Radio 2 Extra Going Forward

Deep breath! I don’t know where to start on this, because when I suggested on the Save 6Music Facebook group, based on branding that, perhaps 6Music could be kept but under the “Extra” brand, I didn’t realise it may catch on, but it may have!

Reports are floating about that it could be rebranded. I’m going to explain why I think this is a sustainable position for the future growth of BBC Digital Radio, although I don’t like it, I like it better than loosing 6Music altogether.

For me BBC 6 Music, mimicks almost exactly what BBC Local Radio had to go through to become accepted by the corporation. Local Radio from the BBC was an experiement, in providing in the public interest services, and that wasn’t wanted either, dismissed as trouble makers with their pesky radio cars! Which is what 6Music became, the rebel in the pack. Local radio had to fight to become accepted.

Try closing local radio now? You can’t, and this is exactly why BBC Radio 2 Extra, means 6Music will always be around in some form, it’s being moved away from the edge of the platform!

Move away from the edge of the platform
Without Radio 7, Radio 6 was now at the end of the numeric branding, and close to falling onto the rails below. The BBC have for many years been blasted for having too much reach, and the cuts seemed aimed on crippling this reach, with 6 near the edge of the platform, it was exposed, the nature of the cuts meant it had to go, to reduce down from 7 stations to 5. However let’s promote 6Music and place it ABOVE Radio 3, afterall DAB radio stations are alphabetically sorted on an auto tune, suddenly 6Music goes right in there as this weeks highest new entry! Absolute, doesn’t make sense until you look at where it is “on the dial”.

A little Extra from the Infax
It was one of the first things that crept into my mind as a way of saving 6Music, when I looked at BBC Radio 7 becoming “Radio 4 Extra”, I did read into the rebranding hidden agenda very well. If 6 is Radio 2’s sister station, why not bind them closer together? Although it’s worth pointing out here my unease with “1Xtra” and “4Extra”, for consistant branding it’s either one or the other.

The brands “5 Extra” and “1Xtra” have been around for a while, so maybe 1Extra needs to loose some coolness, it is after all utter rubbish being broadcast. The length of all this concerns me, it’s a mouthful already “BBC Radio Five Live Extra”?

For the non comformists, we can call 6Music “2x”, and strapline it with “twice as much real music as Absolute” (oh snap! YES please use this strap), or “Real music to the power of two”, either way, there are interesting word plays to be had there.

Mind the Gap!
Anyone notice a gap in the branding, where is Radio 3 Extra? One reason why DAB needs to be wiped out as soon as possible, is technology has moved on, we are talking about digital radio, which should beable to broadcast in Surround Sound, but it’s currently worse than FM. There is a gap analysis here to be had, and DAB+ could create the space needed to offer 5 channel audio, not just for classical music, think of the sports events covered on 5 Live that rudely interupt your football commentry?

Radio 3 Extra, could broadcast the same station output but in Surround Sound, that is if DAB had the bandwitdh to facilitate that, which it doesn’t, so why not push forward with DAB+ and CREATE reasons for moving to digital, rather than slashing stations?

What I’m trying to say is the Extra brand makes sense, going forward for the future of digital radio and offering new services once we all have money again, although it’s not a nice thing to be happening to 6, we still have Opal Fruits right? They didn’t die out when they got renamed Starbursts, there are now many forms of Starbursts, even sour ones, which I highly recommend.

Broadcasting 2Xtra for 12 hours only
Again I’m not proud to have suggested this either, because it could be happening and it’s so wrong, as most of your listeners would listen in the morning and throughout the day and then different listeners at night! It stinks of bandwidth issues with DAB, in the same way that BBC3 and 4 share space with Ceebies and CBBC.

However does the iPlayer make live broadcasts history? NO! Not in the case of radio, absolutly not.

There are cheaper ways of keeping 6Music/2x on 24 hours, which could include broadcasting only documentaries on a night time and having the live shows in the morning, afternoon and early evening, a 7am to 7pm type live schedule.

In Conclusion
Although Radio 2 Extra, could save 6 Music, and the Extra brand makes sense in trying to get DAB adoption up, which is good news for everyone because digital stations are failing due to lack of listeners; I do have to echo the statements of many, many people.

Leave 6Music the f**k alone!

Posted on Tuesday, April 13th, 2010