of the 'quality and distinctiveness' that the BBC is aspiring to with its Strategic Review. We are now hoping that the BBC Trust will make sure that the BBC listens to the voice of the public, which has spoken loudly and clearly".

If you haven't already, you can add your opinions to the debate at the BBC Trust website below. The Save 6 Facebook group also provides a bunch of email addresses we can all send our outrage to as the consultation deadline approaches, just so the Trust geezers' inboxes scream out "Save 6" this week.

BBC Trust consultation form

Facebook Group

The axe may be hanging very perilously over BBC 6music just at the moment, but it's not all bad news for 6 fans. George Lamb is quitting the station. And his decision to go was partly motivated by the digital station's uncertain future. So, if the Trust do now save 6, the period of potential doom won't have been totally wasted.

Lamb, of course, was probably the most controversial hire at 6music, his laddish zoo-style show on daytime mornings not going down well at all with the majority of the 6 faithful. Once his champion at the station, former BBC Radio 2/6 boss Lesley Douglas, was pushed out of the Corporation post-Sachsgate, Lamb was sidelined to the weekend breakfast show slot. His decision to quit, therefore, comes as no surprise.

He said in a statement yesterday: "This isn't a decision we've taken hastily. We've been reviewing our situation for some time and we've always looked for opportunities to maximise the show's potential. I leave 6music with fantastic memories, and will always look back at my three and a bit years with great joy. [Co-presenter Marc Hughes] and I have been overwhelmed by the support we've had from the 6music management and our incredible listeners from day one. I wish everyone at the station the best of luck in this transitional period and my support for the station will always remain".

A statement from the Beeb read: "6music would like to thank both George and Marc for their commitment to the network over the past three years. We will miss their banter, tunes and air horns and wish them well in their future endeavours".

Sarah Rodgers, chair of the British Academy Of Songwriters, Composers and Authors, used her opening speech at yesterday's Ivor Novello Awards to attack the BBC's proposed plan to close down 6music, Music Week reports.

Addressing the audience, though aiming her words directly at the BBC, she said: "The end of 6music is an act of cultural vandalism. [The BBC's role is to] enrich people's lives with programmes that inform, educate and entertain. That sounds to me like 6music. Your mission is to be the most creative organisation in the world. What more could be more creative than 6music?"

If you have not yet submitted your views on the BBC's current strategic review, including the closure of 6music and The Asian Network, you have until Tuesday. To do so, go here.

A senior BBC manager has left the Corporation following an investigation into how The Times got a leaked copy of the Beeb's big cut plans, which included the news 6music and The Asian Network would be axed.

The paper got a copy of the highly confidential and slightly secret document eleven days before it was due to be published. Once The Times ran with their story in February, the Beeb were forced to release their plans over a week early, and face a whole bunch of media backlash without their complete PR plan in place. BBC top man Mark Thompson was reportedly furious about the leak.

An internal investigation reportedly identified with BBC-er had passed a copy of the document to The Times. In a statement yesterday, the BBC said, simply: "An investigation has been satisfactorily concluded and an individual has now left the BBC".

Elsewhere, the record industry stepped up its campaigning against the proposals to close 6music yesterday by launching an artists endorsement filled website at www.thejoyof6.com.

Record label trade body the BPI yesterday issued a statement formally calling for the BBC to save digital music station 6music, which, of course, Corporation bosses want to close next year. The statement follows the previously reported industry delegation who rocked up at the BBC Trust earlier this week to try and persuade bosses there to block the Beeb's proposed radio cutbacks. 

In the industry delegation was Sony Music's Paul Curran, Universal's David Joseph, Warner's Jeremy Marsh, EMI's Andria Vidler and Infectious Music's Korda Marshall plus reps from trade bodies the BPI, UK Music, the Association of Independent Music and the Music Managers' Forum.

Yesterday's statement outlined the argument the music industry bods presented earlier this week. They argued that 6 provided a music service that could not be replicated in the commercial sector, and therefore the station is an excellent example of the BBC's public service mission in action. That the station plays an important role in the country's cultural life, by showcasing new and alterative artists. That 6 should be thought of as contemporary music version of Radio 3, rather than an alternative to Radios 1 and 2, and its audience size should be viewed in that context. And that putting the bigger 6 shows on Radios 1 and 2 would just see alternative music saddled with graveyard slots.

They also used the opportunity to complain again about the lack of a weekly music show on prime-time BBC TV since the demise of 'Top Of The Pops'.

Confirming the industry's support for 6, BPI chair Tony Wadsworth told CMU: "We cannot see the sense in pulling the plug on a successful outlet for artists, both new and established, that are not being played on either Radio 1 or 2. 6 Music has significant cultural worth and public value that you can't measure by audience numbers alone, and it provides programming that commercial radio does not".

The BBC's 6music has announced it is axing its weekly music news magazine programme The Music Week, which was hosted by the station's news editor Julie Cullen and her colleague Matt Everitt. However, plans are afoot to expand the amount of music news that appears on the station during daytime instead.

Cullen told Music Week (the trade mag, not her own show): "Myself, Matt Everitt and the team are expanding music news coverage to appear across daytime programming and keeping features, updates, tour dates, industry news and big interviews as always. We're also hoping to include more international news, tour diaries and features on brand new bands, so please don't hesitate to get in contact with all your usual press releases, interview opportunities and anything else that you think might be of interest to 6music and Radio 2 listeners".

Some wondered if the axing of The Music Week was a sign 6 was moving away from bespoke news content, perhaps in preparation for plans to wind the station down next year. But Cullen seems to be saying that, for the time being, it's "business as usual".

Talking of 6music and the Save 6 campaign, as UK music industry chiefs met with the BBC Trust to air their concerns about the 6 closure plans yesterday, the Beeb's head of Stuff And Shizzle Tim Davie denied those resurgent rumours that the Corporation may as yet u-turn on their decision to axe the station but rebrand it as Radio 2 Extra.

As previously reported, those claims resurfaced in a Sunday Times report last weekend, and basically say that BBC bosses are considering saving 6 but renaming it 2 Extra, so that it fits in with plans to only have five national radio brands.

But writing on the About The BBC blog, Davie said: "Firstly, let me make it clear that, while we have proposed rebranding Radio 7 as Radio 4 Extra, there are no such plans for 6music. But I should also explain that the proposals made in the Strategy Review are the first part of a process. The BBC Trust are currently consulting the public on those proposals and nothing will happen until after the consultation is closed".

He continued: "I [have previously] outlined the rationale for the closure of 6music and said that we will reinvest any funds from the proposed closure of 6music in digital radio content. This commitment to digital radio remains and we are looking at a number of ways of doing this. I said we would look at protecting some 6music programming by redeploying it elsewhere and considering how we can also do justice to its legacy in areas like new music development. This commitment also remains. But simply rebranding 6music as Radio 2 Extra is not one of our plans".

Gordon Brown has lent his support to BBC 6music and said that Jarvis Cocker, who presents a show on the station, is his favourite DJ. While, as with most politicians pulled into this debate, he stressed it wasn't his job to tell the BBC what to do, he did manage a bit of electioneering by pointing out that many reckon 6music is being cut in a bid to placate a future Rupert Murdoch-supported Tory government, who are likely to want the Corporation streamlined. His basic implication - the end of 6 is David Cameron's fault.

Asked if he supported the Save 6 campaign, Brown told The Press Association: "Yes because it's the next stage you worry about. The Conservatives have said that they'll hive off Radio 1. A lot of things that the BBC does are incredibly creative and quite risky - and this is a necessary means of us being a creative society. I want to safeguard the independence of the BBC and I think the licence fee is the means by which you do it".

He continued: "The licence fee is essential to the BBC. Any proposal to massively cut the fee or to strip the BBC of its independence - or alternatively, to remove its ability to make certain programmes - is a huge mistake. I don't think politicians should make that decision about what the BBC produces. I think the BBC should make that decision. I also think, personally, that the BBC should not have succumbed to pressure to cut certain things - but they have".

He was also asked, as part of a series of pointless either/or questions, to pick his favourite DJ out of Radio 1's Chris Moyles, Radio 2's Chris Evans and Jeremy Vine and 6music's Jarvis Cocker, to which he replied: "Definitely 6music. Definitely". Which is a shame, because up until that point he'd seemed quite sincere.

In a further dig at Rupert Murdoch-led changes in the media, Brown also said that he didn't think paywalls on newspaper websites, like that being introduced by Murdoch's Times, would work, saying: "People have got used to getting content without having to pay. I don't think you are going to be able to put things behind paywalls in the way that people think". Of course that is the same argument for forcing record labels to licence anything-goes P2P networks instead of supporting three-strikes style systems for stopping the free exchange of content only. Though Brown didn't talk so much about copyright owners having to get used to the public wanting their content for free in last week's Digital Economy Bill debate, did he?

In other 6music news, The Times last weekend reported on rumours that 6 might be saved, but will be rebranded as Radio 2 Extra to fit in with the BBC's new 'only five national radio brands' system, in the same way Radio 7 will become Radio 4 Extra. Radio 2 Extra would likely only broadcast 12 hours a day, instead of the current 24. These are not new rumours, though are being more discussed this week because of the Times report. 6 fans don't like the proposals, partly because of the cut in programming, partly because they don't want to be labelled Radio 2 listeners, even though internally at the Beeb 6 is already a sister station of 2.

As far as we know, BBC management are still set on cutting 6 completely, though they might be preparing options for if the BBC Trust block the radio station cuts in their review of the current cut-back proposals. But a BBC spokesman said yesterday: "We would like to clarify that there are currently no proposals for BBC Radio beyond those outlined in the Strategy Review".

Possibly aware that since announcing he was leaving the BBC those tabloid journalists who have always despised him have had less to rant about, Jonathan Ross has given an interview to The Guardian seemingly designed to get those tabloid hacks all angry all over again.

In the interview, he made light of the Sachsgate scandal, despite originally claiming to be sincerely sorry for leaving lewd messages on Andrew Sachs' answer phone when he was suspended over the whole thing back in 2008. He told the broadsheet: "In a way, the whole experience has been quite fun. Because it's been really odd. And interesting. And fun. Life can sometimes potter along in the same direction and then something comes along over which you have no control".

He continued: "It was literally within about four days of it all kicking off that I just thought: 'You know what, there's no way I can control this, there's no way I can change this. So I've just got to not let it bother me'. And then it became almost like I was watching it happen to somebody else. And it was quite entertaining. It was weird watching people get themselves into a lather over something so intrinsically unimportant as that. It was just silly. Silly people writing silly things".

With Ross promising to one day give a full account of the Sachsgate scandal in all its "hilarious" detail, the tabloids obviously ran to Sachs to get his comment on Ross's latest remarks. He told The People: "My wife and I shared an empty laugh about it. It's a strange thing to say. It makes me wonder what the world is coming to. Yet it takes a lot more than that to upset me".

Ross also took time in the interview to diss the BBC, though given it's widely assumed it was they who let him go rather than the other way round once the controversial presenter's multi-million contract was up for renewal, that's probably not a surprise.

Ross told the Guardian: "I can't begin to tell you the relief I feel. I don't want to speak ill of people at the BBC because I've loved working there, and I still love working with them. But at the same time, oh man, I can't wait to get out. I think it's a shame that the people running it are always trying to second-guess what the newspapers will say about them - and whatever the next government we wind up with will say about them. The experience of being there isn't quite the place it was. And it's a terrible, terrible shame".

Radio 1 will mark its 500th Essential Mix later this month with a special live broadcast. Who the 500th DJ to fill the two-hour slot will be is a secret, and his or her identity will only be revealed on the night. Candidates for the honour were nominated by former Essential Mix DJs, including Carl Cox, Paul Van Dyk and Tiësto, while the final mixer was chosen by a panel of dance music industry experts including Pete Tong, Annie Mac, Judge Jules, Cream's James Barton, Mixmag's Ralph Moore and Resident Advisor's Nick Sabine.

Pete Tong, who provided the first ever Essential Mix and has hosted the show since it began, told CMU: "Bringing the Essential Mix to the nation on Radio 1 has always and continues to excite me. It's always been a platform to showcase the best DJ talent and new music from around the world, whether it be legends of dance music or future stars. The thing that excites me most is introducing new genres and breaking artists to a wider audience. There have been 500 fantastic essential mixes - here's to another 500!"

Radio 1's Deputy Controller, Ben Cooper added: "The list of contributors to the Essential Mix reads like a who's who of dance music and underlines the programme's significant part in popularising the genre. The list also highlights the show's unique ability to inform listeners every week of dance music's many musical shifts and trends from 1993 to the present day".

The 500th Essential Mix will be broadcast live from the Circus nightclub in Liverpool on 24 Apr from 1am to 3am, followed by live sets from Sasha and Richie Hawtin. The identity of the landmark mixer will be revealed on Pete Tong's show on 23 Apr between 9pm and 11pm.

Hundreds of 6music fans braved the rain and amassed outside the BBC's Broadcasting House on Saturday lunchtime to protest at the much previously reported plans of BBC management to shut the music station down. 

Various presenters and supporters from and of the station spoke, while bands who have enjoyed support from 6 played acoustic mini-sets. Liz Kershaw kicked off the proceedings by telling the amassing crowd that the battle was not lost, and that if enough people lobbied the BBC Trust - who must approve the Corporation's top guard's plans - the station could still be saved.

Gideon Coe thanked the crowd for their support, and encouraged everyone there to ensure they, and everyone they know, made a formal complaint to the aforementioned BBC Trust, because, he said, the more people who lobby the Beeb's regulator the higher the chance of the station being saved.

Tom Robinson said both 6 and the Asian Network were being closed mainly as the result of a "tidying exercise" by BBC management. "BBC chiefs have decided they want five radio brands, with 'extra' digital spin offs", he told the protesters. "Neither 6 nor the Asian Network fit into this plan, and that's why they are being shut". To that end, he said it was important those make submissions to the Trust stress the need for a whole 24/7 channel dedicated to showcasing and championing new and alternative music, otherwise the Trustees might agree to a fudge where a handful of 6 shows get shoved into the graveyard shift on Radio 2.

Away from Team 6, Liberal Lord Tim Clement-Jones gave his formal support to the Save 6 campaign. He said it wasn't for MPs to dictate how the BBC should be run, but it was right for licence fee payers to tell BBC management when they believe they've got it wrong, and that parliamentarians provided another forum through which 6 fans, as licence fee payers, could air their opposition. "You should write to your MPs and tell them how you feel about 6music", he told the crowd. "The good news is, they're going to be particularly sensitive to your opinions in the next couple of months".

Allo Darlin and The Brute Chorus were among those who made musical contributions, while Black Soul Strangers led the crowd in a reworked version of 'Hey Jude' ("na na na na na na na, Save 6" etc). Mirrorkicks frontman Anil Kamalagharan shunned his guitar, climbed on top of his drummer so he could be seen by the whole crowd, and sang two songs a capella. As an outfit supported by both 6 and the Asian Network, he rallied a cheer in support of the other BBC digital station also facing the chop.

All of which led up to the grand finale, when Mr Adam Buxton took to the megaphone and joked "this is the only station in the world that would air a shambles like 'The Adam & Joe Show'; and just when it was going so well, they shut down the whole station, that's obviously the only way to get Adam & Joe off the air!" While admitting that Mark 'Tommo' Thompson and his chums had a difficult job, he said "6 is a totally unique station, providing shows and playing music and showcasing bands that simply no other radio station does, which I thought was exactly what the BBC was meant to do!"

Keen for the Save 6 massive to have a chant, he led the crowd in a call of "What do we want", "Leave us alone", "When do we want it", "For a long time". Happy faces all round, one just hopes they are happy again in May when the BBC Trust reports back on the cutback proposals.

Speaking to Radio Today, one of the 6 fans who organised the protest, Georgina Rodgers, explained why she'd proposed the rally in the first place. She said: "What I wanted to do, when I suggested that we have a protest outside Broadcasting House, is to bring the web campaign on Facebook into the real world. I think it's very easy to say: 'Yes, I'll join this group on Facebook' - but today a couple of thousand people actually turned up to vote with their feet and say: 'We're angry about this... we're not happy about it... we're very passionate about this radio station'".

Video coverage: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iQjnnlQuWw
Protest Gallery: www.forfolkssake.com/news/4088/save-bbc-6-music-protest-gallery

Pictured: Adam Buxton rallies the Save 6 crowd, taken by Edward Drummond.

No less than 94 MPs have now signed the previously reported Early Day Motion tabled by Labour man Tom Watson calling on the BBC to reverse their plans to shut down 6music and the Asian Network. Though Tory culture man Ed Vaisey, who told CreativeBusiness he digs 6 after the Guardian implied he was pro the station's axing, is yet to add his name to the Motion. He's going to be at the previously mentioned UK Music event at the Houses Of Parliament next Monday, I vote we kick him to the floor and force him listen to Neil Fox on Magic until he gets his pen out. That's the sort of democracy in action I think we, the British public, could really get behind.

Anyway, as previously reported, Watson's EDM reads as follows: "That this House notes with deep concern recent newspaper speculation that the BBC is considering closing its 6music and Asian Network radio stations; believes that both radio stations offer outlets for independent and non-mainstream music; further notes that both 6music and Asian Network reach out to audiences not otherwise well served by the BBC; congratulates 6music and Asian Network for acting as a source of talent for the BBC and other media; recognises that the BBC has a duty to represent and give a platform to minority interests that need a mainstream platform to develop and grow; and calls on the Government to encourage the BBC to continue its support for 6music and Asian Network for many years to come".

Talking about new radio appointments, BBC Radio Lancashire's Phil Trow is moving to BBC Radio Derby where he will take over the peak time breakfast show. This is probably of interest to exactly no CreativeBusiness readers, but he's one of my favourite radio presenters, so I wanted to mention it.

When BBC boss Mark 'Tommo' Thompson recently announced he was axing his company's most credible music service 6music, he promised that some of the digital station's more interesting programmes would be moved to other BBC stations. We assumed that meant 6 shows would be dropped into graveyard slots on Radio 2, not the untouchable 'Archers' slot on BBC Radio 4. But that very idea was put to the test this week when three minutes of the music station was aired in place of Radio 4's daily soap opera.

Of course, this was more BBC cock-up than BBC strategy, though it can be hard to tell the two apart at times. Yes, a technical error meant that 6music's output crashed over Radio 4's early evening news bulletin and the first part of that night's 'Archers' episode. There was speculation on Twitter that pro-6 campaigners on the inside of the Beeb had taken part in some sort of sabotage, but BBC bosses denied that was so, and it does seem to have been, instead, a timely technical error.

A BBC spokesman said: ''Owing to a technical error, Radio 4 transmission was lost for approximately three minutes this evening shortly after 7pm. We are very sorry to listeners for loss of service. Transmission was interrupted for just under two and a half minutes at 19.01. An announcement was made on-air that 'The Archers' programme can be heard again at 2pm Friday 19 Mar and is available on iPlayer for the next seven days".

You can hear the glorious cock-up on the Radio Fail website.

Adam Buxton has announced that he hopes to return to BBC 6music with a new solo show in the very near future, before being rejoined by Joe Cornish for their Saturday morning show later in the year. How could they possibly shut down a station that offers all that?

Of the new show, for which a pilot edition with special guest Julian Barratt from The Mighty Boosh will be recorded this very day, Buxton told CMU: "At the moment it's called 'Adam Buxton's Big Mix Tape' (can't help doing the puns, sorry) and it's supposed to be kind of like a compilation tape that I've made for the listeners with a different theme or mood each week. The pilot Mix Tape is called 'Øddens' and features some of my favourite weird but accessible music by both well known and less well known artists. The show is two hours so it's divided into two sides with a guest joining me for an hour to add their own tracks and just talk generally about any other rubbish that comes up".

Sounds delightful. But we couldn't let him go (okay, I'm taking these quotes off the Adam & Joe BBC blog, but let's just pretend for a moment) without getting him to talk about his recent appearance on Channel 4 News, where he challenged BBC Director General Mark Thompson to a fight over his proposed plan to shut 6music.

Buxton told us (wink): "I was called upon to say my part on 'Channel 4 News' though apart from inviting Mark 'Tommo' Thompson out for some punching I didn't really say anything very useful. All the stirring and important stuff I'd been planning went out of the window as soon as I heard the man in my earpiece telling me we were live in five seconds. After that it was just a question of not weeping or swearing. I really meant to give Black Squadron a shout out but that was one of many things that got away from me on the night".

The BBC's Chief Operating Officer Caroline Thomson has apparently told a media conference that 6music should close because the average age of its audience is 37 and that is at the heart of the demographic targeted by commercial radio.

According to the Guardian, Thomson defended the Beeb's controversial proposal that the digital radio service be shut at the Westminster Media Forum, and said: "The average age of its listeners - 37 - is at the heart of the demographic targeted by commercial radio".

Of course, it's possible Thomson has been misquoted or taken out of context there, and wasn't really suggesting that the 6music audience somehow crosses over with that of Magic and Heart and Absolute.

But if that is what she was saying, then that is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard, and demonstrates Thomson is so out of her depth she drowned long ago and is now just a zombie, and should be fired forthwith and placed somewhere where she can't bother the BBC ever again. That is all.

Oh, talking about 6music, the Bruce Dickinson rock show on the station has been axed. And Mark Radcliffe and Stuart Maconie's Radio 2 show will be cut from four times a week to three, to make room for a new live music show. That is all.

Following all the noise being made last week to try and save BBC 6music, supporters of the Asian Network are getting more vocal. As previously reported, the BBC is planning on shutting both digital radio services.

Among those to put their name to an open letter to the BBC Trust supporting the Asian service were actors Laila Rouass, Sanjeev Bhaskar and Meera Syal, Olympic medal-winning boxer Amir Khan, 'Bend It Like Beckham' director Gurinder Chadha, England cricketer Vikram Solanki, singers Jay Sean and MIA, and Bollywood and 'Big Brother' star Shilpa Shetty.

The letter, published in full in The Guardian, says that the Asian Network is a "key platform" for the national Asian community "and offers creative British Asian talent an outlet which is demonstrably under-represented in the more mainstream BBC. This would all be tragically lost if these proposals are agreed". The letter adds that the signatories were "shocked" by proposals the station be closed.

The BBC's chief Pepsi expert and radio boss Tim Davie has defended the Beeb's controversial decision to axe the Asian Network and 6music.

Davie, who became head of BBC Audio & Music in 2008 bringing, erm, zero seconds of experience in radio and music to the table, has blogged about the cutback plans amid mounting opposition to the proposals, especially in relation to music service 6. Davie argues that, while he loves the two services that are facing closure, it is right for the Beeb to focus its radio resources into making a smaller number of stations more brilliant, rather than spreading it out to nine national stations, two of which have only small audiences.

He blogged yesterday: "I do not believe that offering the current range of nine stand-alone digital networks is the right way to serve audiences and ensure radio remains strong in a digital world. And, while digital radio has seen growth, my concern is that current development remains slow. So we are proposing to reduce the number of stations and re-invest in our five core networks - Radios 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 Live - and extensions of these services, while maintaining our overall investment in digital radio to use in a range of innovative ways to provide listeners with great digital content".

He continues: "But this strategy of focusing efforts on doing fewer things better also means difficult decisions. Clearly we didn't arrive lightly at the decision to recommend the closure of 6music: it is distinctive, much loved and I too am passionate about its output. But I believe the best way for us to provide that kind of programming is by looking at other ways to find it a bigger audience. While we are re-focussing on fewer networks, we will consider how the range of music played on Radio 1, Radio 2 and Radio 3 should adjust to ensure we continue to offer a diverse spectrum of new and UK music as part of our stronger focus on originality and distinctiveness".

CreativeStudent.net's sister publication CMU, the music business news service, has responded to Davie's remarks thus:

Of course, as someone or other I was reading about the other day said, the BBC is in a very tricky position, because while key players in the political community are constantly calling on the Corporation to make cuts, there will be vocal groups who speak out in support of any service or programmes that are axed in order to streamline the Corporation. And even those of us in the 'save 6' camp must recognise that the high volume of the support being heard for that particular station this week is in part aided by the fact some of its most passionate supporters work in the media, or are active Twitter users.

But then again, my two main problems with the BBC cuts proposals remain, and nothing Davie or his boss Mark 'Tommo' Thompson has said have addressed these two points.

First, both Davie and Tommo justify cutting services like 6 so that they can improve "quality" elsewhere in the Corporation's output. This is a clever rouse, because it's a justification that sounds good but means nothing. It also assumes that you get better quality TV and radio programmes when you spend more money.

While it's true that there is a minimum amount of money you need to spend to get good content (a minimum many commercial radio stations don't provide their programmes any more), the vast majority of BBC Radio's national shows are over-funded and over-staffed, with Radio 1 and Radio 2 the most guilty in this regard. Pumping more money into these stations will just mean they become even more over-funded, not that the quality of programming will improve.

Second, the aim of these cuts is primarily to placate critics in the commercial sector. Those commercial critics complain because Radios 1 and 2 - which compete with their stations - have an unfair competitive advantage because of the vast over-spending and over-staffing that goes on. The proposals of Davie, Tommo and John Tate, who wrote the cuts document, will actually make this imbalance worse and piss off the commercial radio sector even more.

While it can be a good thing to bring in expertise from outside the media into broadcasting companies, to ensure alternative thinking at the top, you get the impression here that the fact Davie, a former fizzy drink seller, and Tate, a former Tory Party twonk, know little about making good radio is in part behind such a misguided strategy being employed. Tommo is a former programme maker, but has his heart in TV not radio, and certainly not music.

So yes, us 6 fans are emotionally attached to a minority interest station, and we are using our media connections to kick up a bigger fuss than our number should probably allow. But CMU's problems with the plans to axe 6 remain unemotional - Davie, Tommo and Tate are just employing bad strategy.

The publisher of both Creative Student and music business news service CMU, Chris Cooke, this weekend wrote an open letter to Conservative Party culture spokesman Ed Vaizey, after the MP was quoted by The Guardian on Friday as referring to the leaked BBC proposal to axe 6music as being "intelligent and sensible". Cooke believes that closing 6music would not achieve either of the aims of the BBC proposals - cutting expenditure and placating the Corporation's commercial critics - but would instead result in a vital non-commercial music service being lost. His letter to Vaizey outlined six reasons why the station should be saved.

Cooke concluded: "I've been to many schmoozing fests where political types from all parties have stood up and told us how proud they are of Britain's music industry, which is one of the most prolific and successful in the world. But take a look at the telly pages in the Radio Times. Try to find the TV programmes representing the British music community on BBC television. If it wasn't for Jools Holland, there wouldn't be any. Now look at the radio listings. Even on the music stations, we all know the daytime shows aren't really about the music. And yes, Radios 1 and 2 have specialist shows, but they squeeze entire alternative genres into tiny time slots, mostly in the middle of the night. Surely the BBC has a duty to represent, showcase and celebrate this great British music industry of ours? Well, it does. Through 6music".

Noting Vaizey's regular appearances on Radio 4's political magazine 'Westminster Hour', he continued: "6music is to the music fan what Radio 4 is to the political community. The place where their passion - good music, new and old - gets the airtime it deserves, where informed and intelligent people can discuss the good, the bad and the ugly, and where the music of today can be put into its historical context. Is it perfect? No. Could costs savings be made? Probably. Should it be better promoted? Definitely. But to tell a music fan that 6music will close is like telling a parliamentarian that all of Radio 4's political output is to be cancelled. Don't worry, GMTV and TalkSport will pick up the slack".

Vaizey responded this morning by stressing that his remark that the leaked proposals seemed "intelligent and sensible" referred to the entire strategy document, written by BBC policy director and former Conservative policy chief John Tate, and not specifically the shutting of 6music.

He writes: "As I have been cast as the man who wants to close 6music, let me put my remarks in context. The BBC has undertaken a strategic review because it recognises that some of [the commercial media's] concerns are legitimate. I had no strong views on 6music on Friday, [but] what struck me as 'intelligent and sensible' was the recognition that the [BBC] website is causing problems for national newspapers; [the proposal to] cap the sports budget, so that competitors like ITV and Channel 4 can get a look in; a reduction in investment in imported American programmes, again so others can bid for successful shows, and so that more money can be spent on UK originated content. I decided to support the general thrust of the proposals in public because there are others who want the BBC to go much further in terms of reducing their service. I thought it would be helpful to the BBC to signal that their efforts - in trying to reduce the scope of some of their services - were recognised".

On 6 more specifically, he adds: "Several things have happened since I spoke out. I am now an avid listener to 6music. I suspect that 6music has doubled its audience. I strongly suspect 6music will be saved. I should emphasise that any decision on 6music is firmly that of the BBC and the BBC Trust. Also, one quote of mine that was not picked up is that this is the beginning of the debate - there is no reason to assume that what is proposed is what will happen. So, to sum up - I had no strong views on 6music on Friday, I now know it is brilliant with a passionate and articulate fan base. [But] its future is not down to me. And I remain firmly committed to the BBC looking carefully at how its services affect its commercial competitors".

CMU Publisher Cooke adds: "As a media owner myself, I agree the BBC should constantly review its operations and consider when it should and should not operate in markets where it goes head to head with commercial operators. But to include proposals to shut 6music as part of such a review just doesn't make sense. I think most people, other than perhaps John Tate, realise this is so and therefore I hope Ed is right when he says he thinks 6 will be saved. I've forwarded my six points to the BBC Trust also, to be added to the grand pile of other 6music support they have surely now received. Let's hope they do the right thing".

You can read Chris and Ed's letters in full here.

Meanwhile, CMU are following this story, and have reported on the various other people who have hit out at the proposals 6music be shut. You can read their coverage here.