BBC Radio 6 Music

BBC Radio 6 Music

BBC 6 Music is one of the BBC's digital radio stations. It was known officially as BBC 6 Music from its launch on 11 March 2002 until April 2011. 6 Music was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years. It is available only on digital media: DAB radio, the Internet, digital television, and in northern Europe through the Astra 2B satellite.

It is claimed to be an alternative to the mainstream chart-oriented Radio 1 and Radio 2. It operates a playlist of similar 'A/B/C' structure to Radio 1. In actuality, it regularly shares selective tracks on its 'A' playlist with radio 1's 'A' list (and other tracks played on mainstream stations that have a high play), although less reliant upon than the more mainstream stations.

Evening and weekend programming, however, features a more diverse selection of tracks across genres both popular and on the fringes, with dedicated shows towards different forms of dance, jazz, soul, and Jamaican music, among others. The station also features performances from the BBC music archives, including the "Peel Sessions" put together by John Peel from the late 1960s to his death.

In July 2010, the BBC Trust announced it had rejected a proposal by the BBC to close 6 Music in order to provide commercial rivals more room. The Trust commented that the station was "well-liked by its listeners, was highly distinctive and made an important contribution." In the second quarter of 2010, 6 Music was reported to be the most listened to BBC digital radio station with an average weekly audience of 1.194 million. As of the October 2012, 6 Music has an average weekly audience of 1.62 million.