Online listening figures from Rajar show that BBC 6 Music’s audience has grown by 50% year on year, clearly rebutting arguments it is not good value for money, which were invoked to justify it’s proposed scrapping earlier this year.  You can still sign the petition to save the station here.

Further argument is bound to be caused by the fact the station took over Radio 3 in terms of online listeners. The classical music station fell to 97,000 listeners in March, while Radio 6 enjoyed 134,000 visitors and also totted up twice as many live listening hours. This throws strangeness of the decision to pick BBC 6 for the chop is into full light. This is especially true given that BBC 3 has a rough alternative in Classic FM, where as BBC 6, championing independent music and new bands has, almost by definition, no large commercial alternative.

Mark Thomson, the head-honcho at the BBC said the station was expensive “given it’s relatively small audience” – these figures show that point now holds no water.

Meanwhile the Asian Network, which is also threatened, put in a 33% increase. Unions have threatened strike action if redundancies are to be made as part of the strategic review – and let’s face it, if this is a cost saving exercise then that is a virtual certainty. This is bound to gain much public support and reignite the campaign to save the stations. It seems the fight is far from over.